OSU Women's Soccer Battle To Tie With TCU

Oklahoma State erased a three-goal deficit but couldn't come out on top as the Cowgirls tied TCU, 3-3, in a double overtime affair Friday night at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.

OSU trailed 3-0 at the 34:39 mark but got a goal from Megan Marchesano late in the first half and responded to a passionate plea from head coach Colin Carmichael during intermission to tally two more scores in the first nine minutes of the second half.

"We called them out at halftime and talked about character, determination, pride, passion, all that stuff, and I'm really proud of the way we fought back," Carmichael said. "Our kids stepped up (in the second half) and fought the way we need to fight for 90 minutes. I'm not happy with the first half, being down 3-1, but I'm really proud of the way some of those young players stepped up and answered the challenge (after halftime).

"Anytime you're down 3-1 at halftime and you get a point out of it, a tie, you have to be pleased and positive. That's how I'm looking at it."

TCU (5-7-2, 0-3-1) got on the scoreboard early by converting off one of its 10 corner kicks in the contest. After Cowgirl goalie AD Franch was unable to snag the corner, Monica Alvarado was left with an open net and was able to send the ball past the OSU defenders on the line.

Just over four minutes later, the Horned Frogs doubled their lead, getting an unassisted goal from Maddy Courvoisier to go up 2-0.

The visitors were not done as they added their third score in the 35th minute. Courvoisier had a shot saved by Franch, but Alvarado was there for the rebound and putback for her second goal of the match.

TCU's three goals marked the first time OSU had allowed three goals at home since a 3-2 loss to Oklahoma to end the 2005 season.

However, the Cowgirls would get on the board before intermission. On a free kick from 22-yards out, Marchesano blasted a low shot that a diving Vittoria Arnold was unable to control. The ball snuck over the line to cut OSU's deficit to 3-1.

Following halftime, OSU seized early momentum when Marchesano delivered her second goal of the night. After her first shot was saved by Arnold, the Cowgirl senior blasted the rebound into the back of the net to make the score 3-2.

"At halftime, (Marchesano) was one of the ones that was called out," Carmichael said. "In the second half, she answered the bell, and I thought her second-half performance was unbelievable."

With the momentum in their favor, the Cowgirls capitalized again in the 54th minute when Makenzie Kahan took a pass from Marchesano and delivered a shot from 30-yards away over the head of Arnold and into the net for the equalizer.

That would be the last score in the match, however, as both goalies came up big to save their teams.

Arnold finished with nine saves, seven of those coming in the second half. In the 61st minute, the TCU keeper had a diving save on a shot by Miriam Rhinehart. Minutes later, she escaped a threat from Kelsey Bass, whose shot hit the far post, and she came up with another huge stop when she dove and deflected an Allie Stephenson shot with her foot, sending it just wide of the goal with 13 minutes remaining in regulation.

Franch finished with five saves, none bigger than a stop that came 2:49 into the first overtime when a shot by Courvoisier hit the crossbar and bounced straight down before Franch snared it to keep it from going over the line.

OSU finished with a 22-17 advantage in shots, with the Horned Frogs outshooting the home team, 3-2, in the overtime periods.

The Cowgirls return to action Sunday in their final home game of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m., and the game will air live on ESPNU.