TULSA, Okla. – Though they fell 3-2 on the night, Oklahoma Baptist women's soccer proved they weren't outmatched by Division I Tulsa on Tuesday night at Hurricane Stadium, only falling on a late, long-range effort.
Tori Kitchel chose a great time to open her 2019 scoring account, tallying two goals on either end of halftime to keep the Bison in it. Her first goal came off a solo effort in the 33rd minute to make it 1-1, while her second came off a cross from
Ruth King to make it 2-2.
After a shaky start that saw the Bison trailing after just 42 ticks of the clock, wrestled control away from their higher-division host. The front line of King, Kitchel, and
Hannah White unsettled Tulsa's passing in the Golden Hurricane's defensive third and allowed the Bison several opportunities, eventually resulting in Kitchel's first strike.
Though regained the lead 64th minute, the high press by the Bison paid off again just minutes later when King nicked the ball off the feet of a Hurricane defender and whipped in a cross from the right wing. Kitchel made the most of her back-post run, nodding the ball home in the 68th minute to again draw the Bison level. Unfortunately for the Bison, a long-range effort by Tulsa worked its way past
Emily Griffith in the 78th minute to set the final scoreline in favor of the hosts.
Griffith ended her night with five saves, including a beautiful save on a shot that seemed destined for the top left corner.
Oklahoma Baptist is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 21 when they put the finishing touches on their nonconference schedule with a 3:30 p.m. meeting against West Texas A&M at the OBU Soccer Complex.
