Sports

1-0 ADVANCES LADY LIONS TO SWAC SOCCER FINAL

By Troy Schulte/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, November 7, 2009 12:39 AM CST

Arkansas-Pine Bluff soccer coach Roberto Mazza was about as calm as he had been all season heading into Friday’s semifinal game at the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.

He’s not really sure why. But he wasn’t worried when the Lady Lions began playing Jackson State, the No. 1 seed from the East, and he wasn’t worried when his team went into halftime with a slim one-goal lead.

His confidence paid off when UAPB held onto a lead it was given with a Jade West goal in the first half to beat the Tigers 1-0 and advance to the championship game of the SWAC Tournament for the first time in program history.

UAPB (11-6-4), which entered as the No. 2 seed from the West, will play the No. 3 seed from the East, Prairie View A&M, which upset the No. 1 seed from the West Grambling State on Friday, in a 1 p.m. championship match on Sunday in Itta Bena, Miss.

“It’s very exciting,” Mazza said by phone. “We’re looking forward to it.”

After a 7-3 win over Alabama A&M in the first round, UAPB used the formula that had helped it to get where it is this season — timely scoring and solid defense.

Its lone goal came in the 40th minute when Shannon Ellis pushed the ball up the line into the Jackson State box. She sent a cross to West, whose shot went to the lower-left post to provide the only score needed.

UAPB outshot Jackson State 16-9 and goalkeeper Chelsea Klein had eight saves while being credited with her eighth shutout against a SWAC opponent this season.

“We put everything together,” Mazza said. “This is probably the best defensive game that we’ve played. We didn’t really allow any opportunities to Jackson State.”

The Lady Lions get a day off before playing the Panthers, who are also playing in the final for the first time. UAPB won the regular-season matchup 4-1 last month in Prairie View, Texas when Nicole Parks-Powell scored three goals and Taryn Wright another.

But Mazza said that won’t decide Sunday’s outcome. The Panthers scored two first-half goals to beat Grambling 2-1 on Sunday.

“You’re in a final,” he said. “A final is a final. Anything can happen.”

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