PENSACOLA, Fla. – For the first time in program history, the UWG soccer team is headed to the Gulf South Conference Championship and to get there, the Wolves had to play 110 more drama-filled minutes and advance in penalty kicks over the seventh-seeded West Alabama Tigers.
West Georgia (9-7-2) and West Alabama (8-5-5) played an extremely tight game, with both teams rattling off seven shots in the contest, but it was West Georgia who got on the board first.
Freshman
Janet Hartman volleyed one in from the top of the box in the 35
th minute, giving UWG the lead. The unassisted goal was the third of the season for Hartman and the first goal in the GSC Tournament for UWG since 2016.
It looked as if the Wolves would take a 1-0 lead into the halftime break, but the Tigers scored in the 45
th minute to tie things up on a Kaylah Butterworth goal.
Neither team recorded a shot in the second half, and each team had one shot in each overtime period. The Wolves, however, had a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks including four total in overtime.
But neither team could get the game winner, sending the game to penalty kicks for the second consecutive game for each team.
Cassidi Thomas opened up the penalty kick shootout successfully, and then just as the Wolves had done last Sunday, head coach
Stacey Balaam went to her bench and called on
Chanceley Book who came up big once again.
Book, the junior from Rome saved the first penalty attempt from UWA, and then got successful attempts from
Janaisia Smith and
Jazmine Santiago sandwiched around a successful attempt from UWA.
But then Anele Komani missed for West Alabama and
Kaylah Nichols missed for UWG, making it 3-1 on the fourth attempt. And cue the heroic music.
Needing a save for the win, Book dove to her right, saving the attempt from Rachel Homoki, making history for the Wolves in the process.
"Just crazy excited," said Book after the big moment. "I was a little nervous before, but when I got in I knew to never guess and always react to make the save."
Book has now delivered in back-to-back postseason games.
West Georgia awaits the winner of top-seeded Lee and West Florida for the GSC Championship. The title game is set for 1 p.m. EST on Saturday afternoon from Pensacola.
