Big Games Ahead For OU Soccer This Weekend At Home

SOONER SOCCER THIS WEEK
* Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas A&M
Friday, Sept. 26 - 7:30 p.m.
John Crain Field (OU Soccer Complex)
Norman, Okla.

* Oklahoma vs. No. 16 Texas
Sunday, Sept. 28 - 1 p.m.
John Crain Field (OU Soccer Complex)
Norman, Okla.

PREVIEW: Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M
Friday will mark the start of Big 12 action across the league and OU opens with No. 3 Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. at John Crain Field.

The Aggies are 6-1 in 2003 and their lone loss was against No. 1 North Carolina, 1-0 in overtime. In their seven games this year, they have four shutouts and have allowed just three goals.

A&M's offensive charge is led by Emma Smith (five goals and two assists) and Kristen Strutz (four goals and three assists).

On the defensive side of the ball, Katie Jo Spisak has started every game in goal and has been stellar. She has three shutouts and her goals-against average is 0.86.

PREVIEW: Oklahoma vs. Texas
The Sooners face another top-25 opponent on Sunday when they host Texas at 1 p.m.

The Longhorns are ranked No. 16 with a 4-4 record.

Offensively, Kelly McDonald has five goals and two assists to lead the team in points.

Dana Hall sees the majority of time in net for UT. She is 3-3 with a 1.46 goals-against average.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
It's 'Web-Site Soccer Weekend.' Log onto soonersports.com and receive a pop-up coupon for $3 off a general admission ticket to Friday and Sunday's games.
Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.
The first 250 Fans will receive OU soccer trading cards and there will be a post game autograph session with the team.

LAST WEEKEND
The Sooners played inspired soccer in the Oklahoma Shootout, going 2-0 in Norman. OU beat Oral Roberts, 2-0, on Sunday and Tulsa, 2-0, on Friday.

On Friday, Jessica Talton and Logan Womack scored goals, while Catherine Wade earned her first shutout of the season.

On Sunday, freshman Savannah Scott scored her first collegiate goal and added an assist against the visiting Golden Hurricane. Lauren MacIver also scored in the game, as she fired 17 shots combined over the weekend.

WOMACK PASSES DAWSON
Senior Logan Womack scored OU's first goal against Oral Roberts on Friday to give her 68 points for her career. Womack has tallied 32 goals and four assists as a Sooner. She also holds the OU single-season marks in goals (13) and points (27). She is a two-time All-Big 12 second-team honoree and a one-time All-Big 12 first-team member.

WADE EARNS BIG 12 DEFENSIVE HONORS, AGAIN
Oklahoma junior goalkeeper Catherine Wade was named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday. It marked the second time in as many weeks for the Midland, Texas, native to win the award.

In two games last week, Wade went 2-0 in goal for the Sooners while posting her first two shutouts of the season. She made 12 saves combined. On Friday, Wade saved six shots against Oral Roberts in a 2-0 home win. On Sunday versus Tulsa, she duplicated Friday's accomplishment by shutting out the Golden Hurricane offense in another 2-0 home victory.

Wade posted the full 180:00 of playing time and improved her 2003 record to 5-2-1. She is allowing 1.27 goals a game on the season and leads the Big 12 in saves made (47) and ranks second in saves per game (6.50). In addition, Wade and the Sooners are 4-0 at home this season.

Wade improved to 17-8-2 during her OU career and has posted 13 shutouts in 42 games played.

TOUGH 2003 SLATE
OU has played two pre-season top-25 teams and so far it is 1-1. The Sooners defeated SMU 2-1 in overtime and lost 5-1 to current No. 2 Notre Dame. Three more current top-25 teams remain on OU's schedule: No. 3 Texas A&M (9/26), No. 16 Texas (9/28) and No. 17 Colorado (10/12). All three contests are scheduled to be played in Norman at John Crain Field.

MAC ATTACK
Lauren MacIver was named to the all-tournament team at the Notre Dame Classic, adding an assist to her team-leading season total in the loss to the host Irish.

