The Northwestern Oklahoma State University Lady Ranger soccer team had a busy week with games on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Lady Rangers went 2-1, with wins over Oklahoma Christian, Southern Nazarene University and a loss to Oklahoma Baptist University.
The 4-3 win over Oklahoma Christian took two overtime periods. Oklahoma Christian struck first, but the Lady Rangers fired back, and took the 3-2 lead late in the game. A goal from Oklahoma Christian took the game into double overtime.
The winning goal game from sophomore Hollie Pankake. After a foul was called inside the eighteen box on Oklahoma Christian, Pankake took the penalty shot, scoring the goal and the win.
The Lady Rangers traveled to Bethany, Oklahoma to face Great American Conference opponent Southern Nazarene University on Thursday. The final score was 3-1. Junior Karla Lopez scored early for the Rangers. A goal from SNU to tie the game 1-1 just before halftime would not affect the Lady Rangers, as sophomore Yazmin Gomez and freshman Brittany Cirnigliaro each netted a goal in the second half.
Junior keeper Kylee Loustaunauhad eight saves and improved her GAA to 3.03 while picking up her third career win. On Saturday, the Lady Rangers traveled to Shawnee, Oklahoma to face the number one ranked team in the GAC: Oklahoma Baptist University. The Lady Rangers fell short in a 2-0 loss.
The Lady Rangers competed well with top-ranked OBU. The score was 0-0 until the 70th minute. OBU then netted two quick goals, and the Lady Rangers were unable to get their offense going.
Hollie Pankake, who scored the winning goal against Oklahoma Christian, said it was an exciting feeling especially because the team got to take home their second win. She said she was not nervous to take the penalty kick.
“The opportunity for us to win was right there and I had the confidence to take the kick,” Pankake said. After the OBU loss on Saturday, Pankake said to get back to winning, we must practice. The Lady Rangers are preparing to take on rival Southwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday. “We need to buckle down and keep the game in front of us,” Pankake said.