BETHANY, Okla. — It's been a while since Southern Nazarene has picked up a win on Wes Harmon Field, since 2019 to be exact. The last time the Storm (2-2, 0-0 GAC) claimed a victory on their home turf was September 19, 2019 against Oklahoma Christian where the Storm pulled off a 1-0 W. Head Coach Josh Smith revived that home spark for the program Saturday afternoon, leading his team to pull off a gritty, final-seconds win over Newman.
The visiting Jets (0-3, 0-0 MIAA) out of the MIAA were faced with a tough Storm squad, as SNU put up 26 shots, 11 shots on goal, combined with a total of nine saves that match.
SNU took control of the pace early as Quinnlan Edens and Josie Van Pelt tag-teamed to find Camryn Peter for the easy punch-in at the 12th minute.
The Storm continued to attack the Newman defense, delivering shot after shot until the second goal came as no surprise when Fallon Weatherford sunk one in to make it 2-0 in favor of SNU.
The Jets found an opening late in the half, firing a bullet right at SNU's newest keeper Gianna Bonnett, but Bonnett defended the goal and rejected Newman's potential first score.
The Jets would sneak one in just before the half, getting by the Storm defense to earn their first goal of the afternoon, going into halftime with a 1-2 trail.
Out of the half, the Storm never let up on the attack, firing a round of shots to keep the Jets' defense on their toes. Newman continued to answer with shots of their own, but Bonnett never allowed an opening. Freshman Avery Pyle performed an incredible team save, diving in front of a Newman shot to deny the chance of a tie early in the second period.
SNU pressed the gas late in the half as returner Hannah Schaffer set up Kenzie Macklin for a shot to the back of the net, cruising to a 3-1 lead. The Storm continued to excite the crowd, testing the Jets' defense with multiple shots, but a few defensive slip-ups would allow Newman to score two goals within two minutes, tying the match at 3-3 with just under two minutes remaining.
Scrambling to avoid the tie, the Storm geared up for the biggest offensive possession of the game, working with just under 40 seconds left in the match. A corner kick would put the ball in position for the Storm to have one last chance at a tiebreak. The ball was tipped numerous times as the clock ticked, but Fallon Weatherford got the last touch to land a header past the Newman keeper to claim the lead with just seconds left.
The final few possessions were exchanged, but Newman couldn't answer, and the Storm walked away with the gutsy 4-3 home victory.
Weatherford was the talk of the afternoon, securing the game-winning goal to add to her impressive stat line of five shots, three shots on goal, and a total of two goals.
Teammate Kenzie Macklin was all over the stat sheet as well, finishing with seven shots, three shots on goal, and claiming one goal for the Storm.
Cameryn Peter had the other goal for SNU, adding in two shots and one goal. Josie Van Pelt, Quinnlan Edens, and Hannah Schaffer each marked an assist, contributing to a fiery SNU offense that lasted the entire 90 minutes.
Maya Pomeroy had two shots on goal while Karla Ramirez added four shots with two of them on goal.
The Storm will see a quick turnaround as they prepare to take on Randall Tuesday, September 6th at home. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
