By ELY NOBLE, Senior Reporter
After an exhibition game two weeks ago in Alva, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Lady Rangers soccer team officially opened its home season Sunday at noon with a loss.
Photo by Ingrid Maldonado
The team faced Pittsburg State, a team having its first season as a soccer program. The Lady Rangers fell 3-0 to the Gorillas at the Alva Recreation Complex, keeping it close in the first half, but the Gorillas capitalized on their chances, scoring one goal before half and adding two more in the second half.
Pitt State forward Sophia See was the star of the night, scoring two goals for the Gorillas. See opened the scoring at the 37:40 mark, finishing a quick build-up with a low strike past Northwestern goalkeeper Emily Jantz. The Lady Rangers defense, anchored by Taylor Songster and Reese Welch, had done well to contain the pressure up until that point, but See’s goal gave the Gorillas a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, the Lady Rangers came out with renewed intensity. Their best chance came just minutes after the break when Tanah Huffines met a corner kick with a header that hit the crossbar, barely missing the tying shot. Despite the miss, the Lady Rangers kept pressing forward, with Tori Ruvalcaba, Tiara Campbell, Isabella McMillan and Lauren Gauthier working to create chances for their team.
However, Pitt State doubled its lead in the 52nd minute, once again from the foot of See. This time, the forward capitalized on a defensive mistake and fired a shot from close range, making it 2-0. Despite the setback, the Lady Rangers didn’t give up. Jantz who had a good performance in goal, made several key plays to keep Northwestern in the game, including a diving stop in the 70th minute that denied Pitt State a third goal.
“I thought Emily played really well tonight,” said Lady Rangers defender Reese Welch. “she kept us in the game with some great saves, and we had our moments, but we need to be better defensively going forward.”
The Gorillas put the game out of reach in the 85th minute when midfielder Sophia Agramon scored from a long-range effort, beating Jantz with a well-placed shot to make it 3-0. Despite the score, the Lady Rangers continued to fight until the final whistle, with Songster and Welch bringing defensive efforts and their forwards running hard to try and spark a comeback.
The loss drops the Lady Rangers to 0-1-1 on the season, while Pitt State improves to 2-0. Northwestern will look to bounce back when they traveled to Southwestern College in Kansas to face the Jinx on Wednesday.
The Lady Rangers return home on Sunday for a match against Northeastern State University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Alva Recreation complex.