Pappas' OT Goal Sends OU Past Huskers

Sunday, August 29

Norman

1 PM

University of Oklahoma

2-2-0, 0-0-0

Nebraska

3-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Nebraska	0	0	0	0	0
Oklahoma	0	0	0	1	1

Photo by: Ty Russell

August 29, 2021 | Soccer

Box Score Highlights Game Book Photo Gallery

Oklahoma native Ella Pappas sent OU into the win column Sunday with a golden-goal winner over Nebraska.

By: OU Athletics Communications

NORMAN – Oklahoma native Ella Pappas collected the through ball from fellow freshman Sheridan Michel, took one touch, and then put her shot into the back of the net to give Oklahoma a 1-0 golden-goal win over previously undefeated Nebraska at John Crain Field on Sunday afternoon.

Senior goalkeeper Nikki Panas made the moment possible, as she kept head coach Mark Carr's team in the game with a career-high 11 saves in the shutout win. Pappas' goal was the first of her collegiate career and helped the Sooners (2-2-0) get back to .500 on the young season.

"Moments like the one we had today have been a year in the works," Carr said. "We saw the new mentality of OU soccer tonight. That was a great college soccer game, from both sides. Nebraska is a really good team and they're going to beat some teams this year. It's taken so much work to get to the mentality we showed tonight - we had to change the culture and find people that wanted to be part of a big program that has big ambition, and today was the first step in achieving some of those goals."

In the first half of action, neither side found quality chances early on, with each team taking a pair of shots early to no avail. The first quality attempt for either side came in the 19th minute when Sooner Alexis Strickland shook her defender and bent a right-footed shot that forced Nebraska goalkeeper Sami Hauk to make a diving save to keep things tied.

After Strickland's shot, the Huskers (3-1-0) turned up their intensity and pressed higher into the Sooners' third, resulting in a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in the 29th minute. With Nebraska's Kenzie Coons over the ball, Panas waited in net for the shot, which was fired near the right post but the Edmonton, Canada, product dove for the save and kept the Huskers off the board. Just two minutes later, Panas would be called on once again after a perfect ball was played into the box and off a Nebraska striker's head, but the senior punched that attempt out, too. Finally, Panas made her fifth and sixth save of the first half in the 44th minute when a Nebraska counter found the Sooner goalkeeper in a one versus one situation where she tallied two saves to send the teams into the break scoreless.

The Sooners set a relentless tempo early in the second half, tallying a pair of unfruitful corners in the first five minutes - OU would finish the match with a 9-4 corner-kick advantage. OU's best chance in regulation came in the 59th when Keera Melenhorst played a perfect ball to Lauren Tovy in the box, who bent her shot through the defender's legs, but Hauk registered another save. The final chance in regular time came in the 89th minute as Oklahoma took another corner that just missed the head of Leonie Weber, forcing the match into overtime.

The first OT period was primarily controlled by Nebraska, who created four shots to Oklahoma's zero, as Panas notched two more saves, including her career-best ninth and 10th of the match. She would later tally her 11th, and final, save of the match in the second extra frame.

"I'm so proud of my team today," Panas said after the win. "We've got some things we have to work on to be more defensively sound, but I thought we were so tough and resilient and we're just happy to get the win."

Carr made two changes to get fresh legs on the field in the final extra frame, bringing in Pappas and Sakky Yoshida. Oklahoma's first substantial opportunity of the period came in the 105th minute when Pappas delivered a cross into the box that found the foot of Strickland, whose shot appeared to cross the touchline in the grasp of the Husker goalkeeper, but officials ruled the attempt a no-goal, leaving the match scoreless in the final minutes.

But as the clock struck into the 109th minute, the Sooners forced a turnover near midfield as Michel collected the loose ball and sent a precise pass over the top of the NU backline, landing at the feet of Pappas. The Edmond native gathered the pass, took a touch left to pull the keeper out and promptly buried her shot, this time leaving no doubt and giving the Sooners a golden-goal double-overtime win.

"It's really special to get my first college goal in such a big match," Pappas said. "It was a great pass from Sheridan (Michel) and I knew that I just had to finish it for my team. I'm really proud of the way we fought for 110 minutes today and Nebraska definitely didn't make it easy, so it's been a really special moment."

As a team, the Sooners took 17 shots with 11 going on goal, compared to Nebraska's 18 shots, 15 of which were on frame. It was Oklahoma's second clean sheet of the season after blanking Lamar 4-0 a week prior.

Carr's team now looks ahead to the final two games of the current four-game homestand, set for Friday versus Kansas City and Sunday at 5 p.m. versus North Texas. Both matches are set to be broadcast on Bally Sports.