Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
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Kansas
Cowgirls Open League Play With Win
September 23, 2011 | Cowgirl Soccer
Sept. 23, 2011
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State remained perfect on the season as the No. 2 Cowgirls opened Big 12 Conference play with a 5-1 drubbing of Kansas Friday night at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.
OSU recorded four second-half goals and five different players scored for the Cowgirls, who improved to 12-0-0 with the win and are just one victory or tie shy of tying the record for the longest unbeaten streak in school history.
“It was a great game; we played really well,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “We talked this week about putting it all together, about playing 90 minutes at a high tempo, with focus and intensity, and I thought we did that.
“Kansas is a good team. I just thought we came out and played the way we need to if we're gonna win a lot of Big 12 games.”
The Cowgirls took an early lead against KU in the 14th minute by converting off a corner kick. Carson Michalowski headed Colleen Dougherty's kick toward the box, and Sarah Brown was there for the short goal to give OSU a 1-0 advantage.
OSU took the one-goal lead into intermission, but it did not take the Cowgirls long to strike again following the break.
And once again, the score came off a Dougherty corner kick. This time the Cowgirl senior sent a long, high ball into the box, and Michalowski was there to send in a header past KU goalie Kat Liebetrau at the 46:55 mark. The goal was Michalowski's first of the year as she became the 12th different Cowgirl to notch a goal this season.
In the 64th minute, OSU converted the first of three goals from long range when Taylor Mathews took a throw-in from Sarah Brown and blasted a 30-yard shot into the back of the net to give the Cowgirls a 3-0 lead.
The Jayhawks (6-4-0) avoided the shutout in the 78th minute when Kortney Clifton sent a cross through the box that Whitney Berry deposited in the back of the net.
Any hopes KU had of a comeback was squashed in the final five minutes as the Cowgirls added two more scores, getting goals from Megan Marchesano and Abbey Akin to finish off the Jayhawks.
“It's a great way to start conference – we've been playing really well, but we haven't been at our peak yet,” MIchalowski said. “We showed longer spells of greatness together, and this is a great way to start the Big 12.”
OSU returns to action Sunday when the Cowgirls host Missouri at 1 p.m. The Tigers are 8-3-0 on the season after dropping their Big 12 opener at Texas Tech.
