Sooners Back Home for Pair of Matches

Oklahoma

Kansas

Kansas State

vs. Kansas / Thursday / 7 p.m. CT / Bally Sports Oklahoma / LIVE STATS / TICKETS
vs. Kansas State / Sunday / 1 p.m. CT / Bally Sports Oklahoma / LIVE STATS / TICKETS

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma soccer team (4-9-1) returns home to John Crain Field for a pair of matches this weekend after playing six of its last eight games on the road. The Sooners meet the Kansas Jayhawks (7-8-1) Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT prior to a 1 p.m. contest Sunday afternoon against Kansas State (6-6-2). Both games will be available to watch on Bally Sports Oklahoma and tickets are still available via SoonerSports.com/tickets or can be purchased at the gate on game day.

Thursday's match will serve as this season's Mental Health Awareness match in conjunction with the OU Athletics Department's Psychological Resources for OU Student-Athletes office. Green 'Mental Health Matters' wristbands will be available to the first 50 fans.
Thursday's game will also be Hispanic Heritage Night at John Crain Field with free 'Vamos Sooners!' shirts available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Sunday's match will be the team's annual 'Pink Game', supporting breast cancer awareness. Pink hand clappers will be available to the first 200 fans in the gate.

STORYLINES

LAST TIME OUT

The University of Oklahoma soccer team was edged by No. 13 TCU, 2-0, last Thursday night in Fort Worth. The Sooners' defense held tough against the 13th-ranked team in the country, shutting down numerous chances by the Horned Frogs as OU senior keeper Nikki Panas made seven saves on the night. Freshman Sheridan Michel fired a pair of shots on goal with one close look that had to be punched out by the TCU keeper. OU put half (4) of their eight shots on frame in the contest.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

The Sooners have shown improvement in the 2021 campaign and sit at 4-9-1 heading into the two home matches. The team has already tallied 18 goals, compared to seven in 2020. In addition, the team has threatened offensively, averaging 9.7 shots per game. The Sooners are efficient in their attempts on net, putting 45 percent of their shots on frame. Senior Jazzy Richards paces the team with four goals while fellow senior Bri Amos has found the back of the net three times. Senior keeper Nikki Panas has been a force in goal for the Sooners in 2021, making 41 saves.

KNOW YOUR FOES

Kansas enters Thursday's match at 7-8-1 and off back-to-back ranked victories over No. 9 West Virginia and No. 23 Baylor. The Jayhawks are led by Brie Severns' five goals and four assists while Emilie Gavillet paces KU in goal with 27 saves on the season. The Jayhawks are both scoring and allowing just over one goal per match.

Kansas State sits at 6-6-2 and meets Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Thursday before making the journey for Sunday's match in Norman. Junior Marisa Weichel leads the Cats with five goals on the season while Brookelynn Entz leads the squad with five assists and 13 shots on goal. In goal, Alaina Werremeyer has recorded three shutouts and 64 saves.

CARR WELCOMES 13 FRESHMEN

Carr will look to his first full recruiting class of 13 freshmen to make an impact on and off the field this season. The 13 signees come to Norman from all over the world, with seven domestic players and six internationals.

"We have high expectations for OU soccer and the 2021 class will be expected to impact the program right away and provide immediate competition," Carr said on his freshman class. "Here at OU, we love and embrace competition as we know this will only bring out the best in all of us. By adding this class to our core group of returners, the future is bright for soccer here at OU."

Seven of the 13 freshmen have played for the Sooners, with Weber, Ella Pappas and Sheridan Michel all tallying points for OU. Pappas scored the game-winning golden goal in double overtime to beat Nebraska with an assist going to Michel.

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

OU soccer is quickly making a name for itself as a haven for international prospects and coaches to cement their places at the top of college soccer in America. All three members of the Sooner coaching staff are from other nations, with Carr coming from England, Gough from Wales and Bard-Martel from Canada. But the international flair in Norman reaches far beyond the touchline.

A total of seven student-athletes have elected to call Norman home, including six first-year students. Freshman forward Leo Weber was named one of Top Drawer Soccer's top international players to watch this season, while Canadian prospects Sheridan Michel, Keera Melenhorst and Nikki Panas spent time in the Canadian youth national team program. Muriel Kroflin joins Carr's 2021 class from Langenargen, Germany, where she spent her youth leading SC Freiburg to Bundesliga titles and playing on the German youth national squad. Norweigan players Une Hebnes Georgsen and Andrine Westlie round out OU's international group, with Georgsen starting in net for the Norweigan youth national team at the U17 UEFA women's qualifiers, while Westlie led Bærum SK and the league in scoring after making her debut at 14.

DIFFERENCE-MAKING TRANSFERS

Carr didn't just retool his roster with a large freshman class but also utilized the transfer portal to bring three ACC student-athletes to Norman.

Makala Thomas spent three seasons at Florida State, helping the Seminoles to the 2018 national championship and playing in 29 games in her time at FSU. Alexis Strickland joins the Sooners from perennial powerhouse North Carolina, where she played in 27 games for the Tar Heels as a freshman before not appearing last season. The final transfer in 2021 is Molly Feighan, who played 16 games last season at Virginia Tech and started all 19 games as a junior in 2019. All three players can play any position in the attacking third for Carr's side.

They join Erika Middleton (Miami), Sakky Yoshida (Oregon), Bri Amos (Kansas) and Olivia Odle (Virginia Tech) as transfers into the OU program.

LED BY THE SENIORS

Despite such a large group of newcomers, the Sooners' leadership comes in the form of their 12 seniors who have combined for nearly 25,000 minutes played at the Division I level. Lauren Haivala, Jazzy Richards and Erika Middleton are all familiar names for Sooner fans, playing in over 100 matches for the Crimson & Cream.

UP NEXT

The Sooners continue Big 12 conference play with a pair of road matches at Oklahoma State (Oct. 21) and Iowa State (Oct. 24) next week. The Sooners and Cowgirls meet at 7 p.m. CT while Sunday's match at Iowa State will kick at 1 p.m. Both games can be seen via subscription 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.