Jayhawks Drop OT Heartbreaker to Oregon State, 1-0
LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second-straight match, the Kansas Jayhawks found themselves in an overtime match and for the second-straight match, the home team came up on the wrong end of a golden goal as the Oregon State Beavers topped the Jayhawks, 1-0, Sunday night inside Rock Chalk Park.
The loss moved Kansas to 2-3-1 on the year, while Oregon State remained unbeaten in their 2015 campaign at 4-0-1.
“I thought we played really well again tonight, but we’re just not getting it done in the attacking third right now,” said head coach Mark Francis. “We’re playing really well but we need to get more out of our forwards and our midfielders. Our quality needs to be better in the attacking third. I feel for the kids though because we worked our butts off today. It’s tough to lose games like tonight.”
Much like the Jayhawks’ match two nights earlier, a 1-0 double overtime loss to the Santa Clara Broncos, the home team dominated the majority of the match, controlling possession and breaking the opposing defense down to create several looks at goal. But that ball was again unable to find the back of the net.
Kansas managed to put just three of its 11 shots on frame and rarely tested OSU’s all-Pac 12 keeper, Bella Geist. In the 30th minute of action, senior Courtney Dickerson sent in a long range shot, but it flew right into the arms of Geist, who made the first of her three saves on the evening.
Nine minutes later, Tayler Estrada tested the Beaver goalkeeper with a strike from outside the OSU penalty area. Once again though, Geist was well positioned as she was able to gobble up Estrada’s try.
KU’s All-Big 12 midfielder, Liana Salazar saw her best look of the night come in the 64th minute, when she belted in a right-footed strike off a free kick from 25 yards out. This attempt was no different however, with Geist able to coral the ball and put an end to another prime Kansas opportunity.
Toward the end of regulation the Kansas offense built up some momentum over the final three minutes of the second half, culminating in a Hanna Kallmaier attempt from 18 yards. Kallmaier’s bid for her first-career goal was unsuccessful as the ball sailed a foot over the cross bar. The final horn of regulation sounded 40 seconds later, and send the Jayhawks it their second overtime in as many games.
The overtime was short-lived, however, when Oregon State brought a swift end to the match on their first attack of the extra period. OSU freshman Allison Pantuso worked her way into the KU box for a short-range shot that was deflected away by the KU keeper, Lauren Breshears. However, the loose ball went right to the feet of Beaver defender Allison Pantuso who kicked in the rebound and the game-winner, just 78 seconds into the overtime.
The Jayhawks ended the match outshooting the Beavers by a tally of 11-9. Kallmaier led the squad with a game-high three shots.
Breshears saw her first minutes between the posts for the Jayhawks, entering for the injured Maddie Dobyns three minutes into the second half. Breshears tallied one save but was settled with the loss after allowing the game-winner in overtime.
The Jayhawks will once again hit the road for a pair of away contests next weekend. On Friday, Sept. 11 Kansas will take on the Wyoming Cowgirls Laramie, Wyo. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. (CT). Two days later, Kansas will go up against the Colorado College Tigers in Colorado Springs in a 12 p.m. match.
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