University of Oklahoma Athletics
University of Oklahoma
Lamar
Sooners Look to Rebound at Lamar
August 21, 2021 | Soccer
NORMAN — The Oklahoma soccer team will look to land in the win column on Sunday night when it travels to Beaumont, Texas, to close its season-opening road trip at Lamar. The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start at the LU Soccer Complex and will be broadcast on the WAC Digital Network.
GAMEDAY STORYLINES
LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners dropped their season opener at Houston on Thursday, falling 3-1 to the Cougars. Sophomore midfielder Cailey England equalized in the 28th minute, but a pair of Houston goals in a three-minute span proved to be too much for Mark Carr's team to overcome in the second half.
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."
Six of the 13 freshmen played at Houston in the opener, led by freshman centerback Sheridan Michael who logged 90 minutes and Leo Weber who tallied 48 minutes.
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 94 matches for the Crimson & Cream.
KNOW YOUR FOE
Lamar (1-0-0) recently moved to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) but enjoyed soccer success in the Southland Conference in its time in the league, winning two league titles, most recently in 2019. The Lady Cardinals started last season with an 8-1 record before injuries slowed their success in the second half of the year. LU has a 57-35-6 record under sixth-year head coach Steve Holeman.
SERIES HISTORY
The Sooners hold 1-0 series lead over Lamar, with the only meeting coming on Sept. 18, 2009 in Norman when OU defeated the Cardinals 2-0.
UP NEXT
The Sooners return to Norman on Aug. 26 for a Bedlam showdown with No. 16 Oklahoma State at John Crain Field. First touch is slated for 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on Sooner Sports TV, while fans can purchase tickets through OU Tickets.
For updates and more information on Oklahoma Soccer, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_WSoccer) and like Oklahoma Soccer on Facebook.
