Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Little Rock
Lopez Leads Rout Of UALR
September 04, 2011 | Cowgirl Soccer
Sept. 4, 2011
Box Score
STILLWATER, Okla. - Krista Lopez set an Oklahoma State record with four goals to lead the No. 5 Cowgirls to a 7-0 win over Arkansas-Little Rock Sunday at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.
Lopez's record-setting day saw her earn the hat trick in the opening half, and she added her record fourth goal just over five minutes after intermission. Lopez was previously tied with nine others who had notched three goals in a game for the Cowgirls.
"It's another record I've set, but I actually wanted more," said Lopez, a senior who now has 24 career goals to rank sixth all time at OSU. "Then my coach told me not to be greedy. But it feels good."
OSU's seven goals also tied for the ninth most in a game in program history and was the most since the Cowgirls netted seven scores against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2009.
The Cowgirls' offensive barrage helped them improve to 7-0-0 on the season, while the performance also marked OSU's sixth shutout of the year. They have now outscored their opponents by a 19-1 margin this season.
Lopez and the Cowgirls wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. At the 5:19 mark, Lopez took a pass from Annika Niemeier and drilled a shot that deflected off a UALR defender into the net.
Over the next 16 minutes, OSU added three more goals. Taylor Mathews notched the first of her two goals in the match in the 13th minute, and Lopez followed with goals in the 15th and 22nd minutes to put the Cowgirls up 4-0.
The Cowgirls would tack on another score on an own goal to give them a 5-0 lead at the halftime break.
"We talked the last week or so about coming out with the right mentality regardless of the opponent, try to put teams away early and not play to the level of the competition, play to our level," said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. "Finally I think it got through, and the girls did a much better job of coming out and having the right mentality for the game."
With the game already well in hand, OSU put the final nails in the coffin in the first 5:38 of the second half. Mathews' recorded the sixth goal off a double assist from Niemeier and Marchesano, giving that duo each two assists in the contest, and Lopez set the record with an unassisted goal in the 51st minute.
The two-goal effort was the second multi-goal game in Mathews' career, the first coming during her freshman season last year.
OSU returns to action Friday when they open play in the Trojan Invitational against host USC in Los Angeles. The Cowgirls will also face San Diego in the tourney.
