Soccer Set for Kansas Road Swing

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma soccer team hits the road for a pair of matches in the Sunflower State this weekend.

OU (7-3-3, 2-1-2 Big 12) meets Kansas (7-7-1, 0-4-1) for a 7 p.m. CT match Thursday night in Lawrence prior to facing Kansas State (5-7-2, 1-3-1) on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Manhattan. Both matches can be seen on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.

WEEK NINE STORYLINES

The Sooners look to continue their successful run through the 2022 season, winning six of their last eight matches and unbeaten in nine of their last 10 dating back to August 25.

OU has started Big 12 conference play 2-1-1 with wins over Baylor and Iowa State before a close 2-1 loss to Texas Tech and a draw with in-state foe Oklahoma State last week, 1-1.

OU closed non-conference play with a 5-2-2 record, good for the most non-conference wins under Carr and the most since the 2019 team went 5-3-2 through the non-conference slate.

Senior Emma Hawkins paces OU with five goals, while freshman Alexis Washington leads all Sooners with six assists. Freshman Olivia Ramey has started OU's last eight games in net and gone 6-1-1 with 23 saves.

• Riding Momentum: The Sooners have responded to an 0-2-1 start by winning or drawing nine of their last 10 matches dating back to the end of August. OU's 7-3-3 start is the best start through 13 games since 2016 and the best under third-year head coach Mark Carr. The team's eight- match unbeaten streak and six-game win streak that was snapped Oct. 2 with a narrow 2-1 loss vs. Texas Tech was the longest of each category since the 2016 season (8 straight).

• Record-Breaking Crowd: Sooner Nation showed out in OU's last match at John Crain Field on Oct. 6 vs. Oklahoma State. The program set a new attendance record with a crowd of 3,197. It marked the largest at a Big 12 game this season, ranked third largest this season involving a Big 12 team and 18th largest for any Division I game in 2022. The previous attendance record at John Crain Field was 2,475 on Sept. 7, 2012 vs. Oklahoma State.

• Everybody Gets a Goal: The Sooners have had 10 different goal scorers in 2022, including four freshmen tallying at least one goal. Additionally, seven Sooners have two-plus goals and five have three or more. Ten Sooners have also made at least one assist this season.

• Preseason Picks: Oklahoma was picked sixth in the 2022 Big 12 Soccer Preseason Poll after a seventh-place finish in 2021. The Sooners received one first-place vote in this year's poll. The Sooners currently rank fifth in the conference through 13 games of the season with seven points, and are just one point out of a tie for third place.

NEW FACES CONTINUE TO SHINE

New faces have been on display for OU in 2022 as the Sooners have 18 newcomers: 14 true freshmen and four transfers. The 2022 recruiting class ranked 11th in the country via Top Drawer Soccer and No. 1 in the Big 12. Nine true freshmen have started for Coach Carr in 2022, and 13 of the 14 have seen playing time. Of OU's 26 goals on the year, 13 have come from newcomers, including eight goals from freshmen.

• Hawkins Staying Hot: Senior transfer Emma Hawkins has proved to be OU's goalscorer this season. Hawkins leads OU with five goals and 10 points, taking 37 shots on the year and putting 16 SOG (43%).

• Ramey Rockin' in Goal: OU freshman GK Olivia Ramey has collected two Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors on the season after taking over starting duties in Week Three. The frosh from Frisco is 6-1-1 as a starter and has earned three clean sheets and holds an exceptional 0.84 GAA. In last week's Bedlam match, Ramey made a career-high six saves.

Lead, Pak Bedlam _{Freshman Michelle Pak scored the equalizer vs. Oklahoma State last Thursday in Norman, finding the back of the net in the 72nd minute to help OU to the 1-1 draw and point in conference play.}

KEY RETURNERS

Fifth-year senior and high-point scorer from a season ago, Bri Amos, has picked up where she left off, scoring four goals in 2022 to go with one assist and nine points. Leading OU's stout backline is defender Sheridan Michel who has started all but one game for OU in her two seasons on campus (34 career starts). Michel has tallied three goals this season, while fellow sophomore Leonie Weber has chipped in three goals and 14 shots on goal. Junior captain Cailey England has been a force in the midfield since stepping on campus, starting 45 career games.

Lead, SOC Amos _{Senior captain Bri Amos ranks second on the team in goals (4) and points (9).}

UP NEXT

After OU's Sunflower State swing this weekend, the Sooners will welcome No. 10 TCU (Thursday, 7 p.m. CT) and West Virginia (Sunday, 1 p.m.) to Norman next week. Both matches can be seen on SoonerVision on ESPN+.

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