OU Hosts SMU for NCAA First-Round Match

²⁵Oklahoma vs. SMU
NCAA Championship - First Round
Nov. 11 | 8 p.m. CT | Norman, Okla.

Tickets

Live Stats

FCSC // FOX Sports Go

Notes

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STATISTICAL COMPARISON
	OU	SMU
Record	13-6-2	13-6-2
Goals	34	48
Assists	24	45
Points	92	141
Shots	283	315
Corner Kicks	84	126
Saves	68	54
Shutouts	8	6
Goals Allowed	20	22

NORMAN — For the fourth time in program history, the Oklahoma soccer team will compete in the NCAA Championship. The No. 25 Sooners welcome SMU to John Crain Field for a first-round matchup, slated to begin at 8 p.m. CT on Friday.

TICKET INFO

Tickets are for sale online and can also be purchased at the field prior to the start of the match. For online orders, tickets will be print-at-home, or fans may visit the OU Athletics Ticket Office to receive hard copies of their tickets. Cost is $10 for the general public, and group rates are also available for groups of 10 or more. For more information on group tickets and rate, please contact the ticket office at (405) 325-2424.

The first 100 students in attendance will receive a free ticket with a valid OU ID, and students arriving after the free tickets have been claimed may enter for $5 each.

PARKING INFO

Due to Saturday's home football game and a concert held in the Lloyd Noble Center, parking for Friday's match will be available on the north end of the LNC, near the CART bus stops. There will be signage to indicate the parking designated for fans attending soccer.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

BACK TO THE TOURNEY
After missing out on a spot in the NCAA Tournament a season ago, Oklahoma had its sights set on a return trip from the second its name was not called. The work to make this year's field began in that moment, and it paid off when the Sooners heard of their selection last Monday. The No. 25 Sooners and SMU, who is receiving votes in this week's NSCAA poll, will square off on Friday night at John Crain Field in Norman. The match is slated to begin at 8 p.m. CT and will air live on FOX College Sports Central.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The berth is OU's fourth all-time (2003, 2010, 2014, 2016) and second in the past three seasons. In the 2014 matchup against Arkansas, then-sophomore Rachel Ressler scored the Sooners' first-ever goal in NCAA Tournament play, notching a score in the fifth minute off an assist by senior Abby Hodgen.

CHASING HISTORY
With 13 wins this season, the Sooners have matched the school record for victories (2005) and will look to surpass that total if they grab a win on Friday. Additionally, a win would represent their first-ever in the NCAA Tournament. The 13 victories represent the most for a Sooner squad under Matt Potter (previous high 10, 2014 and 2015).

OFFENSIVE SURGE
This season, the Sooners have recorded 34 goals, the fourth-most in program history. The 2005 and 2010 Sooners both tallied 37 scores, while the 2001 team posted 36. The Sooners have shined offensively following halftime, with 24 of their goals coming the second half and two in overtime.

SHUTOUT STADE
So far this season, redshirt senior Kassidie Stade and the OU defense have tallied eight shutouts. A clean sheet against Iowa State on Nov. 2 in the Big 12 Championships quarterfinals gave Stade both the OU single-season record (previous high of seven: Stade, 2015; Jennifer Nichols, 2005 and 2006) and the career record with 19 (passing Catherine Wade, 18 shutouts from 2001-04).

SENIOR CONTRIBUTIONS
OU's seniors have without a doubt been impactful for the Sooners this season, with Kassidie Stade playing every minute in goal and Jemma Cota, Liz Keester, Shiloh Price, Rachel Ressler and Madison Saliba contributing offensively, combining for 21 goals (61.8 percent of OU's total), 16 assists (66.7 percent) and 59 points (64.1 percent).

KICKING KEESTER
Senior forward Liz Keester leads OU in goals (nine), game-winning goals (five), assists (six) and points (24) and is tied for first in the Big 12 in goals and sits third in points. Her five game winners are tied with Renae Cuellar (2012) and Logan Womack (2000) for the second-most in a single season in OU history. In other categories, Keester is currently tied for fourth in both goals and assists and shares fifth in points.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In their last 16 home games at John Crain Field dating back to the start of the 2015 season, the Sooners have posted a 10-2-4 overall record, including a 4-2-2 mark so far in 2016 and a 6-0-2 tally in 2015.

ALL-BIG 12 HONOREES
A program-record six Sooners received All-Big 12 accolades, led by senior defender Rachel Ressler, a first-team selection. Senior midfielder Jemma Cota, senior forward Liz Keester, junior midfielder Tori Bowman and sophomore defender Paige Welch earned second-team recognition. Freshman midfielder/defender Kristina O'Donnell earned freshman-team honors. OU's previous high in all-conference selections was three in the 2002 season.

20 YEARS OF OKLAHOMA SOCCER
This season, the Sooners are celebrating 20 years of the OU soccer program, which was founded in 1996.

SCOUTING REPORT

SMU
• SMU enters the match with a 13-6-2 overall record, identical to the Sooners' mark. The Mustangs are coming off a runner-up showing in the American Athletic Conference tournament, where they fell to Connecticut by a score of 1-0 in the championship match.

• The NCAA Tournament appearance is the 13th all-time for the Mustangs and first since 2006. They currently sit at No. 30 in this week's RPI.

• This season, the Mustangs have scored 48 goals, the most in the AAC. Junior midfielder Claire Oates and freshman midfielder Allie Thornton pace SMU with 10 goals each, while redshirt sophomore forward Vanessa Valadez has contributed nine scores. Valadez and sophomore defender Haley Thompson have both dished out eight assists.

• Sophomore Catie Brown has played the majority of minutes in goal, snagging 52 saves and allowing 22 goals (1.04 GAA). She has tallied four individual shutouts.

ON THE AIR

Friday's match will air through Sooner Sports TV on FOX College Sports Central and will stream on FOX Sports Go. Chad McKee and former OU soccer player Molly Richey will call the action, and Megan McDonald will be on the sidelines.

UP NEXT

With a win on Friday, OU would advance in the NCAA bracket to face the winner of No. 4 seed BYU and UNLV in the second round. Other teams in OU's region include No. 1 seed South Carolina, Alabama State, Colorado and Oklahoma State.