Thursday night’s match was one of discrepancies.
The Cowgirls entered the day unbeaten in eight consecutive matches, including all four conference matches. However, 90 minutes of action later, that streak came to an end as Oklahoma State (9-2-3, 2-1-2) fell to No. 10 TCU (9-2-4, 4-0-2) at Neal Patterson Stadium.
Here are three takeaways from OSU’s 3-0 loss to the Horned Frogs.
Purifoy Held Strong:
Prior to the match, news broke that star freshman goalkeeper Jordy Nytes would be out due to an undisclosed injury.
Sophomore goalie Ary Purifoy recorded her first collegiate start at the position. While the stat sheet may raise some eyebrows, Purifoy held her ground. The Horned Frogs recorded 16 shots, while converting just three times. Two of those goals were scored on penalty kicks, while another was amid a scramble in the box.
While losing a force in the goal like Nytes will take its toll, and the extent of her injury along with the time of absence is unknown, Purifoy’s performance on Thursday night caught the eyes of many—including OSU head coach Colin Carmichael.
“They did have chances to score but when you break it down none of it came easy,” Carmichael said. “But you can’t blame Ary for any of those goals.”
A Matter of Time:
Heading into the match, Carmichael placed emphasis on TCU’s ability to control the time of possession battle.
On Thursday, the Horned Frogs executed what they did best, maintaining possession 76% of the time and not allowing the Cowgirls to record a shot until minute No. 43 of the match.
While the OSU defensive backline put on a quality performance, the lack of attempts on goal made it difficult for the Cowgirls to answer two penalty kicks for goals by TCU and a well-placed ball into the back of the net on a scramble in the box by All-American forward Messiah Bright.
Cold Cowgirls:
After a hot stretch down the latter portion of nonconference play, OSU’s offense has gone cold.
Over the past three matches, the Cowgirls have recorded just two goals, including Thursday night’s shutout loss at home to the Horned Frogs. And as the Cowgirls approach the final stretch of Big 12 play, the defensive competition does not ease up in the slightest.
West Virginia and No. 22 Texas, both of which rank top three in the conference and top 30 nationally in defensive production, lie ahead. While Carmichael frequently expressed his opinion regarding how the game of soccer is one of ebbs and flows—the timing of the cold streak is not ideal for OSU in terms of any shot at a Big 12 title.