UTB-TSC Capsules: Scorpions come back, but lose to Belhaven

JACKSON, Miss. - Belhaven University jumped on the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College for three first-half goals and held on for a 3-2 victory in an NAIA men's soccer national championship opening-round game Saturday at H.T. Newell Field.

Belhaven advances to the site of the final 16 teams Nov. 28 through Dec. 3 in Orange Beach, Ala., and will play the winner of the game between fifth-seed Rio Grande (Ohio) and Madonna University (Mich.) on Nov. 29.

"Everything we worked on went out of the window when we conceded three goals in the first 20 minutes," Scorpions coach Dan Balaguero said. "I thought we were really starting to play well after being down 1-0, we get caught flat at the back from a ball we have to deal with on both the second and third goal."

The game was a contrast in each half. Belhaven dominated the first half, and UTB-TSC controlled the second half.

The first half stunned the Scorpions, who trailed 3-0 after the first 45 minutes. A comeback seemed even less likely when forward Mario Perez injured his knee on a non-contact play with six minutes left in the first half. Perez did not return for the rest of the game.

"Coming into halftime 3-0 down and without your two-time All-American (Perez) was difficult," Balaguero said. "Give credit to the guys they were magnificent in the second half, It really looked like we were going to get the equalizer and go on to win the game. We had Belhaven pinned in the last 30 minutes and had a couple of great chances to equalize. We showed a lot of character and pride in the second half but in the end, the hole we put ourselves in was just too deep."

UTB-TSC finally got its offense going in the second half.

With 37:28 left in regulation, a Belhaven foul just outside the penalty box gave UTB-TSC's Orrin Farrell a free kick opportunity. Farrell nailed the shot into the left side of the goal to cut the deficit to 3-1.

A second yellow card on BU's Alex Rodriguez with 21:04 left in the game gave the Scorpions a chance to play with a one-man advantage the rest of the game.

With 15:10 left in the game in a crowded box, Frederik Ekvall scored from close range to make it 3-2.

The Scorpions had other opportunities but could not capitalize. Victor Perreira's shot with four minutes remaining hit the crossbar.

Nothing went right for the Scorpions in the early going. Defender Tommy Catania was whistled for a handball violation inside the box less than three minutes into the game. Achille Campion, the leading scorer for the Blazers, made the Scorpions pay by nailing the penalty kick into the bottom left corner of the net. Scorpions goalkeeper Michael Argumedo guessed that Campion would go right. The result was a 1-0 lead with only 158 seconds into the game.

The next two Belhaven goals came within a 91-second span only 14 minutes later. Both came on crisp passes from the left side, and the Blazers showed their strength and speed on both. The plays looked identical, with both shots coming from about 20 yards from the left side.

Belhaven had the 3-0 lead with 28:20 left in the half, with less than 17 minutes gone in the game. The Scorpions were stunned, although they collected themselves and held the Blazers scoreless for the rest of the half.

The total statistics were balanced, but a major contrast in each half. UTB-TSC outshot Belhaven 17-16 and had a 9-8 advantage on shots on goal. In the first half, The Blazers had a 11-6 advantage on shots in the first half and the Scorpions had a 11-5 advantage in shots in the second half.

Argumedo played all 90 minutes and had five saves.

Belhaven (16-4) lost in the semifinals of the tough Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament. The Blazers received an at-large bid to the tournament, is seeded No. 12 and is one of four SSAC teams in the 31-team field.

UTB-TSC (13-6-2) qualified for the game differently than in previous years. The Scorpions' four-year run of RRAC championships was ended by Huston-Tillotson University 1-0 on Nov. 12 in Cedar Hill. However, the Scorpions still qualified because NAIA rules dictate that two teams advance to the postseason if there are 12 or more teams in a conference. The RRAC had 12 in men's soccer.

"Today's game summarizes our season, giving up multiple bad goals in short time spans, playing well for only half of the game," Balaguero said. "The season has not been as hoped but I see a bright future ahead and hope we can go at least one step further in 2012."

Women's Soccer

Scorpions drop 2-1 heartbreaker to University of Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. -- The University of Mobile scored the game-winning goal on an eerie play in the 76th minute to hold off the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College 2-1 in their NAIA women's soccer national championship opening round game at "The Swamp" on The University of Mobile campus.

Mobile (18-3-1), the No. 5 team in the NAIA, advances to the site of the final 16 teams Nov. 28 through Dec. 3 in Decatur, Ala., where they will play Graceland University (Iowa), a 5-4 winner over Concordia University (Calif.).

"I thought we had better of the game, but were unable to get that second goal in," Scorpions coach Nik Barjaktarevic said. "We have to give tremendous credit to Mobile for fighting the whole game and in the end getting the result. Performance and fight was truly superb, they played at an extremely high level and made it very exciting game to watch both defensively and offensively."

The game was tied 1-1 at halftime and stayed that way until the 76th minute. A foul was called against the Scorpions, and the Rams got a quick throw-in after the foul. Some Scorpion players briefly paused, but there was no whistle blown by officials, The goal was scored off the Scorpions who were out of position to defend against a shot.

The Scorpions complained to the officials about the goal, but to no avail.

"The girls went crazy at the refs but here was nothing we could do," Barjaktarevic said.

Scorpions defender Danielle Lea received a yellow card.

The loss was a heartbreaker for the Scorpions, who controlled the ball for most of the game. UTB-TSC outshot Mobile 20-9 and had an 8-6 advantage on shots on goal.

UTB-TSC (17-3-1) had a 15-game winning streak coming into the game.

The Scorpions got on the scoreboard less than three minutes into the game. Helen Wagstaff launched a 30-yard shot which found the left corner of the net to give UTB-TSC a 1-0 lead.

UM tied the game in the 27th minute and the score remained tied at intermission. The second half, and especially the game-winning goal, will be one the Scorpions will remember for a long time.

The two teams met in the season opener Aug. 25 in Hattiesburg, Miss. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. UTB-TSC started the year 2-2-1, including a road loss to tournament-bound and No. 12 California State University-San Marcos. But since then, the Scorpions have run off 15 straight victories, including a 9-0 run through the Red River Athletic Conference and two victories in the RRAC tournament.

The Scorpions set a school record for wins with 17, goals scored with 78, and goals allowed with 15. The Scorpions posted 14 shutouts.

"It's tough to see our players especially our seniors end the season this way, but they all deserve to have their head held up high," Barjaktarevic said. "These things happen in life all the time. We just need to give it some time and then evaluate everything this team did. This has been the best team I had privilege to coach and glad I had an opportunity to share this great journey with them."