Sooners Set to Close Non Conference Play

Oklahoma

Utah Valley

No. 24 SMU

vs. Utah Valley / Thursday / 7 p.m. CT / Bally Sports OK / LIVE STATS / TICKETS
vs. SMU / Sunday / 7 p.m. CT / ESPN+ / LIVE STATS

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma soccer team (3-4-1) closes its non-conference slate this weekend with a match against Utah Valley in Norman on Thursday and matchup at SMU Sunday in Dallas. Thursday's match will air live on Bally Sports Oklahoma while Sunday's game can be seen via ESPN+. Thursday's match in Norman will be Teacher Appreciation Night with teachers encouraged to come out to John Crain Field and be honored at halftime. Additionally, the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free OU Soccer flag. Tickets are available via SoonerSports.com/tickets or at the front gate prior to game time.

STORYLINES

LAST TIME OUT

The Sooners dropped a hard-fought battle at No. 3 Virginia, 2-1, last Sunday. OU hung tough with the third-ranked squad in the country, taking six shots to UVA's 21 and putting a pair on goal. Senior goalkeeper Nikki Panas held her own, making seven saves in the contest. Senior Bri Amos netted OU's goal off an assist in the box from junior Alexis Strickland and perfectly placed corner kick from senior Olivia Odle.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

The Sooners have shown improvement early in the 2021 campaign and sit at 3-4-1 heading into the weekend. The team has already tallied 11 goals, compared to seven in 2020. In addition, the team has threatened offensively, averaging 14.6 shots per game, over five more than last season. Oklahoma's 7.0 shots on goal per game rank fourth in the Big 12. The Sooners are efficient in their attempts on net, putting 48 percent of their shots on frame. Seniors Bri Amos and Jazzy Richards pace the team with three goals each while senior keeper Nikki Panas has been a force in goal for the Sooners in 2021, making 27 saves in 547 minutes played.

QUOTABLE: COACH CARR ON ACC MATCHUPS

"Two important games this weekend. We're coming off a good finish last weekend at Virginia, the No. 3 team in the country. We've emphasized the importance of building on that. Utah Valley is a good team, they've been in the tournament so it's a good opportunity against two quality opponents. SMU is top-25 now, so we have every incentive we need to go in and put forth a good performance. We're excited and we have to build off what we put out there against Virginia last weekend."

KNOW YOUR FOES

Utah Valley comes to Norman off a 3-0 home win over Boise State last Friday. Heather Stainbrook and Sadie Brockbank pace the Wolverines (5-2-0) with four goals each. In goal, Brooke Nielsen leads the team with nine saves in 643 minutes played.
SMU jumped into the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll this week at No. 24 after wins over Oklahoma State (1-0) and Rice (1-0) last week. The Mustangs (4-1-0) are an undefeated 2-0-0 at home this season and are led by leading goalscorer Courtney Sebazco (three goals). Samantha Estrada and Tatum Sutherland have split goalkeeping duties, with Sutherland making 15 saves on the season to Estrada's 10.

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 open Big 12 conference play at Texas Tech, Sept. 23, in Lubbock at 7 p.m. CT before the Red River Rivalry comes to Norman Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.

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

Sooners Set to Close Non Conference Play