Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

Smiling Tigers - Missouri Had Plenty To Celebrate After A Late Comeback Win Against Kansas

Missouri 3 (Collins 85′, Stipetich 85′, Blincow PK 89′) – 2 (Salazar 73′, Kastor 82′) Kansas

In what might go down as one of the most unforgettable games in the history of this rivalry, or in Big XII history for that matter, Missouri erased a 2-0 deficit with six minutes remaining to record a stunning 3-2 win. The first half brought no goals but no shortage of excitement as both sides combined for twenty shots, with McKenzie Sauerwein being forced into nine saves to keep her side level. Mizzou rushed out in the first stanza and put pressure on the Kansas defense, but the visitors pushed back in the second half of the period and forced the Tigers’ on their heels. The early part of the second half was much of the same before Liana Salazar struck in the seventy-third minute after Sauerwein had parried Jamie Fletcher’s shot initially. The points looked to have been going back to Lawrence less than ten minutes later when Caroline Kastor headed home from Whitney Berry’s corner to put her side up by two goals. But with Kansas set to keep just their second clean sheet of the season, they hit the self-destruct button and gave Missouri an NCAA Tournament lifeline. The lead was gone in less than a minute after Kendra Collins chipped Kaitlyn Stroud from the top of the box for the first goal, while forty-one seconds later, Mallory Stipetich headed in her first of the season off Kaysie Clark’s free kick. The Tigers would conclude the Great Escape with a little over a minute left after Alyssa Diggs was hacked down in the area and Kelsey Blincow stepped up and converted the penalty. Besides being one of the most memorable wins in program history, this gives Missouri a way back into the bubble discussion. They definitely need to beat Iowa State but may be one Big XII Tournament away from making into the field of sixty-four. The less said about the defense the better for the most part, with the Tigers giving up twenty-four shots and seventeen on goal. But you’ve gotta tip your hat to Sauerwein, who made fifteen saves to keep her side in with a chance even as all hope looked lost after being down 2-0 with less than six minutes to play.

This is probably one of those losses that says a lot more about Kansas’ prospects down the line than having any immediate consequences. Just minutes away from a huge win on the road against their rivals and finally keeping a clean sheet, the Jayhawks imploded and gave up three goals in six minutes. With two of those coming off of dead ball situations instead of the run of play, it exhibits a lack of focus more than anything else. Kansas is still in decent shape as far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned, but there’s not telling how badly their psyche was wounded tonight by this dramatic defeat. The two bottom clubs in the league are up next, and Kansas should be favored to take care of business as long as this loss doesn’t linger in the back of their heads. If it does? Well let’s just say we’ve seen the results when things aren’t going KU’s way. They haven’t been pretty.

Baylor 0 – 1 (Kelley 5′) Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State got a goal in the fifth minute from Kristen Kelley and then used a gritty defensive performance to hold onto a 1-0 win in Waco over Baylor to setup a huge Big XII title clash in College Station against Texas A&M.; One defensive error would prove fatal for the Bears as a misclearance landed at the foot of Kelley who rocketed a shot from just outside the area that slammed the underside of the bar on its way across the line. The Cowgirls would hit the bar a few other times throughout the night but created few clear cut chances, though they limited their opponents to much the same fate. The OSU defense did a masterful job in shutting down Baylor’s main offensive threats and limited their starting XI to just two off-target shots on the night. The Bears would get four shots from off the bench from Lisa Sliwinski that would force saves from Adrianna Franch, but she was more than up to the task in keeping yet another clean sheet. With Texas A&M; winning against Oklahoma, this sets up the big showdown between the Cowgirls and the Aggies, likely for the Big XII title. The defense continues to be immense for the Cowgirls, having not given up more than one goal in a match all year while also having kept twelve clean sheets. They’ll have to be just as big on Sunday in a hostile environment. If OSU can win that, they not only will win a league title, but will also have a great shot at a #1 seed come Selection Monday.

