HOUSTON, Texas - 102 minutes. That's how long the University of St. Thomas Women's Soccer team battled on Saturday, Oct. 27, in a game that saw the Celts squander a two-goal lead, then fight back to take down conference rivals Texas A&M University–Texarkana (TAMU-T) in overtime, 3-2.
It was the Celts 12th win of the season (12-2-1), unding an unbeaten (10-0-1) regular-season run in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play. With the win, the Celts secured the top-seed in the RRAC Tournament as Regular Season Champions.
The Celts immediately started on the front foot. Junior Katarina Maksimov (JR/Richmond, TX) opened the scoring in the 14th minute after Alexa Noyola (SR/Houston, TX) played a well-weighted pass in-behind the Eagles' defense, and Maksimov finished into the far corner.
At the 24-minute mark, the Celts doubled their lead. Rachael Bell (SR/Houston, TX) split the Eagles' back line to release sophomore Courtlyn Boxie (SO/Houston, TX) 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper. Boxie slotted it home to put the Celts up 2-0.
The Celts continued to dominate possession for the rest of the first half, but couldn't find another breakthrough. In the 53rd minute, the Eagles would pull one back, with Cassandra Pineda cutting the lead to 2-1. Just 7 minutes later, Madison Walters leveled from the distance to tie the game at 2-2. Both teams continued to battle for the rest of regulation, but neither was able to find a breakthrough.
It wasn't until the 112th minute – the 7th minute of the second overtime – that the Celts broke the deadlock. Bell played Maksimov in behind after a bursting run from the left side. She made no mistake, finding the corner to give the Celts a 3-2 win.
Golden goal scorer Katarina Maksimov was elated after the game: "This was very important for the team to get a win because it meant we would be making history going undefeated in regular season and winning the regular season championship. It was also bittersweet because it was the last home game for seniors. We scored two early goals and our seniors Alexa and Rachael had the assists, which was awesome. Scoring with 3 minutes left from a beautiful ball from senior Rachael Bell was an indescribable feeling. I was so happy for the team and was feeling all the emotions from how hard we worked to get to this point. The job still isn't finished as we prepare for the final four in Texarkana in less than two weeks."
Even though Celts won the RRAC Tournament Championship in 2017 and qualified to the NAIA National Tournament – winning the regular season championship in 2018 is an extraordinary achievement. The win was a milestone for the program, marking the first regular-season championship in women's soccer history.
"I'm excited for this win on senior night! That being the last home game memory for me and the work ethic that we all showed will stay with me forever, said senior Rachael Bell and added: "We started strong in the first half with a 2-0 lead but let them back in in the second half, but the work ethic and the tenacity that we had to keep going to secure the win was incredible."
With the win, the Celts earn the top seed in the RRAC Tournament and will be back in action next Thursday, Nov. 8 in Texarkana, TX.
