The Texas Tech soccer team dropped a hard-fought battle on the road at No. 23 Utah, 1-0, in overtime on Saturday in their NCAA Championship first round match at Ute Soccer Field in Salt Lake City.
The Red Raiders wrap their 2016 campaign with a 9-9-2 record after allowing a goal in the 97th minute to the Utes (12-3-5). It was the first time Tech has fallen in an opening round contest, as the Red Raiders were playing in their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament. Saturday was also the first time Texas Tech and Utah had met in the two program’s histories.
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Watson finished the day with four saves, improving her season total to 86 and her career mark to 254. She leaves Tech ranked fourth all-time in career saves and second in the scarlet & black record books in career shutouts with 25.5.
It was a physical first half, with 11 fouls committed overall, as Tech picked up six. The Red Raiders racked up three shots, compared to Utah’s six in the first frame. The Utes also recorded four corners, but were unable to convert on any of the opportunities in the first 45 minutes.
Much of the opening segment of the match was spent in the neutral zone, with both teams trying to break into their opponent’s area. Tech worked their way inside the Ute 18-yard line several times in the first 10 minutes.
In the 10th minute, Utah registered the first corner of the afternoon, which would start a string of three-straight shots for the Utes, as one was saved by Watson and another blocked by the Tech defense. Freshman forward Jade King posted the first shot for Tech in the 24th minute, after a little back-and-forth between her and freshman midfielder Jordie Harr gave King an opening, but it would go just wide of the right post.
Junior defender Cassie Conarty and freshman Tatum Barton had the other two shots for the Red Raiders in the first frame, coming at the 27’ & 44’ marks, as the first half was a scoreless contest.
As they have done many times this season, the Red Raiders started strong in the second half, registering the first shot of the frame as Harr put one just over the crossbar from the top of the box in the 54th minute.
Action would move to each end of the field multiple times in the second half, as several shots from both sides would occur over the next five minutes of play. That string was capped by a strike from sophomore defender Margaret Begley that went right into the hands of Utah’s goalkeeper July Mathias.
Watson and the Red Raider defense would stand tall again in the second half, as she added two saves to her match total of four. Tech would be faced with nine shots in the period, putting up six of their own. One of the biggest came as time was winding down in the 90th minute, which saw Barton come streaking down the right side and unleash a shot that was blocked out of play to set up Tech’s first corner of the afternoon. The ensuing serve would be unsuccessful, making Saturday’s match one that 90 minutes wouldn’t be enough to settle.
After several opportunities from the Red Raiders in overtime, Utah worked the ball down the field and picked up its seventh corner of the day. This time, they would convert, as the serve was juggled around in front of the net and kicked in by Utah’s Katie Rogers in the 97th minute for the golden goal and the win.
The Red Raiders moved to 5-4-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament over their five years of postseason appearances, all coming during the last five seasons. Texas Tech bids farewell to its four seniors: Lauren Watson, Jade Dapaah, Meagan McCullough and Maddy Crabtree, with the future looking bright as eight of Saturday’s starting XI were freshmen or sophomores.
(COURTESY: Texas Tech Sports Information Department)
