Soccer Opens Big 12 Play

Oklahoma

Texas Tech

Texas

vs. Texas Tech / Thursday / 7 p.m. CT / ESPN+ / LIVE STATS
vs. Texas / Sunday / 1 p.m. CT / SoonerSports.tv / LIVE STATS / TICKETS

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma soccer team (4-5-1) opens Big 12 conference play this weekend as the Sooners travel to Lubbock, Texas, Thursday for a 7 p.m. CT first touch vs. Texas Tech (7-1-1) prior to a Sunday afternoon contest in Norman with Red River rival Texas (4-3-2) at 1 p.m. Thursday's game at Tech will be available to watch via ESPN+ (subscription required) while Sunday's game versus the Longhorns can be seen on SoonerSports.tv (subscription required). Tickets for Sunday's match are available via SoonerSports.com/tickets or at the front gate prior to game time. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free OU Soccer scarf.

STORYLINES

LAST TIME OUT

The Sooners dropped a hard-fought match at No. 24 SMU last Sunday, 1-0. The Sooners controlled the contest in every category aside from the scoreboard, outshooting the Mustangs 14-2 in the game and putting four shots on goal to SMU's one. OU had a goal negated in the 17^th minute as Bri Amos found the back of the net off a would-be assist from Keera Melenhorst but the Sooners were called for a close offside and the game remained scoreless until SMU found the game-winning goal in the 59^th minute.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

The Sooners have shown improvement in the 2021 campaign and sit at 4-5-1 heading into conference play. The team has already tallied 15 goals, compared to seven in 2020. In addition, the team has threatened offensively, averaging 15.5 shots per game, over five more than last season. Oklahoma's 7.1 shots on goal per game rank fourth in the Big 12. The Sooners are efficient in their attempts on net, putting 46 percent of their shots on frame. Senior Jazzy Richards paces the team with four goals while fellow senior Bri Amos has found the back of the net three times. Senior keeper Nikki Panas has been a force in goal for the Sooners in 2021, making 29 saves in 727 minutes played.

QUOTABLE: COACH CARR ON START OF CONFERENCE PLAY

"I think the goal is to continue to build off what we've been doing. We're in a really good place coming off our performance against SMU where we outperformed the opponent and that's the expectation. Obviously, Texas Tech is a good team but we've grown a lot in our confidence throughout nonconference play and we're going to give everything to go down there and get the result we want."

KNOW YOUR FOES

Texas Tech enters conference play 7-1-1 following a win over Eastern Washington last Sunday, 3-0. Ashleigh Williams and Kirsten Davis pace the team with six goals apiece while Macy Blackburn leads the Red Raiders with six assists. In goal, Madison White has played every minute of the season, making 17 saves and shutting out five opponents. The last three meetings between the Sooners and Red Raiders have ended in a draw dating back to the 2017 season.

Texas comes to Norman on Sunday following a Big 12-opening contest with Kansas State on Thursday. Currently, the Longhorns are 4-3-2 and most recently beat SIUE last Sunday, 3-0. Lexi Missimo leads the Horns with seven goals on the year while Missimo and Trinity Byars pace UT with five assists apiece. In goal, Savannah Madden has made 33 saves on the season in 844 minutes played.

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 continue Big 12 conference play with a pair of natinally-ranked road matches, Oct. 1 and 7 at West Virginia and TCU.

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