Cowgirls Battle No. 9 Texas Tech To Draw

Sunday, October 5

Lubbock, Texas

1:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

6-7-1; 1-1-1

Texas Tech

10-2-1; 0-2-1

OT 3

OT 4

Oklahoma State

Texas Tech

October 05, 2014 | Cowgirl Soccer

Box Score

Oct. 5, 2014

Final Stats

LUBBOCK, Texas – Oklahoma State picked up a key point in the Big 12 Conference standings Sunday afternoon as the Cowgirls earned a 1-1 draw against ninth-ranked Texas Tech at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

With Sunday's result, the Cowgirls are now 6-7-1 overall and 1-1-1 in conference play. Texas Tech is 10-2-1 and 0-2-1 in the league.

Injuries continued to plague OSU as starting defenders Kelsey Bass and Niki McKnight were unable to play, but the remaining Cowgirls were up to the challenge defensively. TTU recorded 24 shots to just eight for the Cowgirls and held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks, but OSU goalie Rosa Medina recorded seven saves.

“Coming to Lubbock to play a top 10 team like Texas Tech with your full squad is going to be very, very difficult, but losing Kelsey (Bass) and Nikki (McKnight) on Friday just made it a little bit more difficult,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “We changed our shape a little bit, we went a little bit more defensive to frustrate (TTU) and hit them on the break, and from our standpoint it's what we had to do to get a positive result. And we're pleased to get that.

“Also, we called our team out on Friday about being a little bit tougher and playing hard for 90 minutes, and they certainly did that. Overall, we go home pretty happy.”

TTU tested the Cowgirls' defense early, with two shots on goal and a pair of corner kicks in the first seven minutes. In the 17^th minute, Medina made a great save on a shot by Jaelene Hinkle as she dove to her right for the stop, then OSU dodged another bullet in the 20^th minute when a header by Paige Strahan deflected off the crossbar.

OSU took the game's first lead in the 23^rd minute. Natalie Calhoun sent a long pass ahead to Courtney Dike, who beat a Tech defender to the ball and delivered a shot from 15-yards out to the far post to put the Cowgirls up, 1-0. The goal was the second of the season for Dike, while Calhoun notched her first assist.

“It was a great goal – that's what Courtney is really good at,” Carmichael said. “When we sit in and look to counter, she's very fast and powerful and able to get in and fight off a defender and finish it. It was big for the team to get on the positive side of the scoreboard early.”

The Red Raiders' string of near misses continued in the 31^st minute when on a 22-yard free kick, Caity Heap blasted a shot that caromed off the post. Less than three minutes later, Heap once again delivered an attempt that missed off the crossbar.

OSU would take the 1-0 lead into intermission. Despite getting outshot 11-3 in the opening half, the Cowgirls got four saves from Medina to hold the advantage.

“We rode our luck in the first half, no doubt about it – Tech hit the post a couple of times, and Rosa (Medina) had to make some big saves,” Carmichael said. “When you don't have your whole back line and you're on the road against a really good team, those are the breaks you need.”

Medina started the second half with another fantastic save on a shot by Heap, but seconds later, TTU finally converted a chance when leading scorer Janine Beckie sent a high header off the hands of Medina and into the net to tie the score at 1-1 in the 50^th minute.

Prime scoring opportunities were few the rest of the way. The Red Raiders outshot OSU 5-1 in the overtime periods, but just one of those attempts was on goal, while the Cowgirls' lone shot in the extra time came in the first OT.

Carmichael was quick to praise a pair of freshmen – Allie Rivers and Abbey Bright – for their play on the defensive back line. Rivers had played mostly at forward in OSU's first 13 games, while Bright played a career-high 58 minutes.

“Allie Rivers played as a wide back and so did Abbey Bright, and both did great and gave us quality minutes,” Carmichael said. “It gives me a lot of hope going forward that they have a chance to develop and be even bigger players for us in the future.”

OSU returns to action Friday when the Cowgirls host TCU at 7 p.m. before a Sunday afternoon showdown against Baylor.

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