No. 22 Texas Tech Posts 2-1 Comeback Win At App. State

Sunday, September 11

Boone, N.C.

12:00 P.M.

Texas Tech Athletics

6-1-1

Appalachian State

5-3

Texas Tech

Appalachian State

No. 22 Texas Tech Posts 2-1 Comeback Win At App. State

September 11, 2016 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Sophomore forward Gwennie Puente notched her second goal of the season on the equalizer Sunday.

BOONE, N.C. – The No. 22 Texas Tech soccer team ended its first road trip of the regular season with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Appalachian State on Sunday afternoon at Appalachian Soccer Stadium.

The Red Raiders (6-1-1) fell behind late in the first half after a goal from App. State's (5-3-0) Peatross in the 44^th minute. In the second half, Tech picked up tallies from sophomore forward Gwennie Puente (2) in the 61' and a Mountaineer own goal in the 76', to complete the 2-1 win.

The first 13 minutes of the match featured back-and-forth action from the two sides, as both teams were able to log a few offensive opportunities. The Red Raiders found themselves with the ball on the attack in the Mountaineer zone several times starting in the 19^th minute of the frame. Tech recorded six shots over the next 14 minutes of play, peppered from five different student-athletes.

With time winding down in the first half, the Red Raiders picked up a foul outside the box that would prove costly. In the 44^th minute, Mountaineer midfielder Sarah Peatross curved the free kick into the right side of the goal to give App. State a 1-0 lead, which they would take into the break.

Tech racked up nine shots in the first frame, two on goal, compared to four overall shots from the Mountaineers. Both teams also had two corners in the first half, while the foul count was also close, with Tech at five and App. State at four.

Once again, the Red Raiders came out strong in the second half, earning their first of three corners in the frame five minutes in. Shortly after a King shot was saved by App. State's Sam Steyl, Tech found themselves having to defend a Mountaineer corner kick. Peatross' pass was punched away and out to Puente, who took off in a sprint down the field with the ball. Splitting a pair of defenders and making another miss, Puente went one-on-one with Steyl, who came out to challenge the play, but Puente sent her shot past the diving keeper in the 61^st minute and into the net for the equalizer.

Puente's score marked her second in the season and was the ninth goal the Red Raiders have scored in the second period of match in 2016. The 10th came 15 minutes later after a shot from freshman forward Tatum Barton was saved by Steyl, but careened off a Mountaineer defender in front of her and into the net for the go-ahead score.

The Red Raiders mirrored their shot total from the first half in nine for a match total of 18, while adding four on goal. Senior goalkeeper Lauren Watson wrapped up two saves, bringing her 2016 total to 28 through eight matches played.

The victory was the third in-a-row for the Red Raiders and was the first contest in the all-time series between the two programs.

Texas Tech will have another pair of first-time meetings next weekend when they hit the road for California to battle Loyola Marymount (4-2-1) at 9 p.m. CDT on Friday, Sept. 16, in Los Angeles, before heading down to San Diego on Sunday, Sept. 18, to face San Diego State at 8 p.m. CDT.

RED RAIDERS WIN!
No. 22 #TexasTech comes from behind to defeat Appalachian State, 2-1! #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/EwBlCt9nul
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) September 11, 2016