Through 20 games this season, Jacey Ferrara had not scored a goal. But that changed Sunday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Division II women’s soccer playoffs.
The sophomore midfielder scored her first goal of the year with 30 seconds left in the first overtime period to propel the Wildcats to a 2-1 victory over Midwestern State at the Wildcat Soccer Pitch.
The goal marked Ferrara’s second career goal although she has taken 21 shots this year. This one could not have come at a better time for the team or Ferrara.
“I’m speechless,” Ferrara said. “I was just so excited. I’ve been shooting all season, waiting for one to go in. When I hit this one, I hit it with everything I had. The ball was right there in front of me, I kicked it, and no one was in the way.”
Ferrara’s goal was initiated after the Mustangs’ 20th foul of the match. The foul set up Julie Coppedge’s indirect free kick from the far end of the 18-yard box. Coppedge sent the ball towards the middle of the scrum; junior Krysta Grimm redirected the ball to Ferrara, who fired it past MSU goalkeeper Mallory Whitworth.
“Over the past 10 matches we haven’t scored on many of those opportunities, so it was nice to have it, but we had to earn it,” said head coach Casey Wilson. “We were here last year, and it was great to see this team take it a step further. It’s essential that we keep raising the bar.”
This is the first time the 5-year-old ACU soccer program has advanced to the third round of the NCAA playoffs, pushing forward after its first playoff appearance last year when it lost to St. Edwards on penalty kicks during the second round. Wilson said she was pleased with the progress the team has made from last year.
“I wanted to take it a step further for the girls,” Wilson said. “Now we’re here.”
Ferrara’s goal served at the catalyst for the Wildcats (19-1-1) they head to the South Central Region final in Los Angeles Friday. ACU will play Dallas Baptist (16-5-1) for the South Central Region title. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Chico State, Cal State-Los Angeles game Sunday in the national quarterfinals.
ACU took 20 shots while MSU, the regions fifth seed, took 18. Wildcat goalie Elliott London and Whitworth each had 11 saves, but none was bigger for London than the one she made on Emily Saville’s penalty kick in the 35th minute.
“I don’t like PK’s because of all the open space the attacker has, but I’d been watching people and knew where this one was going,” London said.
London read the right direction of the left-footed kick and made a diving stop going toward the far post to secure the Wildcats’ 1-0 lead in the first half.
That lead disappeared midway through the second half, however, when senior Mustang Kelsey Hill headed in Lyndsey Pritchard’s pass from inside the six-yard box.
The goal was Hill’s 11th of the season, and Pritchard’s assist was her seventh.
“The comeback and fight out of our girls is what I liked,” Midwestern head coach Jeff Trimble said. “If you’re going to lose, you want to do so fighting, and I felt like we went down with a fight.”
From the 71st to 77th minute, Whitworth was called on to make four consecutive saves. London was the recipient after that and stopped three straight during a 10-minute span.
ACU was presented with a penalty kick in the eighth minute of play after a hard foul on sophomore forward Andrea Carpenter, and Grimm lined up to take the kick.
Grimm was in a similar situation Nov. 6 in the LSC Conference Tournament’s championship game where she pushed a penalty kick and missed wide left, but she didn’t let that phase her this time. Grimm beat Whitworth to the near post giving ACU a 1-0 lead.
“After that last match I’ve worked hard all week on my penalty kicks,” Grimm said. “I kept telling myself I’d never miss another one. I went up knowing I owed it to my teammates to make this shot. I had to redeem myself.”
Wilson showed no hesitation about choosing Grimm to take the shot.
“I think without a doubt Krysta was tough enough to want to do it again,” he said. “Krysta is mentally strong and I was confident she would score.”
Thirty-six fouls were committed in the match by both teams, including three yellow cards. Despite the flaws of Sunday’s game, Wilson is optimistic about the future.
“I’m excited for what lies ahead for this program,” Wilson said. “It will be a great experience; a much-deserved one, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead in California for our team.”
