Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Iowa State
Cowgirls Drop Regular Season Finale
November 01, 2013 | Cowgirl Soccer
Nov. 1, 2013
AMES, Iowa – Oklahoma State closed out its regular season Friday night with a 1-0 loss to Iowa State at the Cyclone Soccer Complex.
With the loss, the Cowgirls are 7-5-6 overall and finish 2-3-3 in the Big 12 Conference. OSU will be the No. 6 seed at next week's Big 12 Soccer Championship in Kansas City and will face third-seeded Texas Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Swope Soccer Village.
“The stats don't really lie on that game – we got outshot by a close count in the first half and then outshot them by seven in the second half, and I think that tells the story of the game,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “In the second half, we had energy, good movement and created a lot of good looks at goal, we just couldn't finish. But the damage was done in the first half, and it's really hard to fight back and certainly more so when you're on the road.”
The Cyclones (9-8-2, 3-4-1) netted the lone goal of the match in the eighth minute. After taking a pass from Emily Goldstein, Jessica Reyes delivered a left-footed shot from 20-yards out that glanced off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net.
The first half closed with ISU owning a 6-3 advantage in shots, but the Cowgirls became the aggressor after intermission.
OSU's attack created numerous scoring opportunities over the final 45 minutes, but Carmichael's squad could not find the equalizer. During a five-minute span early in the second half, the Cowgirls had four shots, but two attempts by Allie Stephenson were saved while Courtney Dike and Madison Mercado sent shots wide of the mark.
In the 66th minute, OSU created its best chance as Dike found herself with the ball just a few yards in front of the goal but sent her shot high and wide of the mark.
That was the story of the second half for the Cowgirls, who outshot the home team by an 11-4 margin after intermission.
Both goalies finished with three saves in the match, with OSU's Michela Ongaro making a great diving save in the 76th minute by deflecting a six-yard shot by Koree Willer off the near post to prevent the Cyclones from adding to their lead.
OSU now turns its attention to the postseason and a matchup against Texas, a team the Cowgirls tied 1-1 in Stillwater on Oct. 18.
“Obviously we're disappointed tonight, but tomorrow we'll turn our focus to Texas and we're excited about the tournament in Kansas City,” Carmichael said. “It should be a good event. It will be tough, but we're excited about being up there and that challenge.”