I’m not sure Baylor wants to hear much about moral victories right now, but the fact that the Bears played Oklahoma State reasonably close should be a reason for optimism in Waco. The Bears have come a long way under Marci Jobson’s rule and tonight was evidence of that, even if her side didn’t come away with anything in the points department. The loss does little to dent Baylor’s RPI, and the Bears are still in the running for a national seed as the end of the regular season approaches. Baylor did a great job on Krista Lopez, holding her to no shots at all, though some of her teammates may rue hitting the woodwork a few times. Realistically, Baylor should beat Oklahoma on Sunday before getting a week off before the Big XII Tournament starts. That time off could be a boon for this Bears squad, and a Baylor team with recharged batteries could be a dangerous sleeper in San Antonio.

Michigan State 1 (Heyboer 37′) – 3 (Hayes 61′, 73′, Evans 75′) Penn State

Maya Hayes added two more goals to her NCAA Division I leading tally, with her second strike of the day and twenty-third of the season all but locking up the Big Ten title for the Nittany Lions. After a rather dull opening half-hour, Michigan State took the lead in fortuitous fashion after an odd bounce off the referee let Olivia Stander capture possession and send a beautiful crossfield pass down the right sideline to Laura Heyboer who charged onto it before cutting inside the area and slotting it to the far post beyond Erin McNulty. But the second half was all in favor of the visitors who finally leveled matters right after the hour mark when Hayes latched onto Taylor Schram’s ball down the left and finished, marking Schram’s tenth assist on the year. Christine Nairn would supply her tenth of the season on Hayes’ match winner in the seventy-third minute, before Maddy Evans sealed the points from close range after Jill Flietstra failed to clear a long free kick from the foot of Emma Thomson. Penn State may have started disappointingly, but they finished with a flourish, marking the fourth straight match with at least three goals and their ninth straight win after a loss to Wisconsin to open up league play. This was a tough test against a team desperate for a win, and Penn State passed with flying colors in the end. They just need a single point to wrap up the Big Ten title. With Michigan and Purdue left, they should meet that goal easily and should be close to locking up a national seed as well.

This probably wasn’t the big game of the weekend in the big picture for Michigan State, but it still has to be frustrating to be leading at the half against the league’s top team, only to be overrun in the second half and lose by multiple goals. Things might have been different had what MSU saw as a foul on Heyboer in the box before the second goal for PSU resulted in a penalty with the score still at 1-1. But on the whole, the Spartans’ Big Two were held in check by PSU, and when that happens, it’s going to be very hard for this team to get wins. The Spartans almost certainly now have to beat Ohio State and Northwestern in their final two regular season games to avoid having to get some wins in the Big Ten Tournament. Even so, the Spartans may still be in a tenuous position heading to Evanston in a few weeks.

Oregon State 2 (Folsom 7′, Buckland 34′) – 1 (Jeffers PK 73′) Washington State

Oregon State claimed a crucial win for their postseason hopes with a pair of first half strikes against Washington State in Corvallis on Friday night. The home side came out the better team in the first half in this must win encounter and quickly put the visitors in a tough spot as Ashley Folsom flicked home Jacy Drobney’s corner kick in the seventh minute. The home side would double their advantage a little after the half-hour mark when Canadian forward Chelsea Buckland got on the end of a long free kick from Justyne Freud and poked it beyond Gurveen Clair in the Washington State goal. After a physical and relatively one-sided half, things both evened out and calmed down in the second half. OSU would go close to extending their lead early in the second half but would end up being pegged back after a foul was called in the box, giving WSU a penalty in the seventy-third minute. Though in his postmatch comments Beavers’ coach Linus Rhode seemed less than thrilled with the call, the Cougars’ Jocelyn Jeffers stepped up anyway and converted the spot kick to halve the deficit. A second goal wasn’t coming though, and Oregon State held on for a vital three points. OSU really needed this one to stay in the postseason pictured and they obliged with a good win against their bubble rivals. Through seven league matches, this team has given up just two goals in the run of play and three overall, which is a good thing since the offense has been largely hit and miss for much of the season. Getting Buckland scoring consistently is going to be a key down the stretch, but you’d suspect that these Beavers will be favored in three of their remaining four games at home. If they can just take care of business against Washington, Cal, and Oregon, they should be fine come Selection Monday.

