No. 24 Tech, RV Colorado battle to 1-1 draw

Thursday, October 10

Lubbock, Texas

7 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

10-2-2, 5-0-2

Colorado

10-2-2, 4-1-2

Colorado

Texas Tech

No. 24 Tech, RV Colorado battle to 1-1 draw

October 10, 2024 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Red Raiders despite a 47th minute strike from Ashleigh Williams settled for one point

By: Andrew Stern

LUBBOCK, Texas – Despite a 47th-minute strike from senior Ashleigh Williams and enjoying a 23-5 advantage in shots, No. 24 Texas Tech Soccer battled Colorado to a 1-1 draw Thursday night at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Nursing a 1-0 lead after the brilliant strike from Williams off a pair of great feeds from freshman Millie Elwood and Peyton Parsons, Texas Tech (10-2-2, 5-0-2 Big 12) looked to be in the drivers seat, but a 73rd-minute equalizer from Ava Priest earned Colorado (10-2-2, 4-1-2) the draw.

Tech dominated the first 45 minutes of play as led by Kaitlyn Giametta, the Red Raiders enjoyed a 15-3 lead in shots in the first half and attempted four corners.

Giametta ripped six shots in 80 minutes played.

After a quick flurry of Tech shots resulted in a pair of saves for CU goalie Jordan Nytes, the Red Raiders nearly found the game's first goal in the seventh minute, when Williams ripped a rebound off a blocked Macy Blackburn shot on frame, but Nytes was able to react quickly and punch the ball over the crossbar and out of harms way.

The Red Raiders next best chance to score came in the 21st minute, when Giametta ripped a low shot that beat Nytes before clanging off the left post and over the endline.

In the first half, Nytes made six of her seven saves to keep the game scoreless at the break.

Following halftime, the Red Raiders finally found a way to beat Nytes, when a pair of perfect passes from Elwood and Parsons sprung Williams. Seeking her 35th career goal and her 77th career point, Williams eluded the CU backline and slotted one into the open net. Williams moved to within one point of tying Kristi Patterson for fourth on the all-time points list.

Armed with the lead, the Red Raiders looked to close out their 20th-consecutive home victory, but the Priest equalizer and one last Nytes save forced the Red Raiders to settle for just one point.

Despite seeing the nation's leading 19-match home winning streak snapped, the Red Raiders did extend their Big 12 unbeaten streak to 24-straight matches (18-0-5) and are now unbeaten in 20-straight home matches (19-0-1).

Tonight's draw also marked the first time the Red Raiders did not outright win a match in which Williams scored. Tech was previously 24-0-0 when she found the back of the net in a match.

With tonight's point, Tech remains tied atop the Big 12 tables with No. 12 TCU, who earned a 3-1 win over West Virginia in Fort Worth.

The Red Raiders and Horned Frogs sit on 17 points, while WVU sits one behind with 16. Colorado with tonight's draw moved to 14 total points, three fewer than Tech and TCU and two fewer than WVU.

Arizona, who defeated UCF 3-2 in Houston Thursday, sits on 13 points, two clear of Oklahoma State, Utah and BYU who sit tied for fifth with 11 points.

The top four finishers in the final Big 12 standings will earn a first round bye at the 2024 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship hosted by CPKC Stadium in Kansas City later this Month (Oct. 30-Nov. 9).

HEAD COACH TOM STONE:
"We were our own biggest challenge in the second half tonight. After taking it to them in the first half and creating a lot of opportunities, and then scoring in the first two minutes of the half, it was our game to win. It's rare you outshoot a team 23-5 and tie, but it can happen in soccer. Credit Colorado. They're a good defensive team and they made it hard for us to find the second goal. If we would have gotten it, it would have been over. They hung in there. If you let a good team hang around with good players, you can get burned. Their girl hit an absolute bomb to put them even and we both walk out with a point. It's disappointing for us because the game was ours and we let it slip through our fingers. Credit Colorado for finding a way to do that, but if we would have kept the hammer down we would have gotten the three points."

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders look to earn another key three points on Sunday afternoon when the Iowa State Cyclones travel to the John Walker Soccer Complex. First touch for Sunday's Senior Day match is set for 1 p.m.