The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma State
No. 8 Soccer drops a 1-0 (OT) decision to No. 22 Oklahoma State
10.27.2017 | Soccer
Cowgirl defender Laurene Tresfield scored a “golden goal” header off a corner at 99:16 to end the match-up
Photo Gallery | 2017 Big 12 Championship Bracket
AUSTIN, Texas – On a chilly and blustery "Senior Night," in front of a season-high 2,272 fans at Mike A. Myers Stadium, a "golden goal" off a set piece from defender Laurene Tresfield at 99:16 led No. 22 Oklahoma State (15-2-2, 8-1-0 Big 12 Conference) past No. 8 Texas soccer (13-2-2, 5-2-2 Big 12 Conference) in both teams' regular-season finale, 1-0 (OT).
With the defeat, the Longhorns earned the No. 4-seed in the upcoming Big 12 Championship (Nov. 1-5) and will face fifth-seeded Baylor in first round action in Kansas City, Mo., on Wed., Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. CT.
The eighth overtime match for the Longhorns equaled a school single-season record held by the 2004 squad, while the loss was Texas' first in extra time this season. UT now holds a 5-1-2 record in OT and an 11-2-0 mark in one-goal decisions during the 2017 campaign.
The decisive play began off a corner during the 100th minute as Tresfield battled a Texas defender to head a ball from the left edge of the 18-yard box towards the far post. Longhorns junior defender Paige Hooper leapt in a desperate attempt to clear the ball out of the goal mouth, but had the ball ricochet off her head up into the top netting to conclude the contest.
Oklahoma State out-shot Texas in the contest by a 16-13 count, and 6-4 in shots on goal, while managing a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks.
For the Burnt Orange & White, sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen and junior midfielder Kayra Dollas led the offense with three shots each, while sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry made five saves between the pipes.
On a 55-degree night, it was the Cowgirls who appeared warmed up from the start, out-shooting the Longhorns over the opening 15 minutes of action, 7-0.
After a trio of solid early chances, OSU had its best of the early onslaught at 12:44. Off a corner into the middle of the 18, Curry tried to make a catch only to lose control in the crowd. The ball dropped straight to Tresfield about nine yards out, but her quick flick didn't have much power allowing Curry the chance to scramble and save the shot off the line.
A blocked 22nd minute effort by Hintzen from 21 yards out got the Longhorns on the board shot-wise and seemed to help UT begin settling into the match.
At the 24:23 mark, Dollas teed up a lengthy attempt from 35 yards out that forced the opening save of the match by Oklahoma State keeper Michela Ongaro.
Hintzen was at it again during the 29th minute as her left-footed shot from the right edge of the 18 skimmed just outside the upper left corner.
Back at the other end, OSU broke up the Texas pressure at 30:42 as a quick counter resulted in a saved shot from 14 yards out by Marlo Zoller.
The Longhorns came within inches of grabbing the lead at 38:59 on a play started by solid work in the midfield from freshman Haley Berg. The Celina, Texas, native delivered a through ball up the left wing to redshirt freshman forward Cydney Billups in space. The Greenwood Village, Colo., product dribbled in and side-footed a roller past Ongaro that rattled off the base of the right post before being cleared.
Out of the halftime break, the Longhorns offense got right back to work with "Senior Night" honoree Morgan Murphy having an 18-yard effort blocked at 45:57.
Junior defender Chelsea Surpris and Hintzen followed that up with shots that were saved and wide of frame, respectively, at 46:35 and 48:28.
The UT pressure continued unabated as redshirt sophomore forward Mikayla Flores out-jumped her marker at 52:29 to head a 12-yard shot on frame.
Oklahoma State swiped back the momentum over the next few minutes as forward Haley Woodard made a move near the left end line, moved middle and fired a shot into Curry's hands from 14 yards.
The Cowgirls missed a huge chance during the 61st minute off a corner as the feed into the middle was cleared out towards midfield. Midfielder Kim Rodriguez corralled the ball and attempted an 18-yard effort that Curry managed to deflect away. With a rebound sitting near the top of the six-yard box, Woodard swooped in to clean things up but watched her shot venture high over the bar.
With action going from end-to-end, Texas nearly got Hintzen in 1-v-1 against Ongaro during the 78th minute. Unfortunately, the pass from the left wing into the middle from junior forward Alexa Adams proved just a foot too far in front of UT's leading scorer as OSU managed to clear away the danger.
It was the Cowgirls that had the best remaining chances down the stretch in regulation with forward Jaci Jones even managing to rattle a shot off the crossbar with just 23 seconds left.
Forced into overtime to settle things, Texas earned a corner at 95:38. Junior midfielder Katie Glenn delivered a ball into the middle where there was a collision between Dollas and an OSU defender. The subsequent foul call went against UT as OSU received a free kick opportunity.
With time running short in the first extra-session, Oklahoma State managed strong pressure on a trio of corner kicks from 98:19-99:09. On the last of the three set pieces, the delivery in from forward Anna Beffer found Tresfield, and her header managed to sneak past a leaping Hooper and into the right side of frame to end things.
Texas Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Angela Kelly
On what she saw from the team: I thought that we settled into the game. The 20 minutes were a little bit hectic, and we were starting to find the spaces that we were expecting to find. It's a disruptive style that they play, they sit back and wait for the counter, so you have to have a quick speed of play or you have to be patient in your buildup. We had a couple of opportunities that were just shy of the post, we just needed to put one away. We needed to take better care of our opportunities.
On Texas struggling offensively in the second half: They're a traditional bunker, they just sit five or six or seven back. If you don't have patience, then you have to end up taking these long range shots, which is exactly what they're hoping that you'll do. Definitely a game that we'll grow from. I was really pleased with the effort. I was pleased with the amount of the ball that we had. We had a lot of possession, and we just have to produce in the attacking third.
On giving the team confidence for postseason play: (We'll do it) the same way that we did when they didn't have any experience at all. They're competitors through and through, and to finish with only two losses on the season, I think that's given them a ton of experience. To come out on top on the other end of five of our overtimes, I think that we're pretty battle tested. So I think that, as a staff, we just have to remind them of what they're accomplished already and just sharpen that edge. The edge is there, but it's my job to sharpen it.
Freshman midfielder Haley Berg
On her thoughts on the game: I thought that we worked really hard. I thought that we came out slow, but then we did a really good job of just playing as a team. I think that, like Nicole (Curry) said, finishing our chances in the middle of the game, whether it was at the very beginning or the very end, we were just kind of turned off. I think that we lost focus for a second and credit to them for scoring that goal. It was obviously a hard angle, but I think that if we had just stayed focused on taking our chances, then I think that it would have been different.
On Oklahoma State's defensive play: I don't know if it was really what Oklahoma State was doing, I think it was that we were all giving space so that they could go. So Chelsea (Surpris), she would penetrate and she would keep going, and she wanted a goal so she would shoot it. I think Oklahoma State has great defense, but I also think that the way that we were moving off the ball is what made that space and gave their player the chance to shoot.
On accomplishment in her freshman season: I don't think that I'll ever accomplish everything. I think that it's been a great season, it's been everything I hoped it would be and more, but I think don't think that we've accomplished much yet. We have so much left.
