After defeating the number one ranked team in the tournament Grambling State, on Nov. 5 and shutting out host team and defending champion Mississippi Valley on Nov. 6, the Lady Panthers were on a roller coaster high going into the championship match against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Sunday, Nov. 8.
The game would be a defensive battle throughout both halves with neither team really grabbing control of the momentum. Unfortunately, UAPB forward Nicole Parks-Powell was in the right spot at the right time and punched in a goal after a missed attempt from a fellow teammate, putting the Lady Lions up 1-0 in the 54th minute of the second half.
Despite several attempts at the opposing goal keeper, the Lady Panthers weren’t able to capitalize on any attempts, ending the Panther’s magnificent tournament run.
Heading into the tournament with a record of 7-9, the Lady Panthers knew they would have to execute, provide great defense and stay on attack on the offensive end to win the tournament.
Their plan started working very quickly when they went on a scoring flurry in the first half against MVSU. Forward Navyd Diaz opened up the game for the Lady Panthers with a 25-yard strike at the 10 minute mark that gave the opposing goalie no chance to even contest the shot.
Later on, SWAC freshman of the year, Yosselyn Aguilar, decided to put her stamp on the game by connecting on a goal from a nicely executed assist from teammate Claudia Martinez just 31:51 into the first half.
As play resumed in the second half, the Lady Panthers knew that they would have to maintain their first half performance and stay focused in order to keep their lead intact. They did just that by sealing the deal with a David Beckham-like right corner kick from Brenda Castillo in the 76th minute. The goal gave the Lady Panthers a demanding 3-0 lead that lasted due to the impressive play from Lady Panther goalie, Jessica Garcia.
This was the second time this year that the Lady Panthers shut out Valley. With the win, the Lady Panthers improved their overall record to 8-9 and advanced to take on the winner of Grambling State/Alcorn State game Friday, Nov. 6 in the semifinals.
Following the prominent win over Mississippi Valley, the Ladies realized that they would have to up their game even more to take down their next opponent, the number one ranked Grambling State Lady Tigers.
The Lady Panthers would again begin the game in impressive fashion as they scored their first goal at the 19:28 mark, taking advantage of Grambling State fouls. Aguilar, with the benefit of a free kick from the middle of the field capitalized with a goal from 30 yards out. As play continued with Prairie View up 1-0, the game became more aggressive, but with 35:15 left, an excellent assist from Marrisa Woods to Abigail Escobar gave the Lady Panthers a 2-0 lead over the top ranked team in the tournament.
Grambling State would finally punch in with a breakaway, unassisted goal from Kelsie Sherfield at the 44:34 mark as the Lady Panthers took a 2-1 lead into intermission.
As the whistle blew to begin the second half, the Lady Panthers were in perfect position to advance to the SWAC Championship game as long as they could hold back the attack Grambling would attempt.
Fortunately, the outcome was unsuccessful, because Garcia shut out Grambling State in the 2nd half, ending the game with six saves and securing the victory.
With the victory, the Lady Panthers advanced to the 2009 SWAC championship game held on Sunday, Nov. 8. They took on the winner of the Jackson State/Arkansas Pine Bluff contest.