No. 14 Tech returns home for Thursday clash with OU

Thursday, September 28

Lubbock, TX

7 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

Oklahoma

Buy Tickets

No. 14 Tech returns home for Thursday clash with OU

September 27, 2023 | Women's Soccer

Game Notes (Oklahoma) Preview Presser Watch Live Stats Tickets

The Red Raiders will take an 18-match unbeaten streak into Thursday’s matchup with the Sooners

By: Andrew Stern

LUBBOCK, Texas – Fresh off the program's best overall (9-0-2) and Big 12 Conference (3-0-0) start, the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders play host to the Sooners of Oklahoma Thursday night at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

In yet another battle of unbeaten teams, Tech and OU will meet in Lubbock for the final time as Big 12 Conference foes, as the Sooners are set to exit the Big 12 Conference for the Southeastern Conference at the conclusion of the 2023-24 competitive season.

The Sooners enter the contest on Thursday with a 2-0-1 record after a pair of wins against Kansas State and Houston.

The Red Raiders enter the contest tied atop the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma State and No. 19 UCF.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-0-2, 3-0-0 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (6-4-1, 2-0-1 Big 12)
DATE: Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023
TIME: 7 p.m.
LOCATION: John Walker Soccer Complex (Lubbock, Texas)

LAST TIME OUT:
Powered by another two goals junior Ashleigh Williams and a clean sheet from goalie Madison White, the Texas Tech Red Raiders downed the Baylor Bears, 2-0 Sunday afternoon in a sticky and sweltering match in Waco.

With the temperature hovering around 100 and the real feels climbing to nearly 110 degrees, it was Texas Tech (9-0-2, 3-0-0 Big 12) that was able to manage the elements to record a commanding 2-0 win at Baylor (5-5-1, 0-3-0 Big 12).

Fresh off a dramatic 2-1 win at No. 14 Texas on Thursday and with the win on Sunday, the Red Raiders have now earned a win or draw in 18 consecutive regular season matches and are also unbeaten in their last 10 Big 12 Conference matches (7-0-3).

With the win, the Red Raiders are also off to best overall 11-game start in program history and are a perfect 3-0-0 in Big 12 Conference play also for the first time in program history.

As she has all season redshirt sophomore Macy Blackburn set the tone early for Tech, as the defender nearly put Tech up 1-0 in the fourth minute when she ripped a shot past Makinzie Short and off the right post.

Just under 20 minutes later, Blackburn and Williams left no doubt, connecting on the first goal of the match when Blackburn finished a gorgeous run with a perfect cross into the six-yard box.

Williams connected on the other end, delivering her second goal of the week and career-best 11th of the season.

The strike gave Tech a 1-0 lead with just under 20 minutes to play in the opening half.

Armed with a lead, the Red Raiders continued to press forward, looking for the decisive two goal lead, but no other dangerous chances materialized.

When the clock reading just 15 seconds until halftime, Baylor posed its biggest threat of the first 45, when Reneta Vargas intercepted an errant pass and streaked toward White and the Red Raider goal.

With time nearly running out (just nine seconds), Vargas ripped a shot that flew above and wide of the Tech goal.

Out of the break, Tech quickly doubled its lead just 10 minutes in, when Giselle Kozarski sent a perfect service in the direction of Williams. As she did in the first half, Williams left no doubt, redirecting the ball for her 12th goal of the season. Entering the day of action, Williams' 12 strikes would have been tied for second-most in the country and most in the Big 12.

With the two-goal lead firmly in hand, Tech controlled the remainder of the contest, closing out the third shutout in four matches and sixth of the season.

QUICK KICKS:
• Fresh off of securing the programs best overall start (9-0-2) and best Big 12 start (3-0-0), the No. 14 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders return home for a thursday night contest against Oklahoma and a Sunday afternoon clash with Cincinnati.
• The Red Raiders enter the weekend riding a pair of unbeaten streaks. Tech is currently unbeaten in its last 18 regular season contests overall and will carry a 10-match Big 12 unbeaten streak into the Thursday's contest.
• Ranked for the first time in all three major polls, Tech checks in at No. 14 in both the United Soccer Coaches Association and College Soccer News polls. The Red Raiders will enter the weekend at No. 16 in the Top Drawer poll.
• With just eight games remaining before the 2023 Big 12 Championship, Tech sits at No. 5 in the NCAA RPI metric, trailing just Penn State, UNC, Florida State and Stanford.
• Following another four goal week, the Red Raiders enter the week near the top-20 in the country in just about every offensive catagory. The Red Raiders are second in the country in assists, fourth in points per game, fourth in goal differnetial, 13th in scoring offfensive and 16th in goal-against-average.
• Fresh off another three goal week, junior Ashleigh Williams moved back into the top-5 in the country in total goals. Selected as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, Williams scored in both matches last week. Williams was also tabbed the College Soccer News National Player of the Week.
• Tech defender Macy Blackburn enters the week tied for second in the country assists with nine. Blackburn recorded a pair of assists last week delivering the helper on Hannah Anderson's game winner against UT.
• After scoring the game winner against Texas, defender Hannah Anderson was tabbed Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. It's her second career weekly honor.

SCOUTING THE SOONERS:
• OU enters Thursday's matchup as winners of back-to-back matches and with a 6-4-1 overall record and a 2-0-1 mark in Big 12 play. OU opened the season in dominant fashion earning a 6-0 win over Tulsa, a 4-2 win over ORU and an 8-1 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff. After three straight losses to Samford, Gonzaga and Montana, OU has rebounded with three wins and a draw over the last five matches.

• After opening with a 2-2 home draw against Kansas, OU has won back-to-back conference matches, downing K-State 2-0, and Houston 2-1. In last Sunday's win at Houston, OU used a pair of late second half goals in the 74th and 82nd minutes respectively to down the Cougars. In that match, OU outshot UofH 12-11, as keeper Sierra Giorgio made five saves to help the Sooners remain unbeaten in Big 12 play.

• The game winner against the Cougs, was Oklahoma's 30th goal of the season, and came on the Sooners 199th shot of the season. Eight of the 30 OU goals have come from Emma Hawkins, who has also added three assists. Hawkins is joined atop the Sooners points list by Leonie Weber and Danielle Wolfe. Weber has scored five times and tallied four assists while Wolfe has contributed four goals and three helpers.

• In net, a pair of Sooners have split the 11 starts with Giorgio handling the starting duties in six matches and Olivia Ramey handling the other five. Giorgio, a former U-20 World Cup participant for her home country of Canada. transferred from OU after two seasons at Syracuse. Giorgio has started the last six matches for OU and hs recorded a goals-against-average of 1.14 and a save percentage of .743. Olivia Ramey has been the other OU goalie this season appearing in and starting the first five games where she allowed eight goals.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders close out the two-match home week on Sunday when they welcome new Big 12 foe Cincinnati to the Lubbock. First-kick is set for 1 p.m.