Kansas State ended its two-game road trip in Fort Worth, Texas against Texas Christian University on Sunday.
On Friday, the Wildcats dropped their first Big 12 match of 2017 to Texas Tech by a score of 1-3. Looking to rebound, K-State faced TCU yesterday. The result did not go in their favor, as the low-scoring affair resulted in an 0-1 Wildcat loss.
To make matters worse, the lone goal for TCU came as an own-goal. In the 76th minute, a K-State defender headed the ball into the team’s own net, gifting the Horned Frogs the match-winning point.
The match was highlighted by defense. The Wildcat’s senior goalkeeper Miranda Larkin registered four saves in the match. Larkin was successful in thwarting all of TCU’s goal attempts and it turned out to be her own team that spoiled her perfect day.
On offense, the Wildcats did not get many shots. They only looked to score three times – twice in the first half and just once in the second. The defense of the Horned Frogs stood tall in shutting out K-State. Defenders have allowed just seven goals on 79 shot attempts this season, and it was also the squad’s fifth shutout.
There was a stark difference between K-State and TCU’s offense. The Frogs shot 15 times over the course of the match. Despite that, they could not get past brick wall that Miranda Larkin put up in front of the Wildcat goal. Their aggressiveness paid off as it resulted in K-State scoring in their own goal to give TCU their third win in a row.
K-State’s three shots and zero shots on-goal set new team lows. It was the first time that the Cats failed to get a shot on-goal, the next lowest mark being just 1 shot against Oregon State earlier in the season.
With the win, TCU elevated its record to 8-3 (2-0) and now sits at second in the Big 12. Their next matchup will come on Friday as they host the Oklahoma State University Cowboys. OSU is third in the conference behind TCU, with a record of 8-1-2 (1-0).
After suffering its second loss in a row, K-State sits at 5-4-1 (0-2). They will have time to recover and prepare, as their next game is not until Friday when the Mountaineers of West Virginia come to Manhattan. West Virginia, 8-3 (1-1), is also coming off a tough 0-1 loss, at the hands of the Texas Longhorns.
