Updated Oct 28, 2012, 8:33 pm Originally posted Oct 28, 2012, 6:24 pm
Just two seconds determined the winner and loser of Sunday's Arizona-Utah's soccer match. The Wildcats pulled off a 1-0 shutout with junior midfielder Shannon Heinzler's goal in double overtime at Mulcahy Stadium.
"I swear that was slow motion," head coach Lisa Oyen said. "I think we all saw it happen before it happened and then it actually happened. I almost feel that there is a point because the seniors worked so hard because of everything they did that honestly the team willed that one in."
Heinzler said she was acting on pure adrenaline at a time when everyone was slowing down in the final seconds of the game.
"We wanted to win this game for our seniors and for ourselves," Heinzler said. "So it felt great to give that to them as a gift and to have that last game on our home field end like that."
The Wildcats found themselves playing more of a defensive game than an offensive game falling into the same routine as Friday. However, junior goalkeeper Gabby Kaufman stood ready and willing to save the day recording six saves in the first half.
In a final attempt to put a goal on the board before halftime, junior forward and midfielder Jazmin Ponce attacked the Ute's goal, but was taken down hard.
The referee originally called for an Arizona penalty kick, but waived it off after conferring with the line judge. This caused an outburst of frustration for the Wildcats and their fans.
"We would have preferred the penalty kick," Oyen said. "He decided to reverse the decision. Are we going to agree with it all the time? No. But do we have to deal with it? Absolutely. It is part of the game."
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The missed opportunity could have given Arizona the lead they needed going into the half instead they went into the half tied 0-0.
"I thought we had good momentum and didn't have to make a lot of changes," Oyen said.
"It was just about maintaining that level and keep improving off of that. We weren't trying to change a lot of things. When we have a halftime like that it makes things a little bit easier."
After another scoreless second half, Arizona was forced into not just one overtime period, but two.
Eight minutes into the first overtime period, Arizona associate head coach Tim Bennett was given a red card, and watched the rest of the match from outside the gate of the stadium.
Kaufman recorded a season high of 12 saves in a single match. She tried to extend her determination up the field in the final five seconds of double overtime.
"I was holding my breath," Kaufman said. "As everyone was watching it happen, I just pictured her [Heinzler] scoring the goal in my head before she even shot the ball. So I knew something big was going to happen."
This was the first win for Arizona in nine games, after a five-game losing streak. The Wildcats improve to 6-10-3 for the season, winning their third shutout performance of the season.
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