Texas Tech Returns Home for Start of Three-Game Homestand vs. Weber State
LUBBOCK, Texas – After a quick road trip to now nationally-ranked Utah State, Texas Tech Soccer returns home for the start of a three-match homestand on Thursday, when the Red Raiders welcome Weber State for a 7 p.m. contest.
The three-match home swing for the Red Raiders will be crucial as the matches against Weber State (Thursday), Oral Roberts (Sunday) and Oregon (Sept. 5) will close out the Red Raiders non-conference schedule.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (2-2) vs. Weber State (0-2-2)
DATE: August 28, 2024
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (John Walker Soccer Complex)
TIME: 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
Despite a 15-12 lead in shots and the return of All-American Macy Blackburn, Texas Tech Soccer fell 2-0 to RV Utah State, Sunday afternoon at Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field.
In her first game action in over 320 days, Blackburn tallied 33 minutes of action Sunday for Texas Tech (2-2), tallying one of the Red Raiders six shots on goal.
After a slow start that featured just one corner attempt and six total shots, the Red Raiders got the better of the action in the second half, outshooting Utah State (3-0), 9-4 in the final half. The Red Raiders also took four of the five corners in the final 45 minutes of play.
Following a pair of easy saves from goalie Faith Nguyen, Utah State struck first in the 15th minute, when an Austin Miller shot deflected off a Red Raider defender and redirected a second time off a diving Nguyen into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Up a goal, Utah State quickly tallied it second, when a bad clearance fell to USU striker Tess Werts who ripped a rocket past Nguyen.
After the break, the Red Raiders had multiple good chances to find the back of the net, including a free kick from just outside the 18, but Utah State’s Shay Kercher-Pratt made six saves to earn her third straight clean sheet.
In addition to Blackburn’s return, the Red Raiders also saw goalkeeper Sidney O’billovich see her first action as a Red Raider. O’billovich subbed in, midway through the 72nd minute after Nguyen was shaken up. The Portland State transfer made one save.
QUICK KICKS:
The Red Raiders return to the John Walker Soccer Complex on Thursday night for the start of a three-match homestand beginning the contest against Weber State.
Following Thursday’s contest with the Wildcats, the Red Raiders will continue the three-game homestand on Sunday afternoon when Oral Roberts pays a visit to The Walker. A week from Thursday, the Red Raiders will close non-conference play against the University of Oregon.
The Walker continues to be a massive advantage for the Red Raiders, as Tech will enter the match against Weber State having won 15 straight non-conference regular season home matches. That streak for Tech spans over two full seasons and dates back to an Aug. 25 1-1 draw against New Mexico. The Red Raiders are also 15-0-1 in the last 16 home regular season non-conference matches, as the last non-conference home loss for the Red Raiders came to Arizona back on Aug. 21 of 2022.
Texas Tech has outscored opponents 39-3 at the John Walker Soccer Complex (15 matches) over the last two seasons. That streak features 12 clean sheets, as the Red Raiders have not allowed more than one goal at home since Sept. 25, 2022 when Texas scored twice.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders continue the three match homestand on Sunday afternoon when they welcome Oral Roberts. First touch from Walker is set for 1 p.m.
Release Provided By Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics