The Prairie View A&M girls’ soccer team sent off their three seniors in style with a resounding 4-2 win over rival Texas Southern during a chilly night at the Lady Panthers soccer field.
The excitement started early with chances of a goal by the aggressive Lady Panthers’ forwards which put the Lady Tigers defense back on their heels.
This aggression was cashed in by a Brenda Castillo goal off of a bobbled free kick by the TSU goalie in the 12-minute mark. PV almost converted two more opportunities in minute 18 but both were off target and hit the post and crossbar respectively.
Soon thereafter, Brenda Castillo hammered home her second of the match in minute 19 off of an excellent ball from the back line.
The Lady Panther defense was strong all night which allowed the forwards and midfielders to control the ball without fear of repercussions from the Tiger defense. Kaleena Marshall, one of the aforementioned seniors, joined in on the action with a rocket into the upper netting in minute 27.
The next minute, the Lady Panthers scored again off of a cross and an excellent run. The Lady Panthers trotted off the field at halftime with a comfortable 4-0 lead.
In the second half, both teams displayed why they are bitter rivals; the game became more physical, tackles became a little harder, and TSU refused to quit. TSU finally broke through in minute 61 with a goal from Melissa Rocheford after she slid the ball by goalie Jessica Garcia. On the play, the two collided and Garcia was injured, much to the chagrin of the pro- Lady Panther crowd.
Garcia received ice treatment on the bench where she watched the rest of the game.
After about 20 minutes of up and down action with Prairie View controlling the midfield, the aggressive play bubbled over resulting with a brief on-field fight involving Emily Scarborough and a TSU midfielder. According to witness accounts. The TSU player incited the incident by pushing Scarborough. Both players received red cards and therefore sat out for the remainder of the game.
TSU scored in the 84th minute off a thru-ball from the midfield, but the late goal was not enough to secure a win and the Lady Panthers coasted to the victory.
The other senior, Brianna Moutett, played stout defense and shut off the left flank of the Lady Tigers offense. Moutett also made important clears including some on potential goal-scoring opportunities.
Though these integral seniors will be missed, it appears that the Lady Panthers will continue to be a factor in the SWAC.
Congratulations to the Lady Panthers on a successful season and qualifying for the SWAC Tournament. The SWAC Tournament will be played Nov. 7-11 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.