Sooners Fall in Bedlam Battle

Thursday, August 26

Norman

7 PM

University of Oklahoma

1-2-0, 0-0-0

Oklahoma State

2-1-0, 0-0-0

Oklahoma St.

Oklahoma

Photo by: Josh Gateley

August 26, 2021 | Soccer

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By: OU Athletics Communications

NORMAN – The Oklahoma soccer team battled with No. 24 Oklahoma State for 90 minutes on Thursday night but were downed 2-0 by the Cowgirls in a non-conference Bedlam match.

The Sooners (1-2-0) took 11 shots on the night, one more than their in-state rivals, but an Oklahoma State (2-1-0) goal in each half proved to be the difference in front of the 1,045 fans that poured into John Crain Field.

"A tough result tonight, but I'm so proud of the character and fight that this team showed and how we dominated the ball in large stretches," second-year head coach Mark Carr said. "We were relentless, did not stop working, and we played hard until the final minute of the game."

Oklahoma set the tone early with a pair of fouls that became an indicator of how physical Thursday's Bedlam match would be. The teams combined for 21 fouls, with five yellow cards being shown throughout the game.

The Sooners opened the match with a pair of shots from Leonie Weber and Cailey England in the 12th and 14th minutes. Then, in the 17th minute, Oklahoma State used a quick counter and half clearance to send a shot into the box that was deflected into the back of the net by Gabriella Coleman to put the Pokes up 1-0.

A young Sooners' squad would respond positively, dominating possession for the remained of the first half and creating a few chances that came up empty.

"I thought we really responded brilliantly after the first goal and controlled the game in the defensive to the midfield third," Carr added. "Sometimes when you give up a soft goal like that, with some teams, it can bury you. We responded in a really positive way. We just didn't have enough quality in the final third and OSU made it really hard for us in and around the box and the goal zone."

Trailing by a goal in the second half, one of Oklahoma's best chances came in the 50th minute when freshman midfielder Keera Melenhorst collected a pass off a set piece and sent her shot just left of the post.

Using the momentum created from the 1,045 fans at John Crain Field, Carr's side kept pressing for an equalizer and nearly found it again off the foot of Makala Thomas in the 56th minute. The transfer from Florida State took a shot inside the box that beat the Oklahoma State keeper but ricocheted off the woodwork to keep OU off the board.

"The atmosphere was electric tonight and it was great to see fans back in the stands," Carr said about the crowd. "I know that a lot of our administration and other coaches were here tonight and that means a lot to me and to our student-athletes. They were awesome all night for us, and I wanted our team to hear them more. We feed off the crowd's energy and help give energy to them, so for them to show up like they did tonight is something that really drives us forward."

Oklahoma State added another goal in the 58th minute when Summer Chaffin bent a shot off her right foot into the back corner of the net to give the Cowgirls a 2-0 lead that would hold until the final whistle.

Nikki Panas returned to the net for the Sooners tonight, making her 2021 debut after missing the spring slate due to injury. The redshirt senior tallied two saves in the loss but was involved in numerous clearances.

Freshman centerback Sheridan Michel once again tallied 90 minutes for the Sooners, as did sophomore captain Cailey England. Megan Reilly led the team with a pair of shots, while nine other Sooners took their chance on net too. Cameron Tharp earned her first start of the season after starting 10 games for the Crimson and Cream last year.

The Bedlam rivalry will be reprised in Stillwater on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.

The Sooners now turn their attention to Nebraska (3-0-0), who they'll host Sunday at 1 p.m. at John Crain Field. The Huskers have outscored opponents 10-1 through three matches and defeated Baylor 2-1 in Waco on Thursday night. Sooner Sports TV will broadcast the match.