PRAIRIE VIEW - A smothering defensive effort pushed the Prairie View A&M women's soccer team to the semifinals of the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament, as the No. 2 seed Lady Panthers (11-7) blanked No. 7 seed Alabama State 1-0 Thursday evening at PVAMU Soccer Complex.

The win sends the Lady Panthers to the semifinals of the SWAC soccer tournament for the first time since 2015.

A physical, hotly-contested tilt early on, Prairie View A&M kept the clamps on the Lady Hornets throughout the first half, yielding no attempts on net. The Lady Panthers managed a few looks, ultimately striking first as freshman Lesa Griffin rebounded a try from fellow freshman D' Sanye Nugent past the Alabama State netminder for the game's lone score at the 38th minute.

Turns out, that was all the Lady Panthers would need. Prairie View A&M's defense was nigh impenetrable the rest of the way, as Alabama State's first try on goal came nearly 78 minutes into the match. The Lady Hornets managed a final look late, but came up empty.

Sophomore Quinn Josiah -- who played the first half -- and junior Alexis Espino combined for the shutout victory in goal, with Espino making a pair of saves late to preserve the match.

Prairie View A&M out-shot Alabama State 9-2 in the game, including a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Lady Panthers had seven corner kicks to Alabama State's two.

Next Up:
The Lady Panthers will face Jackson State, who defeated Texas Southern in a shootout earlier in the day. Prairie View A&M defeated Jackson State 1-0 in the teams' regular season meeting thanks to a goal from Ashley Chala. Live Stats for the event can be found HERE.