The Missouri State women’s soccer team (10-9-2) showed strong spirit as they pulled out a 1-1 draw against No. 17 Oklahoma State, but the Cowgirls advanced to the next round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship off a 3-2, penalty kick shootout on Saturday at Cowgirl Soccer Complex.
Big 12 Champion Oklahoma State jumped on the board with a 1-0 lead early in the eighth minute of the match. The Cowgirls lined up for a corner kick and two quick passes made their way to Julia Lenhardt, who fired off a shot that bounced off the left post and made it past starting goalkeeper Lexi Palacio.
The Bears pushed the ball up the field one minute later, but senior Rachel Catrell’s shot was blocked by a stray Cowgirl. The Bears would take three more shots in the remainder of the first half, totaling one shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes.
Missouri State had another scoring opportunity in the 85th minute, as Ashley Coonfield intercepted a pass and took off down the field. She squared up for a shot but the attempt slid just right of the goal.
The Bears’ back line put in a solid day’s work, keeping the Cowgirls at bay throughout the majority of the second half. Brittney Robinson, Masen Stamp and Brooke Zimmerman held Oklahoma State to just five shots in the second half of regulation play and Palacio picked up three more saves.
With three minutes ticking down on the clock, Kassie Flynn prepared to throw in the ball on the far sideline. She launched the ball into the box and the OSU keeper leapt into the air to grab the ball. However, the ball tipped off the top of her gloves and landed in the back of the net to tie up the match, 1-1.
Missouri State maintained pressure on the ball as the clock ran down to zero – prompting overtime action. After 10 minutes of solid defense in both overtimes, advancement to the next round of the tournament would be decided by penalty kicks.
Coonfield and Zimmerman stepped up and sunk the Bears’ first two attempts to help equal out the shootout, 2-2. However, OSU’s goalkeeper halted three Bears and OSU came out on top, 3-2, ending the hard-fought match.
The Bears tarnished the Cowgirls’ perfect 9-0 record at home, becoming the only team to stall Oklahoma State at Cowgirl Soccer Complex during the 2017 season. Palacio ended the match with fives and limited opponents to just two goals over the Bears’ final seven matches. After making its second NCAA appearance, the Bears finished the 2017 season with a 10-9-2 record.
