 "Photo: Shaun Stewart")
A different kind of football will be played when Red River rivals kick off this weekend.
The Texas women's soccer team hosts Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for a set of Big 12 matches. The Longhorns are coming off a pair of overtime sessions against Texas Tech and Baylor last week. After defeating Tech in double overtime, Baylor netted a goal early in the first overtime to split the weekend series. Texas stands with a 5-4 overall record and a 1-2 conference mark. The Longhorns have slipped outside the top 25 polls for the first time this year.
Texas head coach Chris Petrucelli hopes his team can use the results from last week to prepare for this weekend. He wants to see continued pressure on offense, while preventing the opposition to shift momentum with big plays.
"The first goal was the biggest turning factor [against Baylor]," Petrucelli said. "We had them on their heels but let them right back in it."
An area where Texas could use improvement is corner kicks. The Longhorns rank second in the Big 12 with 59 corners but have only converted one directly into a goal.
On the other side, some of the biggest plays against the Longhorns have come from corner kicks. Baylor and Texas A&M both scored on crucial corners to swing the match in their favor.
Scoring has been up and down this year, but the magic number for the Longhorns has been three. In each of its five wins, Texas has scored at least three goals. The only time the Longhorns did not score three goals at home was against Clemson in the Longhorns' season opener. Since the loss to the Tigers, the Longhorns have reeled off four straight home wins, scoring a total of 18 goals, while allowing only three.
Senior Kelly Wilson leads Texas' attack. The Odessa-native ranks second in the Big 12 standings with 20 points - six goals and seven assists. Wilson is one of 11 different players to score for the Longhorns so far this year.
The match tonight features Texas and Oklahoma. Although the Sooners (4-2-3, 0-1) defeated the Longhorns in Norman last season, they might be at a disadvantage this time around. Last week against Missouri, Oklahoma junior forward Lauren MacIver tore her ACL and will miss the rest of the year. Before her injury, MacIver led the Big 12 in shots taken (38) and was tied for second in team points (5).
"In football terms, we have lost our starting quarterback and now we have some adjustments to make," Oklahoma head coach Randy Evans said.
Oklahoma State has yet to play a top 25 team this year but remains unbeaten at 9-0-1. The Cowgirls' potent offense leads the conference in goals, assists and points, averaging nearly one more goal per game than the second place Longhorns.
Until last season, Texas had won each of the six previous meetings. Oklahoma State got revenge in 2003 by defeating the Longhorns twice. Texas fired a combined 37 shots to State's 21 in the two matches but the Cowgirls scored four times, beating Texas during the regular season and again in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
The Longhorns square off against Oklahoma tonight at 7 p.m. Oklahoma State will be in town Sunday at 1 p.m.
SOCCER
Texas vs. Oklahoma WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m. WHERE: Mike A. Myers Stadium
INTERNET: www.texassports.com
Texas vs. Oklahoma State WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m. WHERE: Mike A. Myers Stadium
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