By: Luke Rinne, Assistant Sports Information Director
Box Score
(Rolla, Mo.) – Heading into Sunday Leah Williams (Lawrence, Kan./Free State) had scored four goals in her S&T career. She nearly doubled that recording a hat trick including the game winner 1:01 into overtime as the Lady Miners (1-1-1, 1-1 GLVC) won 4-3 over William Jewell at the S&T Soccer Field.
Williams's big day started in the 14th minute. Melissa Moorefield (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) won a ball in the back and sent it forward to Melissa Young (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias). Young ran in space and found Williams wide open at the top of the box as she buried the shot inside the left post.
She scored again in the 22nd minute when Young hit a rocket off the crossbar that bounced right to Williams and she put into the open goal. S&T had a couple of other opportunities to make it 3-0 but were unable to cash in.
The Cardinals (2-1, 1-1 GLVC) got on the board in the 39th minute when Justine Dover deflected in off a corner kick from Kate Beaver. WJC tied the game almost two minutes later as Taylore Depperman connected on a shot from the top of the box off a pass from Sarah Franklin.
Each team had seven shots in the first half with the Cardinals putting five on goal compared to three for S&T. Stacey Luquette (St. Amant, La./St. Amant ) made three saves for the Lady Miners.
Jewell took the lead on a goal from Franklin in the 61st minute. She took a pass from Beaver and scored from the top of the box.
S&T kept threatening but were unable to tie the game until Young got the ball of a turnover deep in the Cardinals end. She took a couple of touches before riffling one past the keeper inside the right post with just over four minutes left in regulation.
Williams nearly won the game in the 88th minute but her shot was saved by Kelli Sontag. Colleen Lewis (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinx Hall Academy) had an opportunity to win it as well in the final minute but Sontag made a diving save to keep the game tied.
The Lady Miners took the opening kick-off of overtime downfield and were able to score when Lewis dribbled through a couple of defenders and found Williams open on the left side of the box. Williams settled it and beat Sontag from 10 yards out for the game winner.
The Lady Miners finished the contest outshooting the Cardinals by an 18-16 margin and 10-7 in shots on goal. Sontag finished the match with six saves while Luquette stopped four shots.
Williams finished the contest with seven shots, five on goal. Young had a goal and two assists.
S&T is back in action on Friday night when it travels to Southern Indiana for a contest with the Screaming Eagles beginning at 5 p.m.
