OU Faces Baylor in Waco Friday

NORMAN — The OU soccer team returns to the pitch Friday evening in Waco, Texas, for a matchup with the Baylor Bears. The match will kick at 5 p.m. CT and is available to watch on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.

"Our team has been really optimistic this week," said OU head coach Mark Carr. "We had Tuesday off and that gave us the opportunity for everyone to freshen up a bit.

"For me, it's progress. I've said it throughout the season but it's about constantly improving. We've come a long way with our performances against the top two teams in the conference the past few weeks. Now, it's about the consistency we're looking for this week against Baylor. We know they're a physical team, their strategy is a little bit different. It's going to require a lot from us and we have that opportunity in front of us. We're going to go down there and give it our best shot."

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

MATCH BASICS

The OU soccer team plays its third road match of the season Friday evening in Waco, Texas, against the Baylor Bears. The game is set for a 5 p.m. CT kick and is available to watch via Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.

The Sooners (0-5-1) come in to Friday's match following a 1-0 loss to No. 4 TCU in Norman last Friday, while the Bears (2-3-3) will be playing the final game of their fall season following a 1-0 loss to Texas last week.

The two teams last met Oct. 13, 2019, a 2-1 Oklahoma victory in overtime. Senior Kaylee Dao netted the golden goal in the 94th minute in addition to current sophomore Maya McCutcheon recording her second career goal. Current junior Megan Reilly also registered two shots in the game while senior Nikki Panas made seven saves in goal for the Sooners.

LOOK BACK

The Sooners dropped a tight match to No. 4 TCU, 1-0, at John Crain Field on senior night in Norman. OU took another top-ranked team to the wire after dropping the previous week's contest to No. 6 West Virginia by the same count, 1-0.

Junior Megan Reilly and senior Yuuka Kurosaki led the way for OU in shots, each with a pair. Seniors Erika Yost and Reagan Glisson, junior Cameron Tharp and freshman Cailey England all had one look a piece with Yost and Glisson both putting their shots on goal.

Nikki Panas had another solid outing in goal for the Sooners, making seven saves.

Prior to the contest, OU's six seniors were honored on the field. Carr spoke on the importance of the group postgame.

"These seniors have been nothing but bought in to what I've asked of them and they're laying the foundation of what's to come. We don't know what next year will look like but just an incredible group of young women that I'm privileged to work with every single day."

QUICK KICKS

OU's team has spread the wealth in terms of shots in 2020, with 15 Sooners recording a shot this season, with 10 Sooners registering shots on goal. As a team, the Sooners average 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 straight matches.

Freshman Cailey England has started all six games for the Sooners and has gone the full 90 minutes the last three games for OU. The Dripping Springs, Texas, product has taken seven shots on the season, putting two on goal.

Three Sooners have taken seven shots on the year, juniors Bri Amos and Megan Reilly and freshman Cailey England, with Reilly putting three on goal to Amos' and England's two. Sophomore Sakura Yoshida has put four shots on goal to go with six looks, while fellow sophomore Maya McCutcheon has taken five shots on the season.

Senior Nikki Panas has registered 31 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 560:00 minutes of OU's season in goal.

UP NEXT

The Sooners return to John Crain Field next Thursday, Nov. 12 for a Bedlam matchup with Oklahoma State. It marks OU's final home game of the 2020 fall season and will kick at 7 p.m. CT and be available to watch on FOX Sports Oklahoma.

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