BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU got an early goal from redshirt senior Sarah Gorham and turned in one of its best defensive performances of the season on Friday evening to earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw against No. 24 North Texas at the WKU Soccer Complex.
WKU (4-7-3, 2-4-1 C-USA) earned a historic point with the draw, picking up a positive result against a ranked opponent for the second time in program history and first since a 1-1 draw against then-No. 17 Cal Poly on Sept. 16, 2005. The draw was also the first point that the Lady Toppers have earned against perennial frontrunner North Texas since joining C-USA prior to the 2014 season.
Gorham's 15th-minute goal was enough for the draw and was the first score that North Texas had surrendered in 534 minutes of play. Megan Morris and Ambere Barnett, the reigning C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, picked up assists on the goal; Barnett also tied for the lead among all players with six shots on the night.
Bailee Witt came up with three key first-half saves for the Lady Toppers while playing the full 110 minutes between the posts.
North Texas (9-1-2, 4-0-1 C-USA) had its seven-match winning streak snapped with the result. Aaliyah Nolan led the Mean Green with six shots and paired with Carissa Sanders for the assists on Berklee Peters' equalizer in the 78th minute. Kelsey Brann played the full match in goal for the Mean Green, making seven saves and allowing only Gorham's strike.
Both sides came out firing in the first 10 minutes of the match as both goalkeepers were tested early. In the fifth minute, Ashley Leonard pulled up from outside the box and sent a curling chance toward the far post, but Brann was able to get under the ball for the stop. Less than one minute later, Nolan tested Witt on a long try as well with the freshman getting the best of the Mean Green forward with the save.
Much like both matches last weekend, WKU found the early breakthrough at the 14:24 mark to take a 1-0 lead. Morris played the ball up from the back line to Barnett, who slotted a low pass through to Gorham. The redshirt senior slipped in behind the North Texas back line off her run and created a one-on-one opportunity against the goalkeeper, which she converted for her fifth goal of the season and the early advantage.
Nicole Roseland challenged Brann directly off a pair of free kicks later in the half, getting good strength behind the shots but being too far out to find the back of the net. WKU also weathered four Mean Green corner kicks over a 15-minute span midway through the frame, with the defense stepping up to clear out the dangerous attacks each time.
In the closing minutes of the half, Witt came up with a big save on a point-blank chance by Maci Schoonover to send the Lady Toppers into the halftime break with their 1-0 lead intact.
WKU came out of the locker room with a flurry of five shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half but was unable to put any of the chances on goal as the North Texas defense buckled down. The Lady Toppers also cleared out a pair of early corner kicks by the Mean Green in the second minute of the frame to maintain their lead.
Chandler Backes had WKU's best chance at the match-winner at the 69:07 mark. Despite coming from a tight angle on the left side, the junior launched a shot from seven yards out that forced Brann into a diving save to parry away the shot.
North Texas equalized after a scrum inside the box on a corner kick in the 78th minute. Nolan lined up the set piece for the Mean Green and played it into the box; with a group of players from both sides around the ball, Peters was able to get a foot on it and send it into the lower left corner to make it 1-1 with 12 minutes remaining in regulation, and neither side was able to find the match-winner over that span.
In extra time, the best chances for both teams came in the final two minutes. Barnett fired a long shot that curled into the arms of Brann, while Peters sent the would-be match-winner for North Texas well over the crossbar with seconds remaining to close out the 1-1 draw.
WKU will round out its four-match homestand on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. as the Lady Toppers welcome 2017 C-USA regular season champion Rice to the WKU Soccer Complex. On Sunday, WKU Soccer will be accepting donations for the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers and to raise awareness through their Adopt-A-Child, Safe on the Sidelines and Guardian Angel Programs. Donations will be accepted both at the match as well as online at the Friends of Jaclyn donation page.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
