By ELY NOBLE, Senior Reporter
Northwestern Oklahoma State University soccer team fell short in a close 1-0 loss to East Central University Wednesday evening.
Despite a solid effort, an early goal by the Tigers proved to be the deciding factor, leaving the Rangers still searching for their first conference win this season.
The Rangers record now sits at 2-7-5 overall and 0-4-4 in the Great American Conference. East Central now improves to 4-9-1 overall and 3-4-1 in the conference standings.
Though East Central found the back of the net early, Northwestern fought hard throughout the match. The Rangers narrowly outshot the Tigers 14-13, with nine of those shots on goal compared to East Central’s eight. Rangers, Tiara Campbell, Jordan Fawcett, Jazlyn Norwood and Isabella McMillan each contributed shots on target, but were unable to break through the Tigers defense. Ranger goalkeeper Rachel Brown recorded seven saves, keeping her team within striking distance.
The Tigers struck early in the match, capitalizing on a corner kick within the first few minutes. At the 3:12 mark, East Central’s Abbie Morris headed in a pass from teammate Paige Jones, putting the Tigers up 1-0. That goal would remain the only one of the match.
The Rangers fought back with their first scoring chance at the 10-minute mark when Campbell fired a shot on goal, only to have it saved by Tigers goalie Maddson Mayhall. Minutes later, another Ranger shot hit off the right post, just missing the tying shot.
The rest of the first half saw several Rangers shots on goal, all turned away by Mayhall. As halftime arrived, Northwestern trialed 1-0, but the team showed resilience as they kept the game withing reach.
The second half opened with East central looking to extend their lead. A foul gave the tigers a free kick, and a corner kick kept Brown busy in the goal. She saved multiple shots in the span, stopping East Central from pulling further ahead.
The Rangers continued to press offensively, With Fawcett testing Mayhall with a shot off a corner kick in the 83rd minute. Mayhall stayed sharp through it all denying the shot and preserving her team’s one goal lead. Despite Northwestern’s efforts in the final moments, East Central held on the get the 1-0 victory.
The loss highlights a season of close calls for the Rangers, who have shown promise but have struggled to convert scoring opportunities into wins.
They’ll have another shot to break through on Halloween when they host Harding University at 6 p.m. in Alva. NWOSU plays host Saturday as well against Ouachita Baptist at 11 a.m. They play at SWOSU on Wednesday, 3 p.m.