ADA, Okla. – Head coach Craig Liddell and his Ranger women's soccer squad was in search of their first victory of the 2017 season as they headed to East Central University on Saturday morning. Northwestern kept pace with the fast playing Tigers for most of the game until a 77th minute goal from Kay Woodring gave East Central the 1-0 victory.
Despite the loss, Northwestern posted season highs in shots (15) and saves (13), but noticeable for the Rangers was their most balanced shooting performance thus far. Northwestern had 10 different players get involved on offense, including five players with at two shots each. Junior Karla Lopez led the Rangers with two shots on goal, and goalkeeper Kylee Loustaunau stopped 13 shots in the loss.
After displaying a more focused offensive attack in the second half of their last game at SWOSU, Northwestern came out of the gates firing. Early pressure led to a 6-3 shot advantage for the Black and Red, including a span of three minutes where the Rangers peppered the ECU goal with four shots forcing Tigers goalie Chloe Hull to make some saves.
The Tigers entered play Saturday having won three of their last four games. ECU opened Great American Conference play last week with a 0-0 draw against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Northwestern worked their way to a scoreless first half, with the Tigers holding a slight 13-11 shot advantage in the frame.
East Central would ramp up their attack midway through the second half, leading to five shots unanswered shots in just over five minutes. The Tigers have relied on a pair of midfielders for the bulk of their offensive threat in Kendall Cook and Allie Verner, as the pair have combined for 26 shots in their first seven games.
But the late goal off the foot of Woodring proved to be the deciding blow as the Rangers were unable to counter in the dying minutes.
Up Next
The Rangers will return to Alva for the first of a three-game home stand on Thursday, Sept. 28 when they host Ouachita Baptist University, followed by a highly anticipated homecoming weekend matchup against Harding University on Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Alva Recreation Complex.
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