OU Soccer Releases 2004 Schedule

NORMAN, Okla. The University of Oklahoma and head soccer coach Randy Evans announced OU's 2004 schedule on Monday which includes eight contests played at John Crain Field in Norman. The Sooners are looking to return to the NCAA Tournament, a place they found themselves last season for the first time in school history as they went 8-7-5. Oklahoma returns 20 players from a team that was also ranked in the nation's top 25 during the season, another first for the program.

“I think this year's schedule is another example of us keeping consistent with tough non-conference competition over the years,” said Evans. “Last year our strength of schedule got us into the NCAA tournament and I think if we put together another winning season, this year's slate will do the same.”

2004 Schedule

Oklahoma will open its 2004 season with three home contests beginning with Saint Louis on Friday, Aug. 27, marking the first meeting between the schools. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at John Crain Field. Two days later, the Sooners play host to SMU at 1 p.m. followed by another Friday evening home contest against TCU on Sept. 3.

Said Evans, “We are really excited about kicking off the season at home with three consecutive games. TCU and Saint Louis were both on the postseason bubble last year and SMU, a perennial powerhouse, earned a bid. Some might question having games against that type of caliber in the first part of the season, but we view it as a great opportunity to face tough competition in preparation for the Big 12 season.”

Other non-conference contests for OU include a trip to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on Arkansas on Sept. 5. Then on Sept. 10 and 12 the Sooners head to Tulsa for the Oklahoma Shoot-out to battle intrastate rivals Oral Roberts and Tulsa respectively. Finally, a pair of games in Phoenix, Ariz., await the Sooners, pitting them against San Diego State and Arizona State on Sept. 17 and Sept. 19, respectively.

Oklahoma will open up Big 12 play at home against Missouri on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. only to have a week off before hitting the road again against Texas on Oct. 1 in Austin and Texas A&M on Oct. 3 in College Station. The rest of the season at home includes Iowa State on Oct. 15, Kansas on Oct. 17 and Nebraska on Oct. 24. The season finale will feature the yearly Bedlam matchup with the Cowgirls battling the Sooners for the first time in Norman since 2001. That contest is slated for a 7 p.m. start on Friday, Oct. 29.

“No matter what type of season the teams in the Bedlam series seem to be having, it is always one of the closest games of the year,” said Evans. “That contest has been played in overtime three of the past four years and the past seven meetings have all been decided by one goal, so we are thrilled to host a rivalry like that in Norman again.”

After the Bedlam game, Oklahoma will make its way to San Antonio, Texas, for the 2004 Big 12 Soccer Tournament on Nov. 3, 5 and 7.

“The Big 12 is one of the better soccer conferences out there,” said Evans. “We proved that collectively last year when we sent eight teams to the NCAA postseason. This year will be just as solid with some serious competition battling for the automatic and at-large bids.

“Our goal is obviously to put together a strong enough season to be an at-large team but ultimately we are striving for the automatic bid by winning the Big 12 Tournament. This team, on paper, will probably be the most talented that I have fielded at OU. It should be an exciting season when you combine the incoming freshmen with an already talented group from last season.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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