Despite dominating possession for most of the match, the Jays were unable to execute and could not find the net, which gave Oral Roberts the chance to put them away in overtime.
Creighton outshot ORU 9-1 in the first period and controlled possession. They created pressure, especially off of corners, but were unable to take advantage of opportunities and could not score.
In the 20th minute, freshman forward Jill Richgels placed the ball in front of the net, but no Creighton player was able to connect on the header. In the 32nd minute, freshman forward Alyssa Jara, who moved through the defense all day, blew past her defender and took a shot, but Oral Roberts goalkeeper Helen Erb made a diving stop.
In the 31st minute, freshman midfielder Kaelyn Korte headed a pass from sophomore midfielder Angela Benson near the net, but Erb made the save once again. Creighton came up empty for the rest of the period.
In the second period, Oral Roberts pressured Creighton a little more, but the Jays played stout defense and still controlled possession. Oral Roberts did not create a shot on goal until the final five minutes of regulation, when senior keeper Katie Jo Swanson made two saves.
Once again, Creighton created some good scoring chances, but could not score. Junior forward Kelsey O’Donnell (who has been battling a planter fasciitis injury but managed to play 40 minutes), Korte and senior forward Brittney Neumann all took promising shots, but none could land.
In overtime, both teams looked tired and neither looked likely to score. However, that was not to be the case.
In the 108th minute, a misplayed inbounds pass led to a two-on-one breakaway for Oral Roberts. ORU freshman midfielder Kayla Keller intercepted the inbounds pass and passed to junior forward Mary-Kate Halsmer who scored the game winning goal past a diving Swanson.
“It was a two-on-one where the defense got out of position. We were better at getting in front of shots this game and our communication has improved, but we let that one goal in,” Swanson said.
Creighton held a 19-10 advantage in shots and a 3-1 edge in corners. Swanson finished with two saves and Erb with seven.
Coach Bruce Erickson felt disappointed by the loss, especially with all the opportunities squandered by the Jays.
“It’s the game of soccer. To come within one play of winning and lose at the very end like that is disappointing,” Erickson said. “We are finding ways to lose right now, and not ways to win. An early goal would have meant the world in that game. It’s disappointing.”
Creighton hopes to turn around its season and learn from its early season missteps in conference play, which starts Saturday at 7 pm against Illinois State University in Morrison Stadium.