STILLWATER, Okla. – The Abilene Christian soccer team fought hard against No. 18 Oklahoma State on Sunday, losing the match 3-0. The Wildcats fell to 2-5 on the season, while the Cowgirls remain undefeated at 7-0-1.
The Cowgirls got off to a hot start by scoring their first goal in the ninth minute. OSU's Anna Beffer scored her second goal of the season when a Jaci Jones pass landed in front of her. She then beat a defender to find the back of the net, giving the home side an early 1-0 lead.
OSU added its second and third goals in the 30th and 38th minutes. Beffer set up Haley Woodard on her third score of the season, and later a penalty kick by Julia Lenhardt found its way past freshman goalkeeper
Erin Smith.
The Wildcats looked to get on the board in the fifth minute when
Dylan Owens fired a shot, but OSU goalkeeper Tanya de Souza got her hand on the ball to grab the save.
ACU's final opportunity came late in the second half when a corner kick by
Christina Arteaga found Gabby Symmank, but Symmank couldn't get the header across the line. Less than three minutes later
Megan Baer's corner kick connected with
Isa Sanabria whose shot was intercepted once again by de Souza, who held onto the ball and shutout victory over ACU.
"Our goal today coming into the game was to keep the ball, get rid of the ball, and make solid reads," head coach
Casey Wilson said. "I felt like we played well today in that regard. We had plenty of chances to score and that is all we can ask for in a game. Oklahoma State is an excellent top-15 team and we had the opportunity to get better playing them."
The Wildcats return to action Friday at 5 p.m. when they host Houston Baptist in the Southland Conference opener at Elmer Gray Stadium.
