OU Back Home for Pair of Matches

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma soccer team returns to the friendly confines of John Crain Field for the first time in six games as the team hosts two Big 12 conference matches this weekend.

OU welcomes Iowa State on Thursday for a 7 p.m. CT match before a 1 p.m. meeting with Texas Tech on Sunday afternoon. Both matches can be seen on SoonerVision on ESPN+ with Chad McKee and OU alum Jemma Cota on the call.

Tickets are still available for purchase via SoonerSports.com/tickets or at the gate on game day.

Thursday's match will serve as Hispanic Heritage Night with free 'Vamos Sooners' shirts available at the gate while supplies last. Sunday's match will be OU's annual 'Pink Game' supporting breast cancer awareness. 250 OU corner flags will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis as well as bucket hats for OU students while supplies last.

WEEK SEVEN STORYLINES

The Sooners (6-2-2) return home on a tear, winning their last five matches and unbeaten in their last seven dating back to August 25. OU opened conference play last Friday with a 2-0 victory over Baylor.

Last Friday's win marked OU's first conference-opening win since 2016 and the Sooners 6-2-2 start is the best start through 10 games since the 2016 season (7-2-1).

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, scoring in three of the Sooners' last four games. Freshman Alexis Washington leads all Sooners with five assists. Freshman Olivia Ramey has started OU's last five games in net and gone an undefeated 5-0-0 with 11 saves.

• Still Streaking: The Sooners have responded to a 0-2-1 start by rattling off seven straight unbeaten and five straight victories. The 6-2-2 start is the best start through 10 games since 2016 and the best under third-year head coach Mark Carr. The team's seven-match unbeaten streak and five-game win streak is the longest of each category since the 2016 season (eight straight).

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

• Ramey Goes Back-to-Back: OU freshman GK Olivia Ramey was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the second straight week after a shutout performance at Baylor last week. Ramey is 5-0-0 as a starter and has earned three clean sheets and holds an exceptional 0.57 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%). She has scored in three of OU's last four games and is tied for fifth in the conference with her five goals.

• 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.

Three of the four transfers have played, led by UCA transfer Emma Hawkins, who brought 34 career goals with her from her three years at UCA and leads the team with five goals in 2022. Fellow senior transfer Makinzie Short leads OU in goal with 24 saves.

Of OU's 21 goals on the year, 10 have come from newcomers, including five goals from freshmen.

Lead, Ramey SOC _{Freshman Olivia Ramey is undefeated in goal in her five starts this 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 (31 career starts). Michel has tallied two goals this season, while fellow sophomore Leonie Weber has chipped in three goals and 11 shots on goal. Junior captain Cailey England has been a force in the midfield since stepping on campus, starting 42 career games.

Lead, SOC Weber _{Sophomore Leonie Weber has two goals in OU's last three games.}

UP NEXT

The Bedlam Series comes to Norman next Thursday, Oct. 6, as the Sooners face the Cowgirls at 7 p.m. CT on John Crain Field. Tickets are available via SoonerSports.com/tickets and at the gate on game day. The match can be seen via 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.