No. 24 Tech, Iowa State set for Sunday showdown

LUBBOCK, Texas – Looking to bounce-back after a 1-1 draw Thursday night against Colorado, No. 24 Texas Tech Soccer will play host to Iowa State Sunday for a 1 p.m. match.

Prior to Sunday's match against the Cyclones, the Red Raiders will honor their four seniors (Sidney O'billovich, Jillian Martinez, Cassie Taylor and Ashleigh Williams.

Sunday's match against Iowa State will also feature a 'mini senior head' giveaway for the first 200 fans.

The Red Raiders enter Sunday's contest riding a 20-match home regular season unbeaten streak and a 24-match Big 12 Conference unbeaten streak and will look to keep pace with No. 12 TCU atop the Big 12 standings with just four regular season matches remaining.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: No. 24 Texas Tech (10-2-2, 5-0-2 Big 12) vs. Iowa State (3-6-5, 1-2-3 Big 12)
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (John Walker Soccer Complex)
DATE: Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024
TIME: 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:
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).

QUICK KICKS:
• Unbeaten in 10 straight matches (8-0-2) and winners of five straight, Texas Tech ends a three-match homestand on Sunday afternoon when Iowa State pays a visit to the John Walker Soccer Complex.

• Seeking to return to the win column after Thursday's tough luck draw against Colorado, the Red Raiders will look to extend a six-match winning streak against the Cyclones that dates back to a 2017 draw against the Cyclones. Including that 2017 draw, Tech is now unbeaten against ISU in 12 straight (11-0-1) contests. Despite enjoying wins in 11 of the last 12 matchups a good portion of those wins have been close, as four of the last five matchups have been decided by just a singular goal (2019-23).

• Of course, the last time the Red Raiders and Cyclones faced off was the 2023 regular season finale, where the Red Raiders defeated ISU to close out the Big 12 regular season title. In that match Ashleigh Williams scored her single-season program record
• After Thursday's 1-1 draw against Colorado, the Red Raiders have now outscored opponents 78-20 (+58) since the start of the 2023 season and have outscored opponents 33-9 this season after outscoring opponents 45-11 a season ago.

• The Red Raiders enter Sunday's match against ISU riding a 24-match unbeaten streak in Big 12 Conference matches (19-0-5). That streak has reached over two seasons, as it dates back to a Sept. 25, 2022 loss to Texas.

• It's been home sweet home for the Red Raiders at the Walker this season, but really the last three seasons, as Tech is 20-2-3 at home since the start of the 2022 season. The Red Raiders are outscoring opponents 70-8 since the start of the 2022 season at Walker.

• In fact, since installing the natural grass surface at the Walker (ahead of the 2023 season) the Red Raiders are 16-0-1 in home games and are outscoring opponents 58-4. After outscoring opponents 31-2 last season at Walker, the Red Raiders have been even more dominant at home this season, as they have outscored their opponents 27-2 in eight home matches this season.

• After scoring just once through the first nine matches of the season and scoring just twice through the first 12 matches, Ashleigh Williams has now scored in back-to-back matches. Williams scored the game winner against Baylor and scored the go-ahead goal in Thursday's 1-1 draw. Williams has technically found the back of the net in three straight contests, but her goal at UH was called offsides.

• The draw Thursday ended a pair of impressive streaks as the Red Raiders saw a nation-leading 19-match home winning streak snapped and a 24-match winning streak when Williams scored snapped. Tech was previously a perfect 24-0-0 when Williams scored in a game.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders begin their final road trip of the regular season on Thursday night when they head to Morgantown for a matchup with West Virginia. First touch from WVU is set for 6 p.m. (CT).

No. 24 Tech, Iowa State set for Sunday showdown

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Players Mentioned

Macy Blackburn

Millie Elwood

Kaitlyn Giametta

Jillian Martinez

Sidney O'billovich

Peyton Parsons

Cassie Taylor

Ashleigh Williams