Soccer Drops Big 12 Match to No. 7 Oklahoma State, 2-0
LAWRENCE, Kan. – It was a battle of the defenses Friday afternoon at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex, as Kansas took on the No. 7-ranked Cowgirls in Big 12 action. But Oklahoma State was able to capitalize on the only two solid opportunities the Jayhawks allowed, taking a 2-0 win.
KU fell to 5-8 on the season and 1-4 in conference play. The Cowgirls moved 12-1-1 and remains an unblemished 5-0 in the Big 12.
“I’m a little bit disappointed, I thought in the second half we played very well,” said Kansas head coach Mark Francis. “I told the girls that based on the second half we deserved a little bit more out of the game. But give them credit, there wasn’t that many clear-cut opportunities in the game for either team.”
The Jayhawks managed to hold Krista Lopez, the conference’s second-leading scorer, to just a single shot. However, offense was sparse on both sides of the field as the two defenses stymied nearly every attack. The two teams were evenly matched offensively, with OSU narrowly outshooting the Jayhawks just 10-8.
Kortney Clifton and Whitney Berry paced the Jayhawks with two shots each. Berry, Madi Hillis and Emily Cressy each registered a shot on frame.
“I think we have to be a little bit more clinical in the final third of the field,” Francis said. “Our final pass and our final ball at times needs to be better.”
In the 66th minute, the Cowgirls broke through when Kristen Kelley intercepted Kyndall Treadwell’s blocked shot and placed it into the near side of the net to put OSU up 1-0. KU recouped and did not allow a shot until 20 minutes later.
“We made a mistake and allowed a goal, so at that point we have to be kind of creative and take some chances,” Francis said.
Hillis heeded her coach’s advice and took a chance on a hard shot from the middle of the box a few minutes later. Hillis aimed just to the left of goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, causing her to bobble the ball, but she recovered it for the save.
The second goal came in the 86th minute when Megan Marchesano broke away from her defender and dribbled past goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau to give the Cowgirls a two-goal advantage with just four minutes left to play.
Clifton then made a run for Kansas on the next possession, but her ball was intercepted in the box right before she could take a shot. In the final minute of the game, Caitlin Noble connected on an Emily Cressy corner kick but headed it just inches too high.
“The girls played hard,” Francis said. “In the last three games we’ve been a little more consistent. Obviously, we haven’t really gotten the results, but the girls are playing hard.”
The Jayhawks will close out their four-match home stand with Oklahoma Sunday. The Sooners will face the Jayhawks at 1 p.m., at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
Postgame Quotes
Oklahoma State 2, Kansas 0
Oct. 8, 2010
Head Coach Mark Francis
General Statement:
“I’m a little bit disappointed, I thought in the second half we played very well. But the girls are playing well. In the last three games we’ve been a little more consistent, obviously we haven’t really gotten the results, but the girls are playing hard. They’re playing a lot better and a lot more consistent than we have been, so that’s a positive.”
On making adjustments:
“We have to create some more opportunities. I think we have to be a little bit more clinical in the final third of the field. Our final pass and our final ball, at times needs to be better. We made a mistake and allowed a goal, so at that point we have to be kind of creative and take some chances.”
On Oklahoma State’s second goal:
“They scored the second goal on the breakaway, which is a risk you have to take. I told the girls that based on the second half we deserved a little bit more out of the game. Give them credit, there wasn’t that many clear-cut opportunities in the game for either team.”
