Sooners Battle to 2-2 Draw on Senior Night

Kansas

2 (2OT)

Oklahoma

Box Score

Play-by-Play

Photo Gallery

Stat Comparison
Category	KU	OU
Shots	15	16
Shots on Goal	7	6
Corners	3	6
Fouls	15	9

Scoring Summary
Player	Assist	Time
OU: Liz Keester	Madison Saliba	24:35
KU: Grace Hagan	-	63:39
KU: Ashley Pankey	Katie McClure	83:18
OU: Madison Saliba	Liz Keester	83:27

Goalkeepers
Player	Mins	GA	SV
OU: Kassidie Stade	110:00	2	5
KU: Maddie Dobyns	110:00	2	4

NORMAN — In the final regular season home match of their careers, seniors Liz Keester and Madison Saliba both scored to aid the Oklahoma soccer team to a 2-2 draw against Kansas on Friday night at John Crain Field in front of a crowd of 1,039.

OU's offensive production was generated by Keester and Saliba, who tallied goals in the 25th and 84th minutes, respectively. Saliba and Keester also assisted on each other's scores.

The game was evenly matched throughout, with the Sooners (11-4-2 overall, 4-2-1 Big 12) and Jayhawks (8-4-4 overall, 3-1-2 Big 12) posting nearly identical offensive numbers. OU outshot KU, 16-15, with the Jayhawks holding a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal.

“I think, first and foremost, what a wonderful exhibition for our sport," fifth-year OU head coach Matt Potter said. "I thought the game was a testament to two quality teams trying to play. I thought there were ebbs and flows throughout the game for both teams. The momentum shifted and turned, and it kept everybody on a knife-edge. So, first of all, I thought it was a great spectacle. Second of all, we did the hard part to go ahead. We put ourselves in a hole but responded with some great character, and those are all great characteristics of good teams.”

Off a great pass from Saliba, Keester capitalized on the opportunity and recorded her team-high eighth score of the season, giving the Sooners the early 1-0 lead. The assist was the third of the season for Saliba.

“It was really awesome," Keester said of scoring on her Senior Night. "I wish we would have got the win for sure, but it's always nice to score, especially to put us ahead. It gave us that confidence and ability to continue through the game. Senior Night is always really emotional and exciting, so it kind of took those initial jitters out after we put that goal in.”

In the 64th minute, the Jayhawks got on the board and tied the match behind sophomore midfielder Grace Hagan's seventh goal of the year. Kansas took a 2-1 lead in the 84th minute as senior forward Ashley Pankey found the back of the net off a pass from freshman midfielder Katie McClure.

The Sooners immediately responded, racing down the field and recording the equalizer just nine seconds later to steal back momentum from the visiting team. After a Keester header inside the box, Saliba tracked the ball down and sent it in for the score in the 84th minute, her fourth of the season.

OU nearly grabbed the victory as Keester sent a bullet toward the top of the net just under two minutes into the first overtime. The shot was on target to enter just under the crossbar, but KU junior goalkeeper Maddie Dobyns extended and got her fingertips on the ball to send it out of bounds and preserve the tie.

Redshirt senior Kassidie Stade corralled five saves in the full 110 minutes in goal, while Dobyns finished the match with four saves.

Next up, the Sooners will head to Northridge, Calif., to close the weekend at Cal St. Northridge, with the match slated to begin a 1:30 p.m. CT. This season, the Sooners are celebrating 20 years of their program, which began in 1996.