Sunday College Soccer Roundup

Cowgirls Win Again

STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State picked up its second consecutive victory Sunday afternoon as the Cowgirls topped UT Martin, 1-0, at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.

Madison Mercado's goal in the 66th minute was the difference as OSU improved to 2-6-0. Goalie Rosa Medina recorded the shutout, which marked the Cowgirls' first of the season.

“We feel good obviously,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “Our goal coming in was to get two win (on the weekend) and given the events of the first few weeks, that's really all that counts at this point. We know we can play better, but we're just really happy to come out of the weekend with two wins.”

OSU dominated the offensive statistics, outshooting the visitors by a 14-7 margin while owning a 12-2 advantage on corner kicks.

Despite the heavy attack, OSU couldn't find the back of the net in the opening half. The Cowgirls recorded nine shots prior to intermission, but UT Martin goalie Mariah Klenke made five of her eight saves before halftime.

In the second half, the Cowgirls would finally capitalize offensively when Allie Stephenson delivered a cross from the endline into the box that Mercado tapped in for her second goal of the season at the 65:52 mark.

UT Martin (4-3-0) nearly recorded the equalizer twice in the 77th minute when Ashlie Watson delivered a shot that deflected off the post before Ellie Myrick collected the rebound and sent her shot high.

The Cowgirls return to action Friday when they open play as hosts of the OSU Invitational Sponsored by Stillwater Holiday Inn & Suites. OSU will face Memphis Friday night at 7:30 before a Sunday matchup against Tulsa. Texas Tech will round out the tourney field.

“We have a lot to improve on, but (OSU winning its first two games) was a good rally and hopefully we can build off this,” Mercado said.

Oklahoma and Tulsa Battle to Draw

TULSA, Okla. -- The 15th-ranked Oklahoma soccer team battled to a 0-0 draw with Tulsa on Sunday evening to cap its first full weekend on the road this season. The match was OU's second double overtime contest in two days, and Oklahoma remains undefeated in overtime with a 2-0-2 record in 2014.

The Sooners (5-1-2) outshot the Golden Hurricane (6-1-1) by a margin of 17-12, while shots on goal (six), saves (six) and corners (seven) were all deadlocked.

The motto of the night for Oklahoma was missed opportunities, as the Sooners had several solid looks on goal but were unable to find the back of the net. OU dominated the stat sheet in the first half alone, holding a 6-1 shot advantage (4-0 shots on goal) and a 4-0 edge in corner kicks.

Abby Hodgen got Oklahoma's best look of the half when she was fouled just feet from the box in the 14th minute. The resulting free kick from Hodgen shot straight through the defense, dinging off the left post before being deflected just to the right of the goal.

OU had another close chance early in the second half off a corner kick from Laura Rayfield. Rayfield found a reliable target for her kick in Ayana O'Neal, but O'Neal's header hit the crossbar and bounced away. Less than ten minutes later, Devin Barrett had an excellent look at the goal when Tulsa's goalkeeper came out of the goal to try for a save, but her shot slipped wide right.

Tulsa began to press late in the half, getting two chances for a go-ahead goal on back-to-back corner kicks. OU's defense held and cleared out the ball, and the first overtime period would arrive just minutes later.

The first overtime period saw TU take several shots, but Oklahoma prevented any legitimate looks on the goal. Two of the Golden Hurricane's shots were blocked, while a try from Rachel Thun was easily scooped up by Kaitlyn Fahrner.

Oklahoma pushed back in the second overtime with three shots and a corner kick, but its efforts were to no avail. A long shot by Hodgen was punched away, while another header from O'Neal went high and a shot from Ressler flew wide. The match wrapped up after 110 minutes of play in a 0-0 tie.

Oklahoma will go on the road again next weekend for a pair of challenging match-ups on the West coast. The Sooners will face UC-Irvine on Friday, Sept. 19 at 9:30 p.m. CT (7:30 PT) before challenging San Diego on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. CT (1 p.m. PT).

Cal Poly tops ORU, 2-1

TULSA, Okla. – More than a week removed from its last official match, the Oral Roberts University women's soccer team fell 2-1 to Cal Poly on Sunday at the Case Soccer Complex.

Cal Poly (3-4-0) snapped a three-match unbeaten streak by the Golden Eagles, moving their record to 1-3-2 on the season.

After a scoreless first half, the Golden Eagles started the second stanza on the attack and took the lead less than a minute after the break. Megan Giles dribbled the ball to the end line on the right side and sent it across to Megan Guico. Guico got a head on the ball near the left post, setting up a finish from Tahlor Lyman, her first goal of the season.

Giles and Guico both picked up assists on Lyman's goal.

In the 74th minute, Elise Krieghoff tied the match at one as she finished off a breakaway from 15 yards out. Allie Begin slipped past a defender along the left side to begin the break and was credited with the assist.

The Mustangs gained the lead for good just inside the 86th minute on a set piece. Megan Abutin sent in the ball off a corner kick to the far post and Kendra Bonsall converted the goal.

Turning Point

Trailing 1-0, Allie Begin hooked up with Elise Krieghoff on a breakaway for the equalizer for Cal Poly.

Inside the Box Score

• Helen Erb (1-1-0) made her first start since September 11, 2013, recording four saves in her second appearance of the season.

• Tahlor Lyman led ORU with two shots on goal, while Cheyenne Diggs and Maria Stordahl each had one shot on target.

• Elise Krieghoff had five of Cal Poly's 17 total shots in the match.

• Alyssa Giannetti (3-4-0) made her fifth start of the season in goal for Cal Poly, pulling in three saves in the victory.

News and Notes

• Megan Giles' assist in the 46th minute was her second assist of the season, moving her into a tie with Martha Owens (2000-03) for eighth on the career list at ORU with 16.

• Sunday's match was the first ever meeting between ORU and Cal Poly.

• Cal Poly was picked to repeat as the regular season champion in the Big West Conference.

Up Next

ORU will have a week off before returning to the pitch next Sunday at Baylor. Kickoff in Waco, Texas, is set for 1 p.m.