Soccer wins in overtime

Momentum has no loyalty.

In the overtime soccer match between the Texas Longhorns and the BYU Cougars, momentum acted like a tennis ball, going from one side to the other. But in the end, the Longhorns grabbed the momentum and the 3-2 victory on an Amy Burlingham goal four minutes into the first overtime.

With the triumph, Texas matches a school record with seven straight home wins. The Longhorns improve to 8-5-1 on the season and earned a much needed victory for team confidence.

"We had a good little push at the end," Texas head coach Chris Petrucelli said. "Winning a game like that will give us a boost of confidence."

Much of the first half involved a struggle for possession. Neither team could muster a quality scoring chance until the 10th minute. Kelly McDonald settled a ball on the Texas half of the field and sprung Kelsey Carpenter with a long pass toward the Cougar goal. Carpenter beat her defender but narrowly missed the goal with her shot. Texas appeared to gain momentum after this run and kept the attack in Cougar territory.

It took 23 minutes, but McDonald lit up the scoreboard once again. Carpenter settled the ball and fed McDonald for a left-footed shot just inside the top of the penalty box. The shot drilled the crossbar but shot straight down and just over the goal line, giving McDonald four straight games with at least one point.

Ashley Foster provided a two-goal advantage for Texas just before the halftime break. Kelly Wilson earned her 10th assist of the season by feeding Foster just outside the penalty box. Foster floated a shot just under the crossbar and into the back of the net for her second of the season.

The second half proved to be an entirely different story. BYU returned from the break pushing the ball and all seven attackers deep into Texas territory. The Cougars matched their first half shot total of five within the first third of the period and ended up with 16 at the conclusion of regulation.

"It looked like our team thought the game was over at half," Petrucelli said. "I told them not to let BYU get any momentum but we came out and were not focused."

BYU narrowed the score differential 10 minutes into the second half with a goal off a corner kick. Texas thwarted one corner but gave the Cougars a second try. Bobbi Tillotson sent the restart into the box and found 5-foot, 11-inch Claire Thomas, who finished the play with a header into the right side of the Longhorn goal.

Throughout the second half, Texas struggled to find chances. Amy Burlingham attempted to put the game out of reach with a laser shot that flew inches over the crossbar.

The Longhorns looked to have the match in control but BYU would not go quietly. With 3:41 left in the game the Cougars managed a strong attack off of a free kick. The team's leading scorer, Jamie Rendich, received a pass from Tillotson and put a shot over the outstretched arms of Alex Gagarin.

With the score knotted at two, Texas entered its second straight overtime game. This time around the Longhorns managed to post a game-winner.

Immediately following the overtime kickoff, Texas looked like a team on a mission. A couple of terrific scoring chances passed without result, including a poor BYU goal kick that ended up on the foot of McDonald.

But with the momentum in their favor, Texas finally rattled the net. Caitlin Kennedy began the play by bringing the ball down the near side. After firing a shot at Cougar goal keeper Erika Woodbury, Kennedy got her own rebound and found an open Burlingham about 10 yards away, who finished off the play off.

"We just wanted to get the momentum back in out favor," Burlingham said. "We focused on creating chances in the first overtime, and we knew we could score a goal."

Texas continues its home stand Sunday and looks to improve a 3-3-1 conference record with a win over the 2-4 Missouri Tigers.