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LAREDO, Texas – What looked like a 3-0 thrashing to close the 2013 season for Texas A&M International on Monday transformed into a late thriller at the TAMIU Soccer Complex. Of all things, a pair of yellow cards and a subsequent red-card ejection to TAMIU's Katelin Jennings in the 61st minute served as the catalyst in what ended as a 3-2 loss for the Dustdevils via McMurry.
Already trailing 3-0, Jennings was tied up in a feet-first 50-50 slide tackle with a War Hawks back liner. The tackle earned her a controversial yellow card, and her mouth earned her the immediate second caution. She was shown red for dissent toward the center official, ending her day 30 minutes early.
Instead of sputtering the Dustdevils game, TAMIU jumped a lackadaisical McMurry midfielder by winning balls and testing goalkeeper Anissa Arenas often. The Dustdevils shot 14 times, 10 on goal, and forced eight saves by Arenas.
The two strikes Arenas failed to save pulled TAMIU within an equalizer, but time ticked away. The Dustdevils' first goal was produced just two minutes after Jennings' red card, when forward Kim Garcia finished a bobbled save. It all came off a Sam Zerilli free kick from 30 yards out, resulting in Arenas' mishandling and Garcia's burial in the 63rd minute.
It served as Garcia's team-leading fifth goal of the season.
The second TAMIU goal came four minutes later, in the 67th minute, when back liner Claudia De Lara roped a rocket from inside the 18-yard box. The assault rippled the upper-90, sailing out of Arenas' diving reach. Jessica Parker recorded the assist on the goal.
McMurry's Jennifer Cole (4th minute) opened the match's scoring off an assist by Rachel Moore. Holliday Williams (41st) scored the second off a Destin Connolly helper; and Kristen Grant (48th) finished the scoring thanks to a Paige Harwell assist.
TAMIU finishes the season 2-14 overall and 2-7 in the Heartland Conference. The team saw its seniors – Jennings, Zerilli, Alyssa Perez and Lisette Gil – finish their careers as Dustdevils.
