OU Opens Big 12 Play at Kansas, Kansas State

Oklahoma at Kansas
Sept. 21 | 7 p.m. CT | Lawrence, Kan.

Oklahoma at Kansas State
Sept. 23 | 1 p.m. CT | Manhattan, Kan.

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2018 STATISTICAL COMPARISON
	OU	KU	K-STATE
Record	4-4-1	6-1-2	4-3-2
Goals	19	14	11
Assists	15	11	9
Points	53	39	31
Shots	106	130	150
Corner Kicks	33	33	44
Saves	47	15	40
Shutouts	1	5	6
Goals Allowed	13	7	6

NORMAN –The Oklahoma soccer team opens conference play with a pair of games at Kansas and Kansas State this weekend. The Sooners will take on Kansas on Friday at 7 p.m. CT in Lawrence, Kan., before facing Kansas State Sunday at 1 p.m. CT in Manhattan, Kan.

Friday's match against Kansas will air on ESPN+ and Sunday's match can be watched on Fox College Sports Central or streamed through K-State TV.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

WEEKEND RECAP For the first time since 2016, the Sooners picked up back-to-back wins as they defeated Utah and Utah Valley on the road. In OU's first road win since 2016, freshmen Hailey Davidson and Megan Reilly led the Sooners to victory over Utah, each scoring a goal in the 2-1 victory. Davidson notched her team-leading fourth goal of the year, while Reilly recorded her first career score.

Against Utah Valley, the Sooners posted their first shutout of the season. Senior Marissa McMahand tallied the lone goal for OU, her first of the season. The defense was stellar, holding the Wolverines to just four shots. Sophomore McKinley Crone needed to make just one save on the day to preserve the shutout.

CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS
With non-conference play wrapped up, the Sooners will open Big 12 play in the state of Kansas. The Sooners are undefeated in three of their last four 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 five of its nine Big 12 matches at home with Texas Tech, OSU, TCU, Iowa State and West Virginia coming to Norman. The Sooners will play Kansas, Kansas State, Texas and Baylor on the road.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
The 2018 freshman class has made an incredible impact since arriving on campus. Hailey Davidson is tied for the team lead with four goals, while Megan Reilly and Lauren Tovy have each added one goal apiece. Reilly has also tallied a pair of assists, while Davidson and classmate Olivia Smith have each recorded one. The freshmen are responsible for 33 percent of shots taken this season (35 of 106) and 30 percent of shots on goal (16 of 55). Along with Davidson, Tovy, Reilly and Smith, Paige Thompson and Cameron Tharp have also seen action on the field this season.

ROAD VICTORIES
After falling in close matches in its first two road games of 2018, the OU soccer team rebounded with a pair of wins on the road this past weekend. The Sooners ended a 16-game road winless streak, dating back to 2016, when they defeated Utah on Sept. 13. With a win on Saturday against Utah Valley, OUposted back-to-back victories for the first time this season. The Sooners also picked up a 1-0 shutout victory on the road, their first shutout of the year.

MARVELOUS MCMAHAND
After tying the school record for assists in a game with three on Aug. 24, senior Marissa McMahand got in on the goal scoring action this past weekend. McMahand's late first-half goal against Utah Valley was all the Sooners needed to pick up the win. It was the first game-winning goal of the senior's career.

SCOUTING REPORT

KANSAS
The Jayhawks are 6-1-2 on the season and ranked No. 24 in the latest poll. Kansas has picked up two wins over ranked opponents this season: then-No. 18 Pepperdine on Aug. 17 and then-No. 25 Butler on Sept. 2. The lone loss on the Jayhawks schedule was a 3-0 defeat at No. 4 Texas A&M on Sept. 16. OU and Kansas have played two common opponents this season in Utah and A&M. Both teams defeated Utah, 2-1, and both allowed three goals to A&M. However, the Sooners did score a goal on the Aggies while Kansas was shut out.

Katie McClure leads the team with five goals and three assists for 13 points on the year. Grace Hagan and Taylor Christie have each added three goals, while Ceri Holland is tied for the team lead with three assists. In goal, Sarah Peters has played every minute, allowing just seven goals and making 15 saves with five shutouts.

KANSAS STATE
The Wildcats are 4-3-2 this season with a 3-2 home record. K-State is coming off a split weekend, falling 1-0 to Missouri State at home before defeating Tulsa, 3-0, on the road. The Wildcats have allowed just six goals this season, shutting out six of their opponents. K-State did not allow a goal in its first three games and has allowed just one in its last three.

Katie Cramer and Brookelynn Entz share the team lead with two goals apiece, while Cramer leads the way with three assists and seven points. Nine different players have recorded at least one goal and six have tallied at least one assist. Emma Malsy has played every minute in goal this year, recording 40 saves for a 0.64 goals allowed average.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will return to John Crain Field for a pair of conference games. OU will take on Texas Tech Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. The second Bedlam game of the season is set for Sunday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.