Pacing through pressure: Houston soccer shows grit in win over Oklahoma State

After 90 minutes of intense, physical action, Houston pulled off a hard-fought 1-0 win over Oklahoma State on Sunday.

“Sunday games are really hard, especially when you have a double game in the Big 12,” coach Ben Williams said. “You got to be on your game and I thought we were excellent.”

After beating Iowa State on Thursday, the Cougars had the chance of winning three conference games in a row for the first time since 2021, and open conference play with three straight wins since 2010.

Houston took a while to break the deadlock. Despite having five shots before the 40th minute, the Cougars couldn’t convert their chances, including a notable one in the 16th minute when sophomore forward Bailey Cate beat the Cowgirls’ fifth-year goalkeeper Avery Bass on the near post, but put her shot wide and inches away from goal.

Houston eventually struck first with less than five minutes to go in the first half, when fifth-year midfielder Peyton Machado whipped in a cross into the box that junior forward Skylar Miller connected on with a diving header, and launched into the back of the net for her sixth goal of the season.

“Overwhelmed with joy for my teammates, for my coaches and the opportunity to just be able to get out there and play with them,” Miller said. “Obviously being able to put it away, it felt really good.”

The second half of the game was a different story, as it started to become chippy and more physical than usual. The Cougars ended the game with eight fouls committed and received two yellow cards, while Oklahoma State committed 15 fouls with only one yellow given.

“When you play Oklahoma State, they want kind of a chaos game to open you up and play,” Williams said. “We just have to be calm through and more of a soccer-playing team. At times, we got dragged into it.”

But Houston showed resilience and stuck to its game plan, and did not get dragged into the chaos for the majority of the game.

“At the end of the day, some of the games are all about who wants it more,” Miller said. “Ben is always reminding us to not feed into the chaos. Just focusing on our principles and how we’re trying to play.”

Despite the Cowgirls ramping up the pressure in the second period, finishing the game with seven shots and four corners, the Cougars’ discipline won them the day.

Houston finished with 11 shots (four on target) and six corners.

The Cougars will look to end their three-game homestand on a high note on Friday, Oct. 2, when they take on No. 10 West Virginia at 7 p.m.