Sooners Open Big 12 Play at Oklahoma State

Oklahoma at No. 22/24 Oklahoma State
Sept. 22 | 4 p.m. CT | Stillwater, Okla.

Oklahoma at Loyola Marymount
Sept. 24 | 6 p.m. CT | Los Angeles, Calif.

Live Stats (OSU)

Live Stats (LMU)

Notes

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2017 STATISTICAL COMPARISON
	OU	OSU	LMU
Record	2-6-1	7-1-2	2-4-1
Goals	6	26	12
Assists	3	23	13
Points	15	73	37
Shots	101	169	98
Corner Kicks	39	76	36
Saves	41	31	44
Shutouts	1	2	3
Goals Allowed	13	8	10

NORMAN – The Oklahoma soccer team will open Big 12 play and wrap up non-conference action with matches against Oklahoma State and Loyola Marymount. The second Bedlam installment will mark the first game of the Big 12 season for the Sooners when they kick off at 4 p.m. CT Friday in Stillwater. The final non-conference game of the season will take place Sunday at 6 p.m. CT at Loyola Marymount.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

BEDLAM ROUND TWO
Friday's match against Oklahoma State is the second of two showdowns between the Sooners and the Cowgirls this season, with the first taking place back on Aug. 25 in Norman. OSU walked away with the 2-1 victory, their first Bedlam win since 2014. Friday's match against Oklahoma State is the second of two showdowns between the Sooners and the Cowgirls this season, with the first taking place back on Aug. 25 in Norman. OSU walked away with the 2-1 victory, its first Bedlam win since 2014. The schools have been meeting twice a year since 2010, with the Sooners tallying eight victories. Of OU's eight wins in the Bedlam series, six have come under sixth-year head coach Matt Potter, including five in the last seven contests.

WEEKEND RECAP
The Sooners had a tough weekend on the road, dropping matches to No.16/17 Cal, and the University of San Francisco. Against Cal, the Sooners were forced to play with 10 players for 79 minutes after Madeline Brem was issued a red card in the 11th minute of play. Oklahoma fell 2-0 in their first ever meeting with the Golden Bears.
On Sunday against USF, the Sooners found themselves in a 3-0 hole at halftime, after a goal in the final minute of the half. Kaylee Dao notched a penalty kick in the second half to put Oklahoma on the board, but despite the Sooners outshooting the Dons, 20-12, they were unable to complete the comeback.

CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS
With non-conference play wrapping up, the Sooners will open Big 12 play with the second installment of Bedlam. The Sooners have won two of their last three Big 12 openers, defeating Texas Tech in 2014 and TCU in 2016. In 2015, OU and Texas Tech played to a scoreless draw. OU will play four of its nine Big 12 matches at home with Baylor, Texas, Kansas and Kansas State coming to Norman. The Sooners will once again be away from home for 19 days during the month of October, playing a stretch of three Big 12 matches on the road.

THE FRESHMAN CLASS
The Sooners freshmen class has made an immediate impact, with all five field players seeing action this season. Erika Yost, Emma Ledbetter and goalie McKinley Crone have appeared in all nine games this season, with Crone earning the starting nod in goal. All have season action in at least two games this season.

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.

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 REPORT

OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowgirls are currently 7-1-2, just recently suffering their first loss of the season. OSU was riding a nine-match undefeated streak before falling to No.15 Cal, 3-0, Sunday. OSU has outscored opponents 26-8 on the season, posting five shutouts and are 5-0-0 at home this season, allowing just one goal on their home field. Taylor Olson leads the team with four goals on the season, while Anna Beffer leads the team with 12 points (two goals, eight assists). In goal, Michela Ongaro has seen the most action, recording 23 saves and a 5-1 record in 642:32 minutes.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
The Lions are 4-2-3 on the season, but have played a tough non-conference schedule with four games coming against ranked teams. LMU is 1-2-1 in those games, picking up a win over then No.17 Utah and drawing then No.23 Northwestern. LMU is coming off a 1-1 draw at UC Santa Barbara on Sunday. The Lions have scored at least one goal in their last eight games and posted at least two goals in four of those outings. Sarah Sanger leads the team with three goals and one assist on the year for seven total points. Sarina Bolden ranks second with two goals and two assists.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will host Baylor and Texas for week two of Big 12 action. Baylor comes to town on Sept. 29 for a 7 p.m. CT kick, while the Red River Rivalry is set for Oct. 1 at noon CT.