LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) – Looking to bounce back after a disappointing 1-1 tie on Thursday night, Texas Tech got a free kick goal from Macy Blackburn and PK goal from Ashleigh Williams to down Iowa State 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

On her senior day, Williams scored for the third consecutive match when she buried a penalty kick to give her Texas Tech (11-2-2, 6-0-2) side a commanding 2-0 lead.

With her goal today, Williams recorded the 78th and 79th points of her career, as the forward moved into fourth place on the all-time points lead passing Kristi Patterson. Williams now trails just Janine Beckie (130), Kirsten Davis (112) and Kristy Frantz (108) on the all-time points list.

After a frustrating opening half that again saw the Red Raiders dominate both possession and the shot count and a goal disallowed due to offsides, Tech came out on fire in second half, nearly taking the lead in the 49th minute when a Blackburn free kick found a Taylor Zdrojewski in the box. The forward ripped a header that deflected off an Iowa State (3-7-5, 1-3-3 Big 12) defender and on frame.

With the ball rising and heading toward the upper corner of the net, ISU goalie Avery Gilahan was able to punch the ball over the bar and out of harm’s way.

Not letting the frustration mount, the Red Raiders kept pushing deep into the 59th minute when Chloe Soto was chopped down by an ISU defender.

With the ball stopped parallel to the edge of the circle, Blackburn took a mighty swing with her right leg and unleashed a wicked ball that sailed through the six-yard box and off the right post before deflecting past Gilahan.

The goal was Blackburn’s second of the season and fifth of her career.

Armed with a 1-0 lead, the Red Raiders, unlike Thursday, were quickly able to find the important second goal when an errant pass from Iowa State fell to a wide open Kaitlyn Giametta.

With nothing but green grass in front of her, Giametta raced by the ISU defense all the way into the 18-yard box. With the angle on the last ISU defender to beat, Giametta was hip-checked to the ground and a penalty kick was awarded.

Williams as she so often does, calmly stepped to the spot and drilled a perfect shot into the right-hand corner of the net and past Gilahan. The strike gave Tech the 2-0 lead.

Armed with the important two-goal lead, the Red Raiders held Iowa State to just one shot attempt and zero corner kicks over the final 23 minutes and change of action.

With the victory the Red Raiders improve to 20-0-5 in their last 25 Big 12 Conference games and are now unbeaten in their last 20 home matches (19-0-1).

Most importantly, the Red Raiders earned a key three points that keeps them tied with No. 12 TCU atop the Big 12 standings, as TCU defeated Arizona State, 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Raiders and Horned Frogs are tied with 20 overall points and are one point clear of third place West Virginia who has 19 points after today’s 2-0 win at Baylor.

Colorado, who earned its second consecutive draw, sits in solo fourth place with 15 total points, one clear of Oklahoma State who resides in fifth with 14 points.

With just three matches left in the regular season, the Red Raiders will hit the road for the final road trip of the season and a crucial match Thursday night at West Virginia. First touch from Morgantown is set for 6 p.m. (CT).