Soccer Team Defeats Tulsa 2-1 In Double-Overtime

Sunday, October 5

Rice Track/Soccer Stadium

1:00 PM

Rice University

7-4-0, 3-1-0

Tulsa

6-5-2, 1-2-1

Team	1	2	OT 3	OT 4	Final F
Tulsa	0	1	0	0	1
Rice	1	0	0	1	2

<b>Shelley Wong</b><br>Will Rice College

Soccer Team Defeats Tulsa 2-1 In Double-Overtime

10/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Oct. 5, 2008

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HOUSTON -- Junior midfielder Shelley Wong scored both Rice goals, including the game-winner with 57 seconds remaining in regulation, to lift the Rice soccer team to a 2-1 Conference USA win over visiting Tulsa Sunday afternoon at the Owls' Soccer Stadium in Houston.

Wong's performance closed out Rice's six-game homestand, the longest in school history, on a winning note and helped the Owls keep pace in the C-USA standings. The Owls won their third game in a row and moved into a tie for second place in the conference. Rice and Colorado College both have 3-1-0 records for nine points in the league standings and trail 3-0-1 East Carolina by just one point.

Rice opened the scoring in the 21st minute. Freshman forward Amy Beger served a centering pass from the left endline in front of the goalkeeper's box where Wong was patrolling in Tulsa traffic. Wong and the Golden Hurricane defenders collided and fell to the ground while going for the ball. She was still on the ground, but alertly made a stab at the loose ball and punched it in-goal to the right side from close range.

Tulsa battled its way back and tied the game in the second half. In the 78th minute Golden Hurricane forward Jennifer Kacergis intercepted a pass at midfield and made long run with the ball toward the left wing. After a zig-zagging move to elude the Rice defenders, Kacergis hit a shot to the right-side netting for her team-leading fifth goal on the season and a new game, 1-1.

The teams traded offensive chances for the remainder of the period but the contest remained deadlocked. The Owls held a 27-11 advantage in shots at the end of regulation, but Tulsa out-shot Rice 4-3 in the first overtime period and twice came close to goals on a pair of corner kicks. Rice turned the offensive pressure back up in the second overtime and came close to the game-winner on two occasions. Tulsa made a play for save on a shot by Erin Scott in the 102nd minute. In the 104th, a header by Kate Edwards' header went wide just wide.

As the game ticked into the 110th minute, Rice made on final try. Erin Scott took the ball toward the right endline and as the Golden Hurricane defenders surrounded the threat, Scott played the ball back up top toward the front left side of the goal. Wong stepped-in and blasted her sixth shot attempt of the day from 10-yards away to the back of the Tulsa net. The native of Virginia Beach, Va., notched the game-winner with 57 seconds left in the second OT for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.

It was the third time this season for Wong to score two goals in a game. She's no stranger to the feat, and the Owls are no stranger to hard-fought matches with Tulsa. Win or lose, the difference of every Rice-Tulsa game since the Owls started its soccer program in 2001 have been by narrow one-goal margins. What is new is that Rice had claimed wins over both longtime rivals SMU and Tulsa in the same season for the first time in school history.

Rice improved to 7-4-0 on the season and 3-1-0 in C-USA. Tulsa moved to 6-5-2 overall and 1-2-1 in league play. The Owls now take to the road for each of their next four C-USA games. Rice is at UAB on Friday (Oct. 10) and defending C-USA Tournament champion Memphis on Oct. 12. The match with Memphis is scheduled for a television broadcast by CBS College Sports.