Freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Williams had four saves for OC against USAO, posting a shutout in her first collegiate game.
EDMOND, Okla. (Sept. 6, 2012) – It probably wasn't the prettiest goal Mackenzii Bieke has ever scored, but it's likely the most memorable.
After all, it's not every day someone scores the game-winning goal in her first collegiate soccer game, but that's what the freshman forward from Little Elm, Texas, did, delivering a carom off the left post during the second half that lifted OC to a 1-0 win over USAO on Thursday night in the season opener at Edmond Soccer Club.
USAO, which qualified for the NAIA national tournament last year, fell to 0-4. The Drovers proved unable to crack OC's back line and had few quality scoring opportunities. If it wasn't Katie Wertz clearing balls out of danger, it was Somer Helms, or Addie Ryan, or Hanna Jackson or Laura Welch or any number of OC defenders.
OC's freshman goalkeeper, Lindsey Williams, made four saves, stifling USAO when the Drovers did break through for a shot.
"That's a key," Robison said of the watertight defense. "If we ask our goalkeepers to make save after save after save, then they'll struggle. But if we only call on our keepers five or six times a game, we're going to fare much better than we have recently.
"It was a good team defense. That's what we've stressed with them. Don't be a helpless defender. Don't feel like you can solve it all. Team defense is what we've preached since day one and it's what we'll succeed with or it's what we'll at least give our best effort to do."
OC outshot USAO 13-12 and the match was every bit as close as those numbers might indicate. The Drovers controlled the action for much of the first half, although OC had the best scoring chance. Carley Cave got a one-on-one opportunity against USAO goalkeeper Brooke Worcester – a field player pressed into duty due to an injury to the Drovers' usual starter – but Worcester stopped Cave's strong shot from about 12 yards.
After Robison challenged the Lady Eagles at halftime to play with more urgency, they seized control of the match. In the first five minutes of the half, Worcester fisted a shot by Maicee Brinkman over the crossbar and Ryan sent a header off a corner kick just high.
In the 74th minute, Callie White delivered a pass to Bieke, who took a couple of touches before firing right-to-left from out 15 yards out. The ball banged off the post and took an OC bounce into the net.
"That's the kind of goal we expect to get out of the way these girls are playing," Robison said. "That specific goal may have been a bit against the run of play, but that's the type of goal we expect to see. The biggest thing that made that was the character the girls showed. They answered the challenge of getting outworked in the first half. That is huge. Going forward, that's something we can build on."
USAO pushed forward in the final 15 minutes looking for the equalizer, but couldn't find it. The Drovers' best chance came when Ryah Vyse pushed a shot from about 10 yards high with about 1:20 left in the match.
Worcester finished with four saves for USAO.
