The Texas Tech soccer squad will start their Big 12 schedule against the Oklahoma Sooners at the John Walker Soccer Complex on Thursday.
Thursday night is “Scarf Night” at the Walker as the first 1,000 fans will receive a Tech soccer scarf. Additionally, children in eighth grade or under wearing their soccer team kits get free admission.
Beneficial Nonconference Schedule
The Red Raiders went 7-1-1 in nonconference play, and 15th-year head coach Tom Stone said he likes how their nonconference opponents all had a different challenge.
“We really faced a lot of variety that we didn’t quite know that was going to be the case when we set up the schedule,” Stone said, “but we’re certainly thrilled that’s what we encountered because it allowed us to deal with a bunch of different things.
Anderson Wins Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week After EWU Win
Junior defender Hannah Anderson, who has played every minute so far for the Red Raiders, won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career after her performance in the 3-0 shutout of Eastern Washington.
She said that it is not just one player that defends well, but the whole team that creates a good defense.
“The shutout for our team is obviously good for everyone,” Anderson said, “and honestly, I couldn’t have gotten that award without Madison [White] or Cassie [Hiatt] or Kennedy [Chambers] being beside me, so I just want to recognize them for being by me and helping me get that.”
Freshmen Continue to Impact Red Raiders
Multiple freshmen have made an impact on the Red Raiders this season.
Forward Ashleigh Williams scored a hat trick in the win against Eastern Washington on Sunday, and Tech is starting three freshmen that are four-star recruits in midfielder Cassie Taylor and defenders Macy Blackburn and Kennedy Chambers.
Stone said Blackburn, who leads the Big 12 with six assists, is learning to be “more adaptable” as teams start to make a game plan against her, and he said it has been fun watching her figure out how to respond to other teams’ adjustments.
“Seeing her go through that has been enjoyable because she’s just a sponge,” Stone said. “She just wants to learn.”
Senior midfielder Charlotte Teeter said Williams, who is tied for the lead in Tech goals, has made an impact from the time she got to Lubbock.
“She’s just been putting the work in,” Teeter said. “I think, ever since she got to campus, she was challenging each and every one of us. She was challenging upperclassmen on and off the field, which is awesome.”
Oklahoma Up First
Oklahoma and Tech have played to a tie the last three years, even as Oklahoma was a one-win team last season. Stone said the Sooners were better than that and gave every team in the Big 12 a difficult run.
This season, Oklahoma has a 4-5-1 record and is coming off a close 1-0 loss to the then-ranked No. 24 SMU Mustangs in Dallas.
Stone said that the Sooners looked like the better team in some of those losses, and even against SMU, they just lost it at the end like many teams have against the Mustangs this season.
First touch is at 7 p.m. Thursday, and KTXT will broadcast the game on 88.1 FM and the TuneIn app.
Quick Hits
- Texas Tech leads the all-time series against Oklahoma 13-7-4.
- The last non-tie result between the Red Raiders and Sooners was a 3-0 win for Tech in 2017.
- Junior goalkeeper Madison White has played every minute in goal for Tech, with 17 saves, 0.65 goals against average (GAA), and five shutouts.
- Super senior captain Kirsten Davis and freshman Ashleigh Williams lead the team in goals with six.
- Davis is third all-time at Tech in career goals with 37, only behind Kristy Frantz (41) and Janine Beckie (57).
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