Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Put Away Arkansas State, 3-0
September 02, 2005 | Cowgirl Soccer
OSU's 44 shots (2-0-0) are the most since the Cowgirls took 51 shots against McNeese State in 2003.
“I thought we looked a little sluggish,” head coach Karen Hancock said. "I was disappointed in that we got 44 shots, but we only scored three goals. I think that will be a point of emphasis for our team to get better. You cannot let teams hang around that long when you are really dominating the game.”
Ashlyn Brantley put the Cowgirls on top in the 13th minute on a shot inside the box off a nifty pass from Bettina Grossmann. That was the only goal the Cowgirls could manage in the first half as they continued to fire away at the goal. OSU took 20 shots in the first half compared to just two for Arkansas State (2-0-0).
OSU was lucky to go into halftime with the lead. With just a couple of minutes left in the half, the Indians' Mary Jo Rana turned around on the edge of the box and fired a shot, but OSU keeper Jeanne Rankin got a finger on the ball to deflect it off the cross bar. Rana took three of ASU's four shots.
The second half went just like the first half. The Cowgirls continued to fire shots at the goal with not much to show for it. ASU's tall keeper Brielan Smiechowski was credited with 11 saves, but Yolanda Odenyo kept the ball away from her.
Odenyo moved up to forward late in the game, and she quickly made it pay off heading the ball into the net following a free kick by Niccole Grimaldi. Six minutes later, Jamie Markaverich played a pass that beat the defense and Odenyo out ran everybody, including the keeper who she avoided and passed the ball into the empty net for the final margin.
Oklahoma State returns to action on Tuesday when they face Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 p.m. at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. Admission is only two dollars for anybody who presents a business card at the ticket window.
