No. 25 OU and No. 4 BYU Face Off in Second Round

²⁵Oklahoma vs. ⁴BYU
NCAA Championship - Second Round
Nov. 17 | 3 p.m. CT | Columbia, S.C.

STATISTICAL COMPARISON
	OU	BYU
Record	14-6-2	17-2-1
Goals	35	56
Assists	25	59
Points	95	171
Shots	289	318
Corner Kicks	85	114
Saves	72	63
Shutouts	9	12
Goals Allowed	20	9

NORMAN — Fresh off its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, No. 25 Oklahoma takes on No. 4 BYU in second-round action. The match will be played at 3 p.m. CT on Thursday at Stone Soccer Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

MARCHING ON
The Sooners are still dancing. After defeating SMU, 1-0, on Friday night for their first-ever victory in the NCAA Championship, No. 25 Oklahoma is set to face No. 4 BYU in second-round action.

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. Against SMU on Friday night, sophomore Paige Welch tallied the game winner for the Sooners.

HISTORY MADE
With 14 wins in 2016, the Sooners have set the school record for victories in a single season, surpassing the 2005 season when they won 13. The 14 wins represent the most for a Sooner squad under Matt Potter (previous high 10, 2014 and 2015).

ROAD TRIP
Away from Norman this season, the Sooners have won nine matches, posting a 7-3-0 overall record in road games and a 2-1-0 mark in neutral site contests. From Sept. 4 - Sept. 18, OU tallied five straight victories, marking the first time the Sooners have ever won five consecutive matches away from John Crain Field. Additionally, the seven true road wins are the most in a single year for the Sooners (won five in 2004, 2010), and the nine total away wins are a program record (had seven in 2010).

OFFENSIVE SURGE
This season, the Sooners have recorded 35 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.

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 (60 percent of OU's total), 16 assists (64 percent) and 59 points (62.1 percent).

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.

LAST TIME OUT
• By a score of 1-0, No. 25 OU defeated SMU in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Friday, Nov. 11, at John Crain Field. The win was the first for the Sooners in NCAA action in their history.

• The Sooners jumped out to the early advantage by making good use of a set piece. After junior Tori Bowman sent a free kick into the box from midfield, sophomore defender/midfielder Paige Welch found it and headed in the score. The goal was the first of the season for Welch, while Bowman now has three assists.

SCOUTING REPORT

BYU
• BYU, which is making its fifth straight NCAA Championship appearance, enters the match with a 17-2-1 overall record. In the first round of the tournament, the Cougars defeated UNLV, 2-0, in Provo, Utah, behind goals from Senior forward/midfielder Michele Vasconcelos and senior midfielder Elena Medeiros.

• The NCAA Tournament appearance is the 18th all-time for the Cougars. This marks the fourth time in the last five years that BYU has advanced to the second round.

• This season, the co-WCC champion Cougars have scored 56 goals and tallied 59 assists for 171 points. Senior forward Ashley Hatch paces BYU with 18 scores, while Vasconcelos has 15 goals and shares the team lead for assists with junior forward Nadia Gomes with 12.

• Junior Hannah Clark has played the majority of minutes in goal for the Cougars, allowing seven goals (0.46 GAA), grabbing 46 saves and posting six shutouts. Senior Rachel Boaz and freshman Sabrina Macias have also seen time in goal, aiding the Cougars to their total of 12 shutouts.

UP NEXT

With a win on Thursday, OU would advance in the NCAA bracket to face the winner of No. 3 South Carolina and No. 20 Colorado in the third round on Saturday.