Soccer Closes Home Slate with Bedlam

NORMAN — The OU soccer team returns to the pitch Thursday night in Norman for Bedlam presented by Phillips 66. OU comes into the match following a 1-0 overtime loss to Baylor last week while the Cowgirls play their first game since Oct. 30, a 2-1 victory in overtime over Texas Tech.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

MATCH BASICS

The OU soccer team plays its final home match of the 2020 fall season on Thursday night when No. 11 Oklahoma State comes to Norman for Bedlam. The match is set for a 7 p.m. CT kick and will air on FOX Sports Oklahoma with Chad McKee and Liz Keester on the call and Meg McDonald on the sideline.

The two squads last met in the Big 12 tournament November 2019, a 2-1 quarterfinal victory for the Cowgirls. The Oklahoma teams were familiar foes in 2019, meeting three times with two matches going to OSU while the two played to a 2-2 draw in their first meeting of 2019.

OU plays its first Thursday match of the season against the Cowgirls before traveling to Lawrence for a season-finale match vs. Kansas on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Due to limited seating capacity related to COVID-19 precautions, Oklahoma will not be selling season or single-game tickets for the 2020 soccer season. Home and visitor student-athletes will receive a limited number of complimentary tickets on a pass-list basis.

Those who receive tickets are required to follow CDC guidelines and wear masks at all times at John Crain Field. Gates will open one hour prior to competition time.

The University of Oklahoma enforces a clear-bag policy and walk-through metal detectors at all home athletics events. Review policies and prohibited items at SoonerSports.com/clearbags.

LOOK BACK

The Sooners dropped an overtime match to Baylor, 1-0, in Waco last Friday evening. The Sooners and Bears battled for 90 scoreless minutes of regulation before Baylor found the back of the net for the golden goal and victory in the 98th minute.

OU put four shots on goal to Baylor's three in the match and had two looks in overtime by junior Lauren Tovy in the 93rd minute but her shots in the box were saved by the Baylor keeper.

Freshman Abby Mitchell played a solid game for the Sooners, recording two shots, both being on goal. Senior Yuuka Kurosaki fired two shots in the match, while juniors Megan Reilly, Cameron Tharp and Olivia Odle each had one look a piece.

Senior Nikki Panas recorded two saves in goal for the Sooners and stopped plenty of Baylor opportunities throughout the match.

The match marked OU's fifth loss by a single goal this season and makes three consecutive matches that ended 1-0 in the opponents favor

QUICK KICKS

OU's team has spread the wealth in terms of shots in 2020, with 15 Sooners recording a shot this season, with 11 Sooners registering shots on goal. As a team, the Sooners average nearly 11 shots per game.

Senior Reagan Glisson leads all Sooners with 12 shots and five on goal in the season. The UGA graduate transfer has had at least one shot on goal in four of OU's six games this season and has put one on net in three of the last four matches.

Freshman Cailey England has started all seven games for the Sooners and has gone the full 367 minutes of OU's last four games. The Dripping Springs, Texas, product has taken seven shots on the season, putting two on goal.

Meg Reilly is second on the team in shots with eight (3 SOG) on the season, while senior Yuuka Kurosaki, junior Bri Amos and freshman Cailey England have taken seven, with Kurosaki putting three on goal to Amos' and England's two. Sophomore Sakura Yoshida has recorded four shots on goal to go with six looks, while junior Lauren Tovy and sophomore Maya McCutcheon have taken five shots on the season. Four of Tovy's five looks have been on goal.

Senior Nikki Panas has registered 33 saves on the season in goal for the Sooners. OU's Canadian keeper has made five-plus saves in four games this season and recorded a career-best eight vs. Texas Tech (10/2). Panas has played all 656:19 minutes of OU's season in goal.

UP NEXT

The Sooners play their final match of the season Sunday, Nov. 15 in Lawrence, Kan., vs. No. 15 Kansas. The match will kick at 1 p.m. CT and air on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma Soccer, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_WSoccer) and like Oklahoma Soccer on Facebook.