Huskers Lose to Longhorns 2-1 in Overtime

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln ? Nebraska dropped a hard-fought contest, 2-1, in overtime to No. 3 Texas in Austin on Sunday. Playing their third consecutive Sunday game against a top-16 team, the Huskers fell to 1-3-0 in the Big 12 Conference and 4-5-3 overall. With the win, Texas improved to 1-1-1 and 9-1-2 overall, while pushing its unbeaten streak to eight consecutive games.

Both teams played a solid game defensively and NU's backline put it in position to become just the second road team to leave Austin with a win or tie in the Longhorns' last 12 home matches. Texas leads the Big 12 in shots, but NU’s backline allowed the Longhorns just 17 shots on the day and only four corners. The Huskers recorded six shots, including three on goal.

 

After being shutout in its previous two games, Nebraska came out with renewed enthusiasm, nearly connecting on several early scoring chances. Temperatures in the low 90’s in Austin slowed both teams down until UT forward Alisha Ortiz scored in the 36th minute. Ortiz beat an NU defender one-on-one with a nice move and put a left-footed shot past NU goalkeeper Jessica Mills.

 

The second half was a repeat of the first as the Huskers came out firing again. This time they connected, though, as sophomore forward Shay Powell collected a cross from sophomore forward Brittney Lanier and found the back of the net. The goal was Powell’s third of the season.

 

Texas stepped up its intensity in the closing minutes as it created several scoring chances, forcing Mills to make two saves and putting a shot off the post. The Longhorns continued that momentum into the overtime period as they scored just 41 seconds in. UT’s Stephanie Logterman dribbled into the six-yard box and shot, but Mills made another save. Mills could not control the rebound and UT’s Courtney Gaines connected with a shot over the sprawled Mills to end the game.

 

Mills collected seven saves on the day, while UT’s Dianna Pfenninger had two.

 

The Huskers make the trip back to the Lonestar state next weekend as they face LamarUniversity at 5 p.m. Friday and Texas Tech at noon on Sunday.