Sunday College Soccer Roundup

Tulsa's Holmes Tallies Both Goals in 2-0 Win over Houston

Houston, Texas – Christina Holmes tallied both goals for Tulsa in a 2-0 win over Houston on Sunday afternoon at Carl Lewis Field in Houston, Texas. TU moved to 11-7-2 on the season and concluded its inaugural campaign in the American Athletic Conference with a 4-4-1 mark, while Houston fell to 1-10-5 overall and 0-8-1 in the league.

With today's win, Tulsa earned the No. 5 seed in the American Athletic Conference Championship and will play No. 4 UConn in the Quarterfinals beginning at 11:00 am Central on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in Storrs, UConn.

“Houston came out with a lot of energy and they played hard for 90 minutes, which we knew they would coming in, but the girls handled it well,” coach Kyle Cussen said. “We scored a really good goal in the first half as Lauren played it through to Tana and then she one-timed it to Christina for the goal. It was a good build up and a good goal off of combination play. In the second half, we were awarded a penalty kick, which Darienne played and hit well, but the keeper made a big save that sparked Houston into an even more physical game as they tried to get the equalizer. They made it even more difficult on us, but we kept our composure and waited for our opportunities. Rachel played a great ball into Christina and she was fortunate enough to get our second goal.”

Holmes scored at the 26:27 mark off a combination from Lauren King to Tana Dake, and then added a second goal in the 85th minute off an assist from Rachel Thun. Holmes now leads the Hurricane with nine goals on the season.

Holmes and Dake both had two shots, while Darienne Chapman, Roman Edwards, Sierra Krenik and Madison Smith each had one attempt. Courtney McKeon logged all 90 minutes between the posts for two saves and her fourth shutout on the season.

The Cougars had a 10-8 lead in shots, while TU had a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal, and UH had a 4-1 lead in corner kicks.

OU Drops Road Match to WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The Oklahoma soccer team fell behind early and couldn't recover on the road on Sunday afternoon, dropping a 3-1 decision to No. 10 (NSCAA) West Virginia.

The Sooners (8-7-3, 2-4-1 Big 12) move to 2-2-0 this season against teams ranked in the top 15 nationally. With the win, West Virginia (13-2-2, 6-0-2 Big 12) clinched a second-straight Big 12 regular season title. The match marked the first time this season Oklahoma has surrendered more than two goals in a game.

Oklahoma's defense struggled to contain a potent West Virginia attack throughout the match; OU was edged 12-8 in shots (6-2 SOG) with the bulk of the team's attempts coming in the last 20 minutes of the contest.

West Virginia struck first in the contest on a goal in the 18th minute from Kailey Utley. Shortly after Sooner GK Kaitlyn Fahrner saved a shot in a one-on-one situation against WVU, Utley cut in around OU's defense and sent in a cross to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead.

The Sooners were possessing and finding chances in the midfield area, but several of their best first-half chances were picked off by West Virginia's defense. Claire Salazar was credited with Oklahoma's first shot of the half in the 41st minute, but the true freshman's attempt sailed wide.

The Mountaineers had an opportunity to extend their lead to 2-0 in the final minute of the half, but Fahrner was there to make a big save on Utley's shot and prevent the goal.

OU battled at midfield with West Virginia to start the half, pushing for an equalizer and getting some early possession opportunities. True freshman Rasha Roberts drove down the left side and had her shot blocked away in the 72nd minute; she followed up with a shot that sailed high just seconds later as she pressed for the Sooners.

WVU struck back in the 74th off a goal from Amandine Pierre-Louis. The Mountaineer cut in down the right side and sent in a shot from the edge of the box that slid past Fahrner, putting the Sooners down 2-0 with 15 minutes left to play.

The Sooners began to pour on the pressure, repeatedly challenging WVU inside the box and trying to claw back into the match. A free kick from Laura Rayfield brought GK Hannah Steadman out of the box, but Lizzie Luallin's shot was blocked and the ball was cleared away to prevent OU's goal. Oklahoma was back just a minute later when Shiloh Price controlled a pass in the middle of the box and hammered in a shot. Her attempt was nicked away by a WVU defender and the ball sailed wide left.

West Virginia responded again after OU's attempt as Pierre-Louis notched her second goal of the match. A breakaway down the right side brought Fahrner out of the net to try and nab the ball, but Pierre-Louis broke around and played through to post WVU's third and final goal in the 82nd minute.

A corner from Hodgen helped OU break through in the 86th minute of play. After a shot from Rachel Ressler was blocked, Price helped control the ball and Emily Bowman struck for the Sooners. The senior took a bouncing ball and sent it in from 20 yards out to the left post, beating WVU's keeper to put the Sooners on the board. Minutes later, the 3-1 score stood as final.

Oklahoma will close the regular season with its home finale on Friday, Oct. 31 against No. 15 Kansas. The Sooners and the Jayhawks are set for a 7 p.m. start in the contest. OU has already clinched a spot in the 2014 Big 12 Soccer Championship field; competition for the tournament crown is set to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Stordahl's golden goal lifts ORU over in double-overtime, 2-1

OMAHA, Neb. – A golden goal by Oral Roberts University's Maria Stordahl handed Omaha its first Summit League loss of the season as the Golden Eagles won 2-1 in double-overtime at Caniglia Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

ORU improved to 3-8-3 overall and 2-3-0 in league play with its second road victory of the season, while the Mavericks dropped to 5-10-2 and 3-1-2 against league opponents.

UNO got on the board in the 57th minute as Chelsi Rohloff dribbled into the box and finished from 10 yards out to give the Mavericks at 1-0 lead.

In the 81st minute, Megan Giles drew a foul deep in the box to set up a penalty kick opportunity for the Golden Eagles. For the second time this season, Ashley Martin was called upon and converted the PK opportunity to tie the match at one.

Stordahl delivered the game-winner for the Golden Eagles in the 108th minute, taking a through-ball from Lexi Jones and blasting the ball into the bottom left of corner of the net for the golden goal.

Turning Point

The Golden Eagles were awarded a penalty kick in the 81st minute and Ashley Martin converted the PK for the equalizer to tie the match at one goal apiece.

Inside the Box Score

• ORU outshot UNO 20-12.

• Ashley Martin netted her team-high third goal of the season.

• Maria Stordahl netted her second goal of the season and led the Golden Eagles with six shots on goal.

• Megan Giles recorded three shots on target, and Amanda Giles had two shots on goal in the first half.

• Helen Erb (3-4-1) tied her season high mark of eight saves for ORU.

• Chelsi Rohloff and Courtney Neville each led UNO with three shots on goal.

• Haley Shelton (3-8-2) recorded 12 saves and took the loss for the Mavs.

News and Notes

• 13 shots on goal is the most by the Golden Eagles since they recorded 20 against Rogers State on September 11, 2013.

Up Next

ORU completes its three-match road trip on Tuesday as the Golden Eagles remain in Omaha, Nebraska, for a neutral site match against Summit League foe South Dakota. The match was previously scheduled for October 10 at the Case Soccer Complex, but was postponed due to weather. Kickoff in Omaha is scheduled for noon.