In a battle of two of the best in the Big 12, Texas Tech looked like the better team but gave Colorado an opening late to finish a banger of a deep goal for the 1-1 draw. Soccer is both exhilarating and cruel in that way when one team can control a game for the majority of play but still find themselves without the win. In the end Texas Tech didn't let the frustration of that break them, learned a lesson or two, and fought to get an important point as they work towards playing their best soccer. Oh and they still find themselves atop the Big 12 standings with four games remaining - now tied with TCU with a 5-0-2 conference record.
"I think we were our own biggest challenge in the second half," said head coach Tom Stone. "After taking it to them in the first half... and scoring right out of the locker room it was our game to win. You let a good team hang around...feel like the game was ours and we let it slip through our fingers a bit. Credit to Colorado.... but felt like if we had kept the hammer down we would have gotten the three points."
Texas Tech outshot Colorado 23-5 (8-4 on goal) and looked class in possession, displaying some of their best combination play of the season, dancing their way up the field at will for much of the game. There were some really fun flashes of skill on the ball from both underclassmen and veterans in this that showed this teams talent even if it didn't fully show on the scoreboard.
"Millie is tactically superior to most players you recruit, she lives in a soccer culture, she's a soccer nut." Stone noted about his English freshman's play in this one. "So when you tell her the balls into the forwards while they are dropping off are killing them she's like "okay no problem coach" and as soon as we put her in she was just feeding the forwards. We are super happy with Millie, she's not really a freshman to be honest."
The one time the final touch did go their way however it was another work of art. Starting with the build up by the aforementioned Millie Elwood herself, to the pass from Peyton Parsons perfectly timed and curled to Ashleigh Williams in front of goal who was simply stronger than the defenders around her to put this team ahead mere minutes into the second half.
"The old opportunistic Ashleigh. Looks like the keeper was closing her down, maybe the defender was going to get a play on it but Ashleigh finds a way to get it in and that's what she has done her whole career." - Tom Stone
Who Flashed:
👯The centerback duo of Molly Scurcenski and Cassie Taylor both were brilliant once again. Scurcenski in particular showed off her midfielder versatility a number of times running free end to end of the field just carving through the entire Colorado defense.
🥶 Just like Elwood, fellow first year Alana Harry came in late and didn't look like a freshman at all pushing for multiple goal opportunities. Her pass with eight minutes remaining to a streaking Williams was just a hair off from being a highlight reel game-winning assist. The vision and creativity definitely gets you excited about what's to come from her, and this certainly isn't the first time she's shown this already this season. Future is bright.
🫡 Jill Martinez was really active in this one. A key cog in the midst of a number of the teams most dangerous build ups on the night and busted through to break up a few Buffalo passes herself.
🏎️ Macy Blackburn and Elise Anderson were doing whatever they wanted down the flanks offensively much of this game, creating a number of chances in the box that their teammates narrowly missed finishing and just about had a goal themselves a time or two as well.
🐴 Taylor Zdrojewski continues to be a horse up top. Exhibit A being this play, credit the Colorado defender because a lesser player leaves Z one-on-one with the keeper here and more times than not that's a Texas Tech goal to seal the win.
Feels weird to say but in a lot of ways Texas Tech played better in this draw than some of their comfortable wins this season - gotta love soccer eh? In the end though, the game doesn't care and the moment Tech let off the gas even an inch - a talented Colorado took advantage, a valuable lesson learned for a team that has been growing up together on the fly all season.
"Nobody wants to have to learn a tough lesson like this one but there's no question it's got our attention. We had a really good performance, the game was in the bag and we needed to salt it away but let our foot of the gas. We aren't just going to be upset about it. We are going to figure out what changed." - Tom Stone
Four games remaining in conference and everything they want to accomplish is still on the table, what more can you ask for really? Time to dance. Next up Iowa State on Sunday at 1pm in Lubbock. Be there! 🧘♀️
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