Scorpion squads return to win column

It was a good day for University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College athletics.

The Scorpion men's soccer team defeated Northwood University 2-0 Saturday afternoon at Morningside Park and the UTB-TSC women followed with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in overtime.

Over at Manuel Garza B. Gymnasium, the UTB-TSC volleyball team opened Red River Athletic Conference play on Saturday with a 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-17 triumph over Huston-Tillotson University.

The Scorpion men's soccer team was sparked by a pair of goals from freshman midfielder Steve Howard.

His first goal came on a driving shot from 12 yards with just 13 seconds left in the first half. The second tally was a matter of just being in the right place at the right time as teammate Ricky Rodriguez's penalty kick in the 84th minute was deflected by Northwood goalkeeper Michael Crawford and put in on the rebound by Howard.

The Scorpions (6-4 , 2-0 RRAC) were coming off a pair of losses last weekend to NAIA nationally ranked opponents in Oklahoma.

"I had a lot of chances, especially early in the match, so it felt good (to score both goals)," Howard said. "The second one was a little bit of luck, really.

"We were unlucky last weekend, so we needed to bounce back today," he added.

Scorpion goalkeeper Juan Gamboa made four saves, while Crawford had nine. UTB-TSC had 11 shots on goal compared to four for Northwood.

The UTB-TSC women's soccer team (4-3-1, 2-0 RRAC) displayed a flair for the dramatic by battling back from a 1-0 deficit to send the match into overtime after Julia Dell' Aquila scored a goal on a crossing shot from the right side in the 87th minute for a 1-1 tie.

Audrey-anna Gatlin had scored for Northwood in the 24th minute, giving the Knights a 1-0 advantage for most of the match.

In overtime, the Scorpions' shots hit the crossbar twice before Verena Wonsikowski's uncontested shot from 12 yards found the net and ended the match via the golden goal format. There were 33.6 seconds showing on the scoreboard in OT when Wonsikowski's goal in the 100th minute won it.

The Knights were down a player for the final eight minutes of regulation and all of the OT after America Fenster was red-carded.

Northwood finished with three shots on goal, while UTB-TSC had five. Stephanie Reid made two saves for UTB-TSC, while Samantha Simpson and Ashley Ford combined for three saves for Northwood.

"We found ourselves in a tough game once again and found a way to win, so I think that tells us something about our team," Scorpion women's soccer coach Nikola "Nik" Barjaktarevic said. "The winning mentality is something we need, and I believe our players know now what it is. We have a long way to go, but we're on the right track."

The UTB-TSC volleyball team was coming off Friday's non-conference victory at home over Our Lady of the Lake University by scores of 22-25, 27-25, 18-25, 25-17, 15-12.

On Friday, Katie Japp sparked UTB-TSC with 15 kills, four blocks and 15 digs. Chelsea Spadaro added 40 assists as the Scorpions recorded a season-high 93 digs.

On Saturday against H-T, the Scorpions (3-13, 1-0 RRAC) were led by three players with 12 kills each. They were Jacque Touchet, Amanda Ozuna and Jeanne O'Leary.

The UTB-TSC volleyball team next plays at Jarvis Christian College on Friday.

The Scorpion soccer squads play host to Texas Wesleyan on Wednesday.