Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 29, 2016) – During a critical week of their season, the Oklahoma Christian Lady Eagles now are a perfect 2-for-2.
OC posted perhaps its most dominant performance of the campaign so far on Thursday at the Eagle Soccer Field, controlling the action all the way and picking up goals from
Michell Fuentes,
Rubi Villegas Aguilar and
Kylee Ingalls en route to a 3-0 win over Rogers State.
OC (4-6, 2-4 Heartland Conference) has won consecutive games for the first time in 2016 and, more importantly, beat a Rogers State team that figures to battle OC for one of four spots in the Heartland's postseason tournament.
"That was definitely a win we needed to have, if we're going to do the things that we've talked about," OC coach
Randall Robison said. "I'm really happy with the girls. They did really well. I think 11 different girls had shots tonight, which is a lot different than what we did last year and it's something we've worked on a lot. It's good to see some of the things that we've really focused on kind of come to fruition."
Defensively, the Lady Eagles limited Rogers State (4-4-1, 1-4-1) to only seven shots, and few if any were dangerous, as OC goalkeeper
Carina Schanz needed to make but three saves during her 78 minutes in goal. Freshman
Addison Milner played the rest of the way in relief of Schanz and faced only two shots, neither of them on goal. They combined on the team's second shutout of the season.
Meanwhile, OC scored three goals and could have had as many as six if not for Rogers State goalkeeper Taylor Stover, who made nine saves, a couple of the spectacular variety.
All that said, the game started painfully slow on both sides, as neither the Hillcats nor OC managed a shot during the first 16 minutes of the game. The first shot ended up being the first goal, as Fuentes headed in a corner kick by
Lauren Parker in the 17th minute to put OC ahead.
"That was definitely the catalyst to get everyone going," Robison said.
Villegas Aguilar, considered one of the Heartland's most dynamic players, showed in the 38th minute why she's earned that respect. She drove about 40 yards downfield, juked Rogers State defender Jasmine Guerra in the penalty box, then fired a laser from about eight yards out into the net, past a defenseless Stover, for her fourth goal of the season.
Ingalls' goal, in the 64th minute, came from distance, on a volley from about 30 yards out into the upper left corner of the net.
Darrian Palacios narrowly missed making it 4-0 in the 78th minute, but her shot glanced off the right post. OC finished the game with 20 shots, 12 of those on goal.
OC will look to make it three straight wins on Saturday, when it will host Newman (Kan.) at noon in another key conference game.
"The teams get tougher and tougher as we keep going," Robison said. "It's good timing for us to be playing this well and hopefully we can just continue that on as we go.
"What we've stressed with the girls is playing well is great and getting wins, obviously, is great, but we've got to make sure we beat the teams that we're competing against. Newman is definitely one of those."
Randall Robison discusses the win:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1OZZ4i51ko&feature=youtu.be