STILLWATER, Okla. – The Lamar University soccer team battled a nationally ranked Oklahoma State squad to a scoreless tie through the first 53 minutes of action before the Cowgirls scored two goals in four minutes to take the lead. The Cardinals were unable to rally falling 4-0 Friday evening at the Neal Patterson Stadium.
 
"Oklahoma State is nationally ranked for a reason," said LU head coach Steve Holeman. "This is a very talented team, and we knew this was going to be a tough challenge. We hung with them for the first half of the game, and I'm very proud of how we fought.
 
"Haley Woodard is an All-American. She is one of the top players in the nation and brings a lot of speed to the field. I think it was a little deflating after we gave up that first goal, but we never stopped fighting tonight," added Holeman.
 
LU's offense was never able to find its rhythm Friday ending recording eight shots, and just four on goal, while the Cowgirls recorded nine shots on goal.
 
The scoreless tie was ended in the 54^th minute when the Cowgirls Haley Woodard scored a goal from 10 yards out on a pass from Marlo Zoller. Seizing the momentum, OSU was back on the attack four minutes later when Woodard got open for her second goal of the season. The Cowgirls tacked on a third goal four minutes later to take a 3-0 lead.
 
Following a Jaci Jones' goal the game transitioned back into a defensive struggle before the home team tacked on one more goal in the game's final seconds.
 
"We schedule these games for a reason," said Holeman. "We are building for the Southland Conference portion of the schedule. We will learn from this game, and it will make us a better team. Having said that, we have great senior leadership, and we will put this one behind us and get ready for Tulsa Sunday."
 
The Cardinals will look to get back in the win column Sunday when they travel to Tulsa, Okla., to take on Oral Roberts. The game against ORU will begin at 1 p.m.