Soccer Opens Home Slate With Bedlam

Thursday, August 26

Norman

7 PM

University of Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Tickets

Photo by: Joshua R. Gateley

August 25, 2021 | Soccer

Tickets Watch Live Stats Match Notes

By: OU Athletics Communications

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Thursday, August 26 / 7:00 p.m. / John Crain Field / Sooner Sports TV / Tickets

NORMAN — Bedlam is set to return to Norman for the first time in the 2021-22 season on Thursday when the Sooner soccer team hosts Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Sooner Sports TV with Chad McKee and Jemma Cota on the call, and fans can purchase tickets through Oklahoma Athletics.

Both teams enter Thursday's non-conference matchup with a 1-1-0 record after splitting their opening weekend of games.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

LAST TIME OUT

The Sooners (1-1-0) got into the win column for the first time in 2021 on Sunday, dispatching Lamar 4-0 in Beaumont, Texas. Four different goal scorers - Leonie Weber, Jazzy Richards, Molly Feighan and Bri Amos - found the net versus the Cardinals as OU scored four goals in a match for the first time since 2019. Making her college debut in net, Une Georgsen, secured a clean sheet in the win, marking OU's first road shutout since a 1-0 win over Iowa State in 2019.

HOT START

Oklahoma has gotten off on the right foot in 2021, as the team ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring offense (2.50), assists per game (2.50) and points per game (7.50). Freshman goalkeeper Une Georgsen is one of three Big 12 players with a shutout in the first two matches.

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 in the Sooners' opening two matches, with Weber, Ella Pappas and Muriel Kroflin all tallying points for OU.

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 a total of 98 matches for the Crimson & Cream.

KNOW YOUR FOE

The Cowgirls (1-1-0) enter Norman after a 3-2 OT loss versus Pittsburgh, which saw Oklahoma State fall from No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches poll to receiving votes. The Pokes remain ranked 24th by Top Drawer Soccer. Led by five All-Big 12 performers and 21 returning letterwinners, OSU opened it's season with a 2-0 win over UTSA before the Pittsburgh loss. Colin Carmichael, in his 17th year at the helm in Stillwater, had his team picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll and landed three players - Olyvia Dowell, Kim Rodriguez and Grace Yochum - on the preseason All-Big 12 team.

SERIES HISTORY

The Sooners trail the Bedlam series 28-9-4 and seek their first win Sept. 30, 2018, when Oklahoma claimed a 2-1 victory. OSU has won four consecutive matches.

UP NEXT

Thursday's match opens a four-game homestand for the Sooners, who take the field next on Sunday at 1 p.m. versus Nebraska. The match will be broadcast on Sooner Sports TV.

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