A win on the road is fantastic, but a draw isn’t bad, either. The Arizona Wildcats secured their second straight draw of the Big 12 soccer season in a 1-1 game at Kansas State.
The match was not without some controversy. On three different occasions, it appeared that an Arizona defender had committed a hand ball in the box. None of them were called.
Kansas State used both of its challenges on the first two. The official took a look and determined that they didn’t meet the qualifications for penalty
kicks. Whether the third one did is immaterial since the home team had used its challenges by then.
Perhaps it’s a matter of things evening out in the long run. Arizona gave up two penalty kicks in their match against North Carolina early in the season. Head coach Becca Moros called both calls “soft.” The Wildcats saved the first one, but the second one essentially decided the match in the Tar Heels’ 2-1 victory.
Both sets of Wildcats had to overcome more than the opponents. They played in increasingly more difficult conditions. The first half of the match was played on a wet field in considerable wind. The second half was played in driving rain.
Beginning late in the first half, Arizona became more aggressive than is typical. It had a number of chances down the stretch of the first half, although it couldn’t get anything to go.
What is more typical for UA is giving up goals early in periods. That struck again in the 55’.
Just minutes after defender Aranda Hurge picked up her keeper with a fantastic block on the goal line, KSU broke through with a long shot by Gabby DeMers that rocketed past a diving Laurynn Ziller into the bottom left corner.
The 1-0 lead didn’t last long. In the 58th minute, Lainey Swanson sent a looping pass perfectly to the feet of Ally Brown in front of the goal, threading it through defenders. Brown calmly knocked it in for the second goal of her career. It was a perfect connection between two players who played for the same high school and were teammates at TCU before transferring to Arizona in the offseason.
The assist made Swanson Arizona’s leader in both assists and points. Swanson and Brown are tied with three others for the team high in goals scored with two each.
Arizona was outshot 20-10. Kansas State put nine of its 20 shots on goal while Arizona had three shots on goal. The purple Wildcats had six corners. The cardinal and navy Wildcats had four.
The draw improves Arizona’s record to 3-4-3 overall and 0-0-2 in Big 12 play. Kansas State is now 5-1-4 overall and 0-1-1 in conference.
UA will stay and practice in Manhattan tomorrow. On Saturday, they will take a bus to Lawrence to prepare for their Sunday match against the Kansas Jayhawks. KU defeated Arizona State 2-0 on Thursday.
Up Next for Arizona Soccer
Arizona Wildcats (3-4-3, 0-0-2) @ Kansas Jayhawks (7-2-1, 1-0-1)
When: Sunday, Sept. 27 @ 11 a.m. MST
Where: Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan.
Streaming: ESPN+
Stats: Arizona Live Stats