MacIver fired 17 shots this past weekend against ORU and Tulsa and now leads the team with 30. MacIver also leads OU with four assists and has two goals on the season.

HEAD COACH RANDY EVANS
Oklahoma soccer head coach Randy Evans is in his fifth year in the at OUafter being named head coach on Jan. 11, 1999. He is coming off his second consecutive 11-win season, tying a school record for victories.

His 2002 squad won its first six games and stood at 11-3 at one point in the season. Logan Womack and Lauren MacIver both were named to the All-Big 12 second team as Evans and company just barely missed a berth in the conference tournament.

He coordinated the strongest season in OU's young soccer history in 2001. The Sooners won a school-record 11 games while compiling a stellar 8-1-1 record at home and notched their first victories ever over conference rivals Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Missouri. OU came within a goal of upsetting Texas A&M the eventual tournament champion in its second consecutive appearance in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

In 2000, Evans led the Sooners to a 10-9-1 mark and an appearance in the Big 12 Tournament for the first time ever. His coaching performance earned him Big 12 Coach of the Year honors and, a month later, Evans was named the NSCAA Central Region Coach of the Year.

NEXT WEEK FOR THE SOONERS
OU hits the road again, taking on Iowa State on Friday, Oct. 3, in Ames, Iowa, and Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 5, in Columbia, Mo.

SOCCER BUZZ CENTRAL REGION
The Sooners sit just outside the Central Region Poll as ranked by Soccer Buzz Magazine. Friday's opponent, Texas A&M is ranked No. 1 and is followed by Big 12 schools Kansas at No. 2, Colorado at No. 3, Texas at No. 7 and Nebraska at No. 8.

FIELD NAMED FOR JOHN CRAIN
John Crain's gift of $600,000, one of the largest ever made to Sooner women's athletics, is being applied toward the second phase of the soccer project. With the $1.2 million first phase completed, attention is being turned toward the construction of a grandstand, locker room, concessions and restroom areas that will be shared with the tennis complex.

COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Four Sooners have recorded collegiate firsts in either goals or assists this season:
*Savannah Scott (goal) vs. Tulsa
(assist) vs. New Mexico
*Kristin Vesely (goal) vs. SMU
*Michelle Enos (assist) vs. New Mexico
*Christy Kenkel (assist) vs. SMU

VOLCANSEK'S RUN
University of Oklahoma Assistant Soccer Coach Jessica Volcansek will be running in a marathon in December as part of the Team In Training Program to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She will be participating in memory of the deceased parents of two former OU soccer players and in honor of 12-year old Craig Henderson of Purcell, Okla.

There will be a table at each home soccer game this season just inside the main gate, for fans wanting more information about The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or Team In Training Program, or would care to make a donation to assist Jessica in raising funds for this worthwhile organization. Fans who want to help her in reaching the goal of $5,000 can also make out a check to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and send it to: JessicaVolcansek
180West Brooks Street
Norman, OK 73019

NSCAA/adidas Central Region (9/22/03)
1. Texas A&M 6-1-0
2. Texas 4-4-0
3. Colorado 6-1-0
4. Denver 6-1-0
5. Nebraska 5-2-1
6. Kansas 8-1-0
7. Tennessee 6-2-0
8. SMU 7-2-0
9. Mississippi 7-1-0
10. OKLAHOMA 5-2-1

BIG 12 ACTION THIS WEEK
26 (Friday)
*Baylor at Kansas, 5 p.m.
*Missouri at Colorado, 5 p.m.
*Iowa State at Nebraska, 7 p.m.
*Texas A&M at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.
*Texas Tech at Oklahoma State, 7 p.m.
Washington State at Texas, 7:30 p.m.

28 (Sunday)
*Baylor at Oklahoma State, 1 p.m.
*Iowa State at Colorado, 2 p.m.
*Kansas at Texas Tech, 1 p.m.
*Missouri at Nebraska, 1 p.m.
*Texas at Oklahoma, 1 p.m.
Washington State at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

All game times listed as Central

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Big Games Ahead For OU Soccer This Weekend At Home

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