Staff Reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 6, 1997

Wildcats never lead, lose in overtime

Leigh-Anne Brown Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona junior forward Nikki Jones makes a run on the ball during the Wildcats' match against Creighton last weekend. Jones, one of the inaugural players still on the team, along with her teammates, are one win away from tying the season record of six wins that they had in 1995.

In a physical, midfield-dominated game, Arizona couldn't convert in overtime losing to Loyola Marymount yesterday afternoon 2-1.

The Wildcats beat Tennessee 2-0 on Friday night, but the intensity from that game was missing yesterday as the Lions controlled the first half and made the big plays to win in the second as a crowd of 339 looked on.

"We just couldn't get the touches that we needed today," senior midfielder Emily Bumps said. "We are disappointed, (LMU) came out firing and we seemed to be a little unprepared. I'm not really sure what it was."

Loyola's Heather Nelson ended it just three minutes into the overtime period by taking advantage of a poor UA pass that was intercepted. She got an open look right in front of the goal and put a right-footed shot in the lower right corner, just out of the reach of UA's Inger Airheart.

"We were attacking their defense in the middle all day," said LMU's Stacy Roberts, who scored the first goal of the game 14 minutes into the second half off a penalty shot when an UA defender was called for hands in the goal box. "Their defense forms such a good wall that we knew we would have to send balls through it and hope for a mistake. It's nice to go home happy after such a tough game."

Arizona tied the game with just under 10 minutes left in the second half. After a Wildcat throw-in just across the UA side of the field, freshman Elena Galvan broke past two defenders and was taken out at the top of the LMU goal box (she suffered a sprained right ankle and didn't return). Krista Bogdan was trailing and in the right spot to blast a shot into the lower left corner of the net where Lion goal keeper Celeste Adams didn't have a chance.

Bogdan, who leads the team in goals (4) and points (10), nearly won the game in the first minute of overtime. Off a square pass, Bogdan uncorked a shot to the left side of the goal that Adams got just enough of as she dove to punch it out of the lower left corner. The ball laid just feet away from the goal but was cleared before Arizona could capitalize.

"We played poorly in the first half, but played better after some adjustments at halftime," UA head coach Lisa Fraser said. "(LMU) dominated for most of the game, it was definitely one of those days where things didn't go right."

Loyola outshot the Wildcats 23-16. UA's Melissa Kessler was yellow-carded and set up the LMU penalty shot when she used her hands to control a ball that had gotten behind of Airheart in the goal box.

"The problem is that we can't wait until after a score to get fired up," Bumps said. "We lacked some intensity and it showed. It was frustrating for us, I don't know how it was for them."

LMU agreed.

"At times it just seemed like a big kick-ball game," Roberts said. "Things got all jumbled at times, but that is what you expect somewhat when you are playing a physical game."

On Friday night, Airheart recorded her fourth shutout of the year and Arizona won its sixth game - both tying school records. Bogdan notched the first goal of the game and assisted on the second, which was scored by junior Nikki Jones.