Washington State came out sluggishly and paid the price against their tough opposition. The Cougars don’t really have the cutting edge in front of goal to be able to come back effectively from deficits as was proven here. When down by multiple goals, it’s going to be very hard for Washington State to get back into the game, such is their middling offense. The defense is the clear strength of the team, as exhibited by the team’s four clean sheets coming into this one. All of those were at home though, and these Cougars are going to have to pull it together away from Pullman in these final weeks with their last four this year on the road. Despite being the visitors, WSU should be favored in their next three. If they can take care of business, that’d setup a huge showdown against Washington which may just be a de facto playoff for an NCAA Tournament spot.

Portland 1 (Capelle 63′) – 2 (Johnston 5′, Miller 85′) Santa Clara

Bianca Henninger made two penalty saves and Bridgett Miller came off the bench to scored a late winner as Santa Clara won at Merlo for the first time since 2003. The three points lets the Broncos keep pace in the WCC title race while also dealing a serious blow to Portland’s postseason ambitions. The Pilots had an early opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty in the fourth minute of play. But Henninger was up to the task and pushed Danielle Foxhoven’s attempt behind to keep the match scoreless. Santa Clara would make Portland pay for the miss a minute later when Julie Johnston rose and headed home Margueritte Aozasa’s long free kick for her ninth goal of the season. Foxhoven had a chance at redemption from the penalty spot with less than a minute left in the opening period. Henninger would deny her that opportunity again with her second penalty save of the half, letting the visitors get into the break with a 1-0 lead. On form striker Micaela Capelle would restore parity after the hour mark after a nifty individual move to get around a marker on a throw-in followed by a finish past Henninger. Miller would end up the heroine though for the Broncos as with a little over five minutes remaining, she latched onto a Sophia Huerta pass and finished with aplomb past Hailee DeYoung. Foxhoven would come close to a second equalizer but headed just wide. This win was as important psychologically for the Broncos as it was in the standings, with Santa Clara finally getting over that hump and bettering their WCC rivals. Henninger again proved why she’s the best keeper in the country with those penalty saves, while the defense held firm for much of the match. The offense looks like it’s also made great strides from the beginning of the season with Huerta continuing to look impressive, while Julie Johnston continues to be a dangerous jack of all trades for the Broncos. Barring a big upset at Gonzaga, the team may well be playing for the WCC title next Friday against fellow high flyers Pepperdine in a titanic tilt.

Whatever faint WCC title hopes Portland may have had coming into this one faded with this tough defeat, while their margin for error in the quest for a spot in the NCAA Tournament also has gone by the wayside. If Portland does miss out on the postseason, the decision for Foxhoven to take the second penalty after having had her first saved could loom very large. With four matches remaining, the Pilots might just need to win all of them considering they’re a pair of games under .500 at the moment. On paper, they should be heavy favorites in three of those games though, with the biggest challenge coming when they meet up against Pepperdine a week from Sunday in Malibu. This squad is down to bare bones though thanks to injuries, as evidenced by the fact that the team only used one sub and had nine of their field players go the full ninety. With such thin numbers, how this squad copes with fatigue could well be crucial to their postseason hopes. Micaela Capelle heating up with another goal has to be good news though, as the team has been desperately waiting for some of the great form that made her freshman season such a success.

Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

• Soccer
• Sports
• W. College Soccer

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• 2011 NCAA Soccer

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

View jennaawk's Full Profile