Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas
Kelley's Goal Sends Cowgirls To Final
November 04, 2011 | Cowgirl Soccer
Nov. 4, 2011
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Kristen Kelley's golden goal in the 108th minute lifted No. 2 Oklahoma State to its third-straight Big 12 Soccer Championship finals appearance with a 1-0 win over Texas Friday night at Blossom Soccer Stadium.
With the win, OSU will play for its third consecutive conference tourney championship Sunday at 3:30 p.m. against Texas A&M. The Cowgirls are 19-0-2 on the season, one victory shy of the school record for wins set last season.
Friday's shutout marked OSU's 16th of the season, while AD Franch recorded her 10th blanking of the year and 30th of her career.
But the hero of the night was Kelley, who took a cross from Miriam Rhinehart with just over two minutes remaining in the second overtime and drilled a shot from just inside the 18-yard box past UT goalie Alexa Gaul to set off a Cowgirl celebration.
“It's incredible – it's a great feeling to know that once you score it's over, that's the end,” said Kelley, whose goal was her third of the season, all of them game winners. “There's no feeling I can compare it to. It's the most exciting way to go out. It's stressful, but it's exciting.”
The win was OSU's second overtime triumph of the season, while the Cowgirls also have a pair of wins scoring the deciding goal in the last three minutes of the match.
“Cardiac kids,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “This team is never beaten and when we're in close games, we really feel like we're going to win. We don't panic, we keep playing, and they got their reward for it. With the experience we have, we've been in this situation so many times I think that helps us.”
OSU had the first prime scoring opportunity in the match, that coming in the 28th minute. Colleen Dougherty sent a free kick into the box where a waiting Melinda Mercado headed the ball off the crossbar. The Cowgirls would gather the rebound, but Kristen Kelley's shot sailed wide.
The best attempt for Texas came with just under eight minutes remaining in the opening half when a 20-yard shot by Julie Arnold sailed wide
Neither team managed many offensive opportunities in the first half, with the Cowgirls holding a slight 4-3 advantage in shots.
The second half would be more of the same. OSU maintained a slight edge in shots throughout the match, but several near misses combined with four saves from Gaul, a couple of those of the highlight variety, kept the Cowgirls off the scoreboard.
“The first half was pretty even, but I thought in the second half and as the game wore on we started wearing them down a little bit,” Carmichael said. “We created four or five really good looks, and their keeper made two or three fantastic saves to keep them in it.
“Texas played a very good game, they're tough to beat, but I thought our kids deserved it on the chances they created.”
