TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler earned a result on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day for the program with a 1-1 tie against Eastern New Mexico after 110:00 complete minutes of action.
The Patriots recorded a season high 32 shots in their final contest of the 2021 season on Saturday afternoon, outshooting the Greyhounds by a 32-to-6 margin. The Patriots generated a host of opportunities to put away the game winner, particularly in the two overtime periods in which UT Tyler dominant possession, but were unable to find the back of the net.
Sophomore
Jordan Colbert tied the match up in the 74
th minute with her sixth goal of the season, and her fourth goal to come by way of a penalty shot. Classmate
Emily Dress had an opportunity to give the Patriots a lead coming out of the halftime break with a penalty kick chance of her own in the 48
th minute, but found the right post on her attempt to keep the match at a scoreless 0-0 tie.
That scoreless tie coming out of the halftime break came on the heels of a slow first half for both sides as UT Tyler posted 10 shots, while Eastern New Mexico accounted for three attempts on net.
The Dress penalty kick was the first true chance for either side in the 47
th minute. The Greyhounds finally broke the scoreless affair in the 74
th minute with a goal from Elita Casias to open with the 1-0 lead.
From that point forward the match was all UT Tyler as the Patriots would go on to total nine shots in the second half, and then 13 more in the first and second overtime periods combined. Colbert's penalty kick opportunity essentially started the onslaught of Patriot offense as UT Tyler's
Bruna Pereira was taken down inside the Greyhound penalty box for the foul.
The Patriots put three shot on goal attempts on net in both the first and second overtime periods, all six of which were saved by Greyhound keeper Whitney Dockweiler. All three chances in the second period from
Vanessa Bart, who nearly got the finish in a crowded box in the 101
st minute, and then
Taylor Dickens just over a minute later, and finally
Faith Adje could have easily found the back of the net on any other afternoon.
Adje's shot was particularly close as she brought the ball into the Greyhound box and placed a beautiful shot just above the head of Dockweiler, who got just enough of a finger tip on the ball to redirect the shot off the top cross bar. Dickens also nearly caught the Greyhounds by surprise just a few minutes earlier, sending in a ball from way outside that curved back into the net and nearly got past the outstretched arms of Dockweiler.
Despite the six shots on target for UT Tyler, Eastern New Mexico was able to survive the UT Tyler pressure to keep the match at it's 1-1 final through the 20 minutes of overtime play. The Patriots didn't allow Eastern New Mexico to record a single shot over that stretch of play, and conceded just four shots on goal for the entirety of the match.
The 1-1 draw brings the Patriots overall record to a 5-9-1 final tally for the 2021 season, with a 3-9-1 mark in Lone Star Conference play.
