North Texas Daily

After a back-and-forth match throughout, the soccer team fell to No. 15 Oklahoma State University on Sunday in the 102 minute mark of a 4-3 double overtime thriller.

Head coach John Hedlund and players were not available for comment after the match.

With the loss to the Cowgirls (9-2-1, Big 12 6-2-1) coming at the Mean Green Soccer & Track and Field Stadium, North Texas (5-1, 2-0 Conference USA) sustained its first home loss of the season and first loss in the stadium. The Mean Green had won their first 14 games there since the stadium opened in 2019, including three at the C-USA tournament last season.

After 100 minutes of action, the two squads were knotted up at three goals apiece heading into the second overtime period. 

Oklahoma State earned a corner kick within the second OT’s first nine seconds but was unable to capitalize on it. Nearly two minutes later, North Texas committed a hand ball outside the left side of the penalty box and Oklahoma State earned a free kick. The Cowgirls’ junior midfielder Grace Yochum headed home the free kick for her second goal on the day, ending the match.

It was an action-packed match throughout as the two squads combined for 37 shots, 20 corner kicks and 17 shots on goal.

Corner kicks led to all three of the Mean Green’s goals, including two scored in the first half. Oklahoma State got on the board first as Yochum scored her first goal in the match’s 30 minute mark, but North Texas quickly responded as freshman defender Madi Starrett’s corner kick went straight into the net at the 31:50 mark.

Staying on the attack, North Texas netted its second goal with 2:10 left before halftime as sophomore defender Taylor Hunter headed home another corner. After a slow first 23 minutes of the second half, Oklahoma State’s Olyvia Dowell evened the score at 2-2 with her seventh goal of the season. Not even three minutes later, North Texas redshirt-freshman midfielder Taylor Tufts netted a corner kick to put the Mean Green up 3-2.

A key North Texas penalty inside the box gave the Cowgirl’s Charmé Morgan a penalty kick in the 77th minute. Morgan scored the penalty shot to tie the game at 3-3 which is where it stayed until the second overtime.

Up Next: Soccer will be back in action on March 21 as they travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to face the University of Southern Mississippi (4-2, 2-1 C-USA).

Featured Image: Junior forward Connor Baker runs after the ball against Oklahoma state on March 14, 2021. Image by Zachary Thomas