OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Nov. 11, 2008) – Oklahoma Christian University's season ended in the Sooner Athletic Conference semifinals with a 2-0 loss at Oklahoma City University Tuesday.
The loss broke a four-game winning streak for the Lady Eagles (11-8-1), which included a 2-1 win over Rogers State (Okla.) in the conference quarterfinals.
"It's a testament to the girls that they were able to fix a couple of issues we had and play better at the end of the season," OC head coach Randall Robison said. "Tonight wasn't our best game or our biggest effort, but the fact that we battled was a good thing."
OC senior goalkeeper Lisa Jorgensen, playing in her final game, made a diving save of a Erika Garbrecht shot 12 minutes into the contest, but OCU scored off another diving stop three minutes later. Jorgensen blocked a Sarah Leonard shot, but Malin Andersson controlled the deflection and found the back of the net for a 1-0 Stars lead.
Oklahoma Christian had two chances to tie before halftime, but Hope Heinan and Stephanie Duncan sent a pair of shots wide.
Neither team threatened in the first 25 minutes of the second half, but an Alex Miley run pulled Jorgensen out of goal, leaving an empty net for a Leonard score and a 2-0 OCU advantage.
OCU goalkeeper Brittany Tubbs saved two Duncan shots down the stretch to secure a spot in the SAC championship game for the top-seeded Stars (15-4-1).
Despite the setback, Oklahoma Christian won a playoff game for the seventh straight year and will return every player except Jorgensen as they shoot for their fourth national tournament appearance of the decade next season.
"We feel really good about next year," Robison said. "We return so many players off of a good team and we've been able to do some strategic recruiting. There's been a ton of interest and we've signed four players already."
Jorgensen graduates with 359 saves and a 1.29 goals-against average in her career. She earned all-conference and all-region honors after OC's undefeated conference championship season in 2006.
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