Sooners Close Non-Conference Play at Illinois State

Oklahoma at Illinois State
Oct. 2 | 11 a.m. CT | Normal, Ill.

Player to Watch
Kaylee Dao // Fr. // F/MF Dao finds herself at or near the top of several offensive statistical categories for the Sooners. She is tied for most game-winning goals (two), is tied for second in goals (three) and is second in points (seven). Playing in her hometown against Oral Roberts on Tuesday night, Dao tallied the game-winning goal in the 87th minute. Dao's three goals tie her for eighth most in the Big 12, while her two game winners are tied for second most in the conference.

Player to Watch

Kaylee Dao // Fr. // F/MF
Dao finds herself at or near the top of several offensive statistical categories for the Sooners. She is tied for most game-winning goals (two), is tied for second in goals (three) and is second in points (seven). Playing in her hometown against Oral Roberts on Tuesday night, Dao tallied the game-winning goal in the 87th minute. Dao's three goals tie her for eighth most in the Big 12, while her two game winners are tied for second most in the conference.

NORMAN — In its final non-conference game of the season, the Oklahoma soccer team will face Illinois State on Friday, Oct. 2 in Normal, Ill. The Sooners (7-4-1 overall, 1-0-1 Big 12) and Redbirds (4-6-2 overall, 1-1-0 Missouri Valley Conference) will play at 11 a.m. CT.

SOONER NOTEBOOK: WEEK SEVEN

1. CONTINUING THE STREAK
The Oklahoma soccer team will look to continue its five-match unbeaten streak when it travels to face Illinois State on Friday, Oct. 2. Over their last five contests, the Sooners have gone 4-0-1 and have outscored opponents by a nine to two margin.

2. CLOSING NON-CONFERENCE
OU will cap its non-conference schedule this weekend, wrapping up a slate of 11 total matches. Thus far in non-conference matchups, the Sooners have posted a 5-4-1 record and are coming off a 2-1 victory at Oral Roberts on Tuesday afternoon. The 11 total games equals last year's out-of-conference total, which was the most for the Sooners since playing the same amount in 2011. As a conference, the Big 12 has enjoyed success in its non-conference contests, boasting an 18-match unbeaten streak (17-0-1) dating back to Sept. 17.

3. HITTING THE ROAD
On Friday, the Sooners will look for their third road victory of the season. In its 2015 road competitions, OU has played against tough opponents, posting a 2-4-0 record away from Norman so far. Two of those four losses were against opponents ranked in the NSCAA/Continental Tire poll at the time in No. 11 South Carolina and No. 2 Stanford. The Sooners dropped those contests by scores of 2-1 in double overtime and overtime, respectively.

4. TOP-50 RPI
The Sooners come in at No. 36 in this week's NCAA Women's Soccer RPI, the third best in the Big 12. West Virginia (No. 14) and Texas Tech (No. 23) are the only Big 12 squads ranked ahead of the Sooners. Kansas (No. 53), Texas (No. 71), TCU (No. 81) and Oklahoma State (No. 91) are all within the top 100 of the rankings. In this week's NSCAA/Continental Tire poll, the Sooners received 46 points.

5. DEPTH KEY FOR SOONERS
A total of 24 Sooners have made an appearance in at least one match this season. In nine contests, OU has recorded 26 goals from 13 different players. Notching multiple scores for the Sooners have been junior Caren Nelson with four and freshmen Emily Parker and Kaylee Dao with three each. Junior Liz Keester and sophomores Tori Bowman, Lizzie Luallin and Rasha Roberts have each scored two apiece. Additionally, nine players have at least one assist.

SCOUTING REPORT

ILLINOIS STATE
• Friday's contest marks the first time that Oklahoma and Illinois State have faced each other.

• Illinois State is 4-6-2 overall this season, including a 2-3-1 mark at home. The Redbirds are 1-1-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

• The Redbirds are coming off a 2-1 home win against Loyola on Wednesday night.

• Nine Illinois State players have combined to score 16 goals this season, led by redshirt junior midfielder/forward Lauren Koehl with four. Senior midfielder Ali Farkos leads the squad with three assists.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will play a split conference weekend when they host No. 4 West Virginia on Friday, Oct. 9, before traveling to take on Kansas on Sunday, Oct. 11. The match with West Virginia is slated for a 7 p.m. CT start, and the Sooners will face Kansas at 1 p.m. CT.