Cowgirls outlast Jayhawks, 3-1
STILLWATER, Okla. – Kansas soccer could not overcome three second-half Cowgirl goals as the Jayhawks fell to Oklahoma State, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. Junior Grace Hagan netted KU’s lone goal, her seventh of the year, in the 54th minute.
The loss dropped the Jayhawks to 8-8-2 on the season, and 3-4-1 in the Big 12 with one regular-season game remaining. The Cowgirls moved to 14-2-2 in its 2017 campaign, with a 7-1-0 mark in the league.
“I’m disappointed for the team because I thought we played really well,” said head coach Mark Francis. “I thought we created more chances than them (OSU), but they were just able to convert on the ones they had. I don’t think we’re that far off from being where we want to be, it’s just a disappointing result for our players.”
After both squads were unable to break through during an up-and-down opening half, the flood gates opened shortly after the intermission, with the Cowgirls drawing first blood. OSU’s Haley Woodard get in behind the KU defense and beat the keeper to send in her seventh goal of the year less than five minutes into the second half.
The Jayhawks didn’t waiver though, managing to tie the score up five minutes later. The Jayhawks lined up a free kick 25 yards from the OSU frame, but instead of taking a shot, freshman Ceri Holland and sophomore Sophie Maierhofer played two short passes around the OSU box before a low service across the face of goal found Hagan’s foot, where the junior rerouted the ball into the back of the Cowgirl net. The goal, Hagan’s seventh of the season and second in as many games, brought the score level at 1-1 with the majority of the second half still to come.
Any momentum the Jayhawks regained on Hagan’s strike was quickly repossessed by the home side as the Cowgirls regained the lead less than a minute later. After KU was called for a foul on the right wing of its own end of the field, the resulting Oklahoma State free kick gave OSU the lead when it was headed in by Laurene Tresfield.
KU would not be able to recover, with OSU outshooting the Jayhawks the rest of the way and adding a third goal in the 82nd minute.
The match ended with KU outshooting the Cowgirls by a tally of 22-15, as well as a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal, however three of OSU’s shots on target, ended up in the back of the Jayhawk goal. Hagan and senior Lois Heuchan led all players with five shots apiece.
UP NEXT
Kansas will close out the regular season when the Jayhawks welcome West Virginia to Lawrence on Friday, Oct. 27. First touch against the Mountaineers is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Rock Chalk Park and will be streamed live on KUAthletics.com. The Big 12 Tournament will be hosted in Kansas City, Mo., the following week. Swope Soccer Village will host its fifth-straight conference tournament, kicking off with quarterfinal action on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
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