Sooners Welcome In-State Rivals This Weekend

Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma
Aug. 25 | 7 p.m. CT | Norman, Okla.

Tulsa vs. Oklahoma
Aug. 27 | 6 p.m. CT | Norman, Okla.

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2017 STATISTICAL COMPARISON
	OU	OSU	TU
Record	0-1-1	2-0-0	0-1-1
Goals	0	6	2
Assists	0	6	2
Points	0	18	6
Shots	13	36	21
Corner Kicks	4	21	4
Saves	14	5	13
Shutouts	1	1	0
Goals Allowed	2	1	4

NORMAN — Oklahoma returns to the OU Soccer Complex this weekend for a non-conference Bedlam matchup and a contest against in-state foe Tulsa. The Sooners will look for their fifth straight win against the Cowgirls on Friday at 7 p.m. CT before hosting the Golden Hurricane on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT.

Both matches will air through Sooner Sports TV on Fox Sports Oklahoma as well as the FOX Sports Go app. Chad McKee and former OU soccer player Molly Ritchey will call the action, and Megan McDonald will be on the sidelines. The matches will also air on KREF radio (99.3 FM, 1400 AM).

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

BEDLAM
Friday's match against Oklahoma State marks the first Bedlam Series opener across all sports in 2017. The non-conference contest will be the first of two showdowns between the Sooners and the Cowgirls this season, with the second taking place on Sept. 22 in Stillwater. The schools have met twice a year since 2010, and the Sooners have swept OSU the previous two seasons. Of OU's eight wins in the Bedlam series, six have come under sixth-year head coach Matt Potter, including five in the last six contests.

FAMILIAR IN-STATE FOES
Oklahoma faced Oklahoma State twice and Tulsa once last season with the Sooners winning all three games against their in-state opponents. OU downed OSU in a non-conference match in Norman, 1-0, before defeating the Cowgirls in Stillwater, 2-0, in 2016.

The Sooners faced the Golden Hurricane in the 2016 Tulsa Classic, earning a 3-2 win in overtime. Then-senior Shiloh Price earned the win for OU with a golden goal just two minutes into the first overtime period. Price, a native of Broken Arrow, Okla., now serves as an intern with the Tulsa coaching staff.

SOONERS PICKED THIRD
OU has been picked third in the Big 12 Soccer Preseason Poll in a vote of conference coaches. This matches the highest preseason Big 12 ranking in program history for the Sooners, with the 2016 squad also claiming third.

West Virginia was picked as the unanimous selection to win the league. Kansas was selected to finish second, and Texas Tech was tabbed fourth. Baylor, Oklahoma State, and TCU were next at fifth, sixth and seventh, while Texas and Iowa State claimed eighth and ninth. Kansas State, which enters its first season as a member of the Big 12 soccer league, rounded out the preseason poll in tenth.

FIRST WEEKEND RECAP
No. 16 Oklahoma soccer dropped its season-opening match, 2-0, to Arizona on Friday at the OU Soccer Complex. A 44th-minute goal from Arizona's Jill Aguilera split OU's back line to score the match's opening goal. The Wildcats extended their advantage in the second half as Hailey Mazzola converted from inside the 18-yard box in the 66th minute.

The Sooners battled SMU to a 0-0 draw after two overtime periods Sunday night at Westcott Field in Dallas. OU's freshman goalkeeper McKinley Crone earned her first clean sheet of her career, collecting seven saves.

WELCH NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Oklahoma junior defender Paige Welch was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Soccer Team on Aug. 9. The Austin, Texas, native has started all 41 games she has played in as a Sooner. In her two first two seasons, Welch has helped OU to 17 shutouts. Welch owns three career goals, all game winners. Her 12th-minute goal against SMU in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament helped the Sooners advance during last year's postseason run.

SCOUTING REPORTS

OKLAHOMA STATE
The Golden Hurricane started its year with a 0-1-1 opening weekend, battling Central Michigan to a 1-1 double-overtime draw before falling to No. 22 Nebraska, 3-1. Addyson Guthrie earned TU's first goal of the season off an assist from Reagan Whitlow, and Anna Williams notched the Golden Hurricane's lone goal against Nebraska on a cross from Guthrie.

Tulsa returns seven starters from the 2016 team that finished the season at 8-10-1. Current-senior Rachel Thun was named the American Athletic Conference Midfielder of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection for her junior campaign, while Tana Dake earned Second Team All-Conference honors and Anna Williams was named to the All-Rookie Team. Senior Rebecca Defer returns as the Golden Hurricane's main goalkeeper. Defer has played two full games in goal this season, garnering 13 saves.

The Golden Hurricane is led by Kyle Cussen, who enters his tenth season as Tulsa's head coach.

PROMOTIONS

Friday vs. Oklahoma State
Ballon animals from 6-8 p.m.; First 500 fans receive an OU soccer scarf; Postgame autographs

Sunday vs. Tulsa
Face painting from 5-7 p.m.; First 100 kids receive a fidget spinner; First 100 students receive a t-shirt; Postgame autographs

UP NEXT

The Sooners head to Boise, Id., next weekend for a pair of non-conference matches. OU takes on Oregon in a neutral-site match on Friday at 3 p.m. CT before facing Boise State at 3 p.m. CT next Sunday.