Oct. 24, 2005

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alabama State got two second half goals, then staved off a furious rally, to defeat Prairie View A&M 2-1 Sunday in the Lady Hornets' final home game at the Emory Folmar YMCA Complex this season.

Sheena Bell scored her first goal of the season four minutes into the second half to put Bama State in the lead for good. Jessica Priest scored in the 66th minute on a penalty kick - her team-high fourth of the season - to put the Lady Hornets on top 2-0.

"We needed that early goal, then we got the penalty kick to give us some breathing room," said head coach Kendall Phillips. "We ended up needing it."

The victory gave ASU (4-12-1 overall) with a 4-3-1 record in Southwestern Athletic Conference play with only one game remaining - against defending SWAC champion Alabama A&M. It still gives the Lady Hornets a chance to finish in third place and earn a berth in the conference tournament next month.

"It's put us in a good position. We have to take care of our business and hope Grambling, Mississippi Valley and Alcorn take care of Jackson for us," Phillips said.

The win was marred by a fight at the end of the game that saw red card ejections for three players, two from Prairie View and one from Alabama State. ASU's Amber Hickerson and Prairie View's Mayra Castillo were involved in a fracas moments before the game was set to end and will be forced to sit out their team's next match. Lady Panther Susana Madrigal will also miss her next match for leaving the bench area during the melee.

"This was a very physical game," said Kendall, who watched 28 fouls called between the two teams, 18 in the second half alone. "We almost made it but we reacted at the end."

The two teams played to a scoreless tie in the first 45 minutes, although Alabama State had some scoring opportunities. In fact, it looked as if the Lady Hornets got on the scoreboard in the 34th minute when Maiya Moore put one in the back of the net. But the officials ruled she was offside, which drew them Phillips' ire.

It looked as if goaltender Candise Jacobs was on her way to a second consecutive shuout. But in the 77th minute, a long free kick by Prairie View's Krystle Dillon took a funny hop over the defense and trickled past Jacobs for a goal that cut the ASU lead to a single goal.

"She's been doing so well, so we can't fault her for her first unlucky break," Phillips said.

But Jacobs came up big in the 88th minute when she stopped PVAM forward Nori White's shot on goal that stood as the Lady Panthers' last gasp.

Alabama State plays at Alabama A&M on October 28 starting at 7 p.m.