STERLING, Kan. — Sterling lost to Oklahoma Panhandle State 2-0 on Saturday, Sept. 5. The Lady Warriors were held scoreless while taking four shots, including two on goal, and OPSU scored once in each half. Sterling’s goalkeeper finished with nine saves as the Aggies recorded 23 shots.
Sterling absorbed early pressure with defensive saves by Gabriella Galvin, Natalie Schiavone and Preslie Reffel between 6:07 and 15:11 before OPSU went in front 1-0 on Emma Contreras’ goal at 15:25. Bella Duckworth kept Sterling within one with saves on shots in the 18th and 19th minutes, and Schiavone added another defensive save at 16:58. The Lady Warriors’ clearest chance came in the 34th minute when Vivian Ramirez hit the crossbar. OPSU took four more shots over the final 10 minutes of the half, but Duckworth made two saves in that stretch and Sterling went into halftime trailing 1-0.
Sterling kept the Aggies from adding on through several second-half chances before Stephanie Villagomez scored off Celine Loraine’s assist at 75:16 to make it 2-0. Earlier, Duckworth saved shots from Toriana Holt and Emma Contreras, while Reffel added defensive saves on attempts by Emily Chavez and Loraine. After the goal, Duckworth made three more saves as Sterling prevented any further scoring. The Lady Warriors pushed late with shots from Ramirez, Gianna Randall and Cheyenne Siler, including two saves by Leylani Bernal. The second half ended with Sterling unable to cut into the deficit, and OPSU finished off a 2-0 result.
Duckworth recorded nine saves over 90 minutes in goal. Reffel finished with three defensive saves. Schiavone added two defensive saves. Ramirez led Sterling with two shots, including one on goal.
Up next, Sterling (1-2) soccer team visits Hesston College (2-1-2) for their first road matchup on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m.
Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports) and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors’ live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.
