With only one game left on their five away game streak, Washburn ended the Oct. 23-25 weekend with two tied, 1-1 games that ended in double overtime.

On Oct. 23, Washburn played against Fort Hays State. Paige Swanson scored ten minutes into the game with an assist from Emily Stauffer, which would have won Washburn the game if Fort Hays State hadn’t scored three minutes before the end of the second half. The game ended without either team scoring a winning goal.

“While we scored early and held them for most of the game, they are a good enough team to find a way to score and they did,” said Chris Jones, coach of the Washburn’s women’s soccer team. “Unfortunately, it was close to the end of the game. In overtime, both teams had a chance to win it, so I think a tie is a fair result.”

On Oct. 25, Washburn played Nebraska-Kearney to another 1-1 tie in double overtime. Earlier in the season, Washburn played against UNK and won 3-1. But this time, UNK scored an almost golden goal in the first minute of the second half. While Washburn managed to tie the game 15 minutes later thanks to Stauffer (assisted by Swanson) the game ended at that even after having the necessary overtimes.

“The Kearney game was dictated by the fouling and was hard to gain a rhythm and momentum,” Jones said, referring to the numerous fouls that were directed at Washburn players, including a yellow card given to the coach himself.

“The difference between the first [UNK game] and this time was our attitude towards the game. The passion wasn’t always there, and our play wasn’t up to our standard,” Jones said.

“The only difference I want to see is to have the passion and desire to go out and show everyone that we can do this.”

With two more ties, Washburn’s total season record is 4-7-5, with their MIAA conference score being 3-4-2, placing them in a tie for eighth place. Only the top eight teams will go on to the tournament.

“We may have tied a lot this year, but it has kept us in the hunt for a conference spot and that is encouraging for everyone,” Jones said.

This weekend, Washburn will play at Emporia State University on Friday, Oct. 30, whom they lost to 0-3 early in the season. Then, on Nov. 1, Washburn will be back at home against Fort Hays State, whom they had just played to a 1-1 tie on Oct. 23. While the time difference is there for the Emporia game, Washburn will have to pull it together to turn these follow up games into wins.

“We have to win,” Jones said. “That is the only thing that needs to happen to get us a spot in the MIAA Tournament. The good thing is we control our own destiny. We only have to rely on ourselves and get the job done.”