Bedlam Soccer in Norman Thursday Night

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma soccer team caps its three-game homestead on Thursday night at John Crain Field as Bedlam comes to Norman.

OU (7-3-2, 2-1-0 Big 12) welcomes in-state foe Oklahoma State (9-1-2, 2-0-1) for a 7 p.m. CT match on ESPN+. Tickets are still available for purchase via SoonerSports.com/tickets or at the gate on game day.

Thursday's match will serve as OU's Women of Championship Excellence and Mental Health Awareness Match. Giveaways at the gate include green MHA wristbands, Title IX t-shirts and crimson thunder sticks while supplies last.

The game is the 44th installment of Bedlam soccer and the first matchup between the teams of the season after the scheduled non-conference matchup on August 28 in Stillwater was canceled due to inclement weather.

WEEK EIGHT STORYLINES

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

OU has started Big 12 conference play 2-1-0 with wins over Baylor and Iowa State before a close 2-1 loss to Texas Tech last Sunday.

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 five assists. Freshman Olivia Ramey has started OU's last seven games in net and gone 6-1-0 with 17 saves.

• Coming off The Streak: The Sooners responded to a 0-2-1 start by rattling off eight straight unbeaten and six straight victories until last Sunday's narrow 2-1 loss to Texas Tech. OU's 7-3-2 start is the best start through 12 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 was the longest of each category since the 2016 season (8 straight).

• Everybody Gets a Goal: The Sooners have had 11 different goal scorers in 2022, including six freshman tallying at least one goal. Additionally, six Sooners have two-plus goals and five have three or more. Ten Sooners have also made at least one assist this season.

• 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 6-1-0 as a starter and has earned three clean sheets and holds an exceptional 0.82 GAA, allowing just three goals on the year.

• 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 30 shots on the year and putting 14 SOG (47%).

• 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.

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 25 goals on the year, 12 have come from newcomers, including seven goals from freshmen..

Lead, washington SOC _{Freshman Alexis Washington leads OU with six assists on the season.}

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 (33 career starts). Michel has tallied three goals this season, while fellow sophomore Leonie Weber has chipped in three goals and 13 shots on goal. Junior captain Cailey England has been a force in the midfield since stepping on campus, starting 44 career games.

Lead, England SOC Tech _{Junior captain Cailey England has 44 career starts and has put six shots on goal from her midfield position in 2022.}

UP NEXT

The Sooners hit the road for a pair of matches in the Sunflower State. OU meets Kansas in Lawrence on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. CT before a matchup with Kansas State on Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. Both matches can be seen 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.