Texas Tech tops KU 1-0, wins Big 12 women’s soccer tournament
Behind a balance of solid senior leadership and impressive freshman play, Texas Tech won its first Big 12 women’s soccer tournament title in school history with a 1-0 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks at Swope Soccer Village.
Both teams battled hard but were scoreless until Texas Tech broke through finally in the 85th minute when freshman Gwennie Puente put home a goal after an assist from Jordan Duke.
“I just hit that as hard as I could and kept it away from the keeper,” Puente said of the goal. “It was great pass by Jordan, so I needed to capitalize on that opportunity we got.”
Texas Tech came into the tournament a No. 5 seed and held off two difficult opponents in Oklahoma and West Virginia, the No. 2 ranked team in the country.
Head coach Tom Stone was proud of his team’s effort to fight back in all challenges this weekend in Kansas City.
“I can’t just help but be so excited for these young girls who are here wanting to win trophies,” Stone said. “They want to win the hardware.”
The Jayhawks came out the early aggressor. Coming into the the tournament the No. 6 seed, Kansas already knocked off Texas and Baylor to get to the first soccer final in school history.
In the 28th minute, Liana Salazar of Kansas drew a penalty kick. Salazar lined up the fantastic chance at putting the Jayhawks ahead, but she was stonewalled by Lauren Watson on the kick, giving some spirit to the Texas Tech defense.
Despite not making the most of the opportunity, the Jayhawks kept attacking with Salazar and the rest of the forwards. In the first half, KU outshot Texas Tech 11-6. The Jayhawks tried to get a few more chances to go in the second, but could not convert anything.
“I felt bad for the kids. I felt like we did more than enough to win it, but we didn’t finish our opportunities,” KU coach Mark Francis said. “Give Tech credit, they switched at halftime because it wasn’t working for them.”
Watson, who was named the defensive player of the tournament, provided the team with three key saves. As a senior, she knew how important it was to keep a level head in this situation.
“It got frustrating at times but I just had to calm it down and keep my back line organized,” Watson said.
Texas Tech continued to defend well and counter for their opportunities with Janine Beckie and the rest of the attackers. Beckie was named the offensive player of the tournament.
The Red Raiders are 13-3-5 going into the NCAA Tournament.
“We’ve had some great soccer this whole tournament, so I think if we play the way we play, nobody can beat us in the country,” Watson said. “It gives us a lot of confidence the rest of the postseason.”
KU finishes the regular season 10-9-2.
▪ Brian O’Neal scored in the 71st minute from just outside the 18-yard box as Rockhurst University won the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship in men’s soccer Sunday with a 1-0 over Quincy University at Rockhurst’s Bourke Field.
▪ The Central Missouri women’s team won its second straight MIAA tournament with a 1-0 overtime win against Northeastern State in Warrensburg.
This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Texas Tech tops KU 1-0, wins Big 12 women’s soccer tournament."