Texas-Brownsville Stuns OCU 2-1

Oklahoma City University was upset 2-1 by Texas-Brownsville Monday in the second round of the NAIA Championships at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.

The Stars, ranked No. 6 in NAIA women's soccer, scored the game-tying goal in the 75th minute, but conceded the game-winner with less than two minutes to play. OCU ends its season with a record of 20-2.

Junior Meghan McMahon put a shot on goal in the eighth minute, but Texas-Brownsville goalkeeper Amanda Fulton made the save to keep the match level at 0-0.

Goalkeeper Ashley Bechtold kept Texas-Brownsville off the scoreboard in the 11th minute when she stopped Nelleke Smits' attempt.

Freshman Allison Worsham had her shot on goal stopped by Fulton in the 45th minute and the match stayed scoreless at halftime.

Sophomore Sandra Hallin and junior Margaret Lee each had shots stopped by Fulton early in the second half.

Texas-Brownsville broke the tie in the 60th minute when Isadora Freitas beat a pair of OCU defenders and found the back of the net to make the score 1-0.

Bechtold made saves in the 66th and 72nd minutes to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of Texas-Brownsville.

McMahon scored the equalizer in the 75th minute when she got the ball in the penalty area and beat Fulton to score her 27th goal of the season and make the score 1-1.

Bechtold made two more of her five second-half saves in the 85th minute to keep the match tied at 1-1.

In the 89th minute, Texas-Brownsville's Leah Russell put the ball off the hands of Bechtold and into the back of the net to give Texas-Brownsville the 2-1 victory.

OCU set school records for most shutouts in a season (16) and fewest goals allowed in a season (7) in 2012. The previous mark for most shutouts in a season was 15 set in 1999 and the previous record for fewest goals allowed in a season was 11 set in 2007.

Seniors Niku Bayatfar, Sheridan Horner, Rachael O'Brien, Brenna Skillern and Hollis St. John all finished their careers at OCU.

Bayatfar played in 73 matches for OCU including three NAIA Championship appearances. The defender from Ada, made 24 starts for the Stars.

Horner, a forward from Choctaw, scored 25 goals, including 12 this season, in three years with the Stars and played in three NAIA Championships with OCU. She was named second-team all-Sooner Athletic Conference and CoSIDA academic all-district in 2011.

O'Brien scored two goals and passed out eight assists in 83 career appearances with the Stars.

The defender from Plano, Texas, started 66 matches and played in three NAIA Championships.

Skillern, of Yukon, started all 86 matches in her OCU career and made three NAIA Championship appearances. The defender scored five goals and passed out 11 assists and was named SAC defensive player of the year three times and first-team all-SAC four times. She was named CoSIDA academic all-district, NAIA scholar-athlete and NAIA Academic all-American in 2011.

St. John scored three goals and passed out two assists in 56 career appearances for OCU. The midfielder made a pair of NAIA Championship appearances.