Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney team got off 19 shots but had to settle for a 0-0 tie with Southwest Baptist Sunday afternoon at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field.
This was "Senior Day" and the final home game of the 2017 season for the Lopers. With today's result, both UNK (3-8-3, 0-6-1) and the Bearcats (2-10-2, 0-6-2) get their first point of the conference season.
Now 3-4-10 in its last 17 extra time games, UNK had seven shots in the first half, nine after the break, two in the first OT period and one in the final 10 minutes. SBU had eight shots overall. Four came in the first half with two of those happening in the first two minutes.
Nine different Lopers managed a shot on goal with Norfolk sophomore
Maddie Love having two. Omaha sophomore
Megan Merkel had the final chance to win the game but her shot from in the box sailed high in the 105th minute.
Early in the second half, Lincoln freshman
Makada Beamon broke away from the SBU defense and had a one-on-one chance with keeper Ashley Gibbs. However, the 'Cats recovered and a sliding Gibbs saved Beamon's shot. Another Loper attempt was blocked in goal by an SBU defender.
About 20 minutes later, Lincoln junior
Tori Weber lined up for a free kick from the left wing. Her shot was stopped by Gibbs but she couldn't control it and the ball appeared to cross the goal line. However, Kearney didn't get the call.
Overall, Omaha junior
Caitlin Rerucha had a team-best four shots with Merkel taking three. Papillion junior
Ali Hirschman played the first half in goal and made one save. Redshirt sophomore
Allie Prososki (Kearney Catholic), coming off the disabled list, went the rest of the way and stopped three SBU shots.
Prior to starting lineups, UNK honored seniors
Carly Brown (Omaha Skutt),
Alexis Fernandez (Goodyear, Ariz.) and
Marika Van Brocklin (Hastings). Brown limped off the field in the 69th minute and didn't return. On a more positive note, Van Brocklin went all 110 minutes, pushing her career total to 6,056. That surpasses the school record of 6,047, set by defender Sarah Talcott from 2010-13.
UNK heads to Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State next weekend.
