Oklahoma Falls in Bedlam, Remains Qualified for Big 12 Championship

Monday, October 23

Stillwater, OK

7 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

7-9-2, 3-5-2

Oklahoma State

12-7-0, 5-5-0

Oklahoma

Oklahoma St.

Photo by: Morgan Givens, OU Athletics

Oklahoma Falls in Bedlam, Remains Qualified for Big 12 Championship

October 23, 2023 | Soccer

Box Score Game Book

By: OU Athletics Communications

STILLWATER, Okla. – A late game-winning goal was the only difference on Monday night in Stillwater as Oklahoma fell to Oklahoma State, 1-0, in the regular season finale.

Even with the result, the Sooners (7-9-2, 3-5-2) qualify for the Big 12 Championship in Round Rock, Texas, which opens this weekend. OU finished the regular season with 11 points and will be the No. 10 seed in the tournament, earning a rematch with No. 7-seeded Oklahoma State (12-7-0, 5-5-0) in Saturday's first round.

"Obviously a tough result tonight," first-year head coach Matt Mott said. "I thought we had moments where we looked good, but we just didn't have enough to get the result we wanted. We'll get a rematch with them (Oklahoma State) on Saturday and have a chance to play to our standard where we'll hope to get it right in a big game."

Oklahoma got its first chance of the night when Dani Wolfe just missed the back of the net in the sixth minute to keep it scoreless. Wolfe then forced OSU goalkeeper Grace Gordon to make a diving save in the 23rd to hold OU scoreless in the half. OU's best chance of the night came in the 28th minute when Hadley Murrell found herself open in the 18-yard box and fired a shot across net, but Gordon made a great save to preserve the clean sheet. For the Sooners, goalkeeper Olivia Ramey tallied a trio of saves in the first 45 and finished with five stops on the night.

In the second half, the teams traded blows, with each side forcing the opposing keeper to make multiple saves. The breakthrough finally came when Oklahoma State's Alex Morris steadied a pass from 25 yards out in the 83rd minute, took a shot and found the back of the net for the game-winning goal. The Sooners pressed over the final handful of minutes, with Wolfe taking one last shot that was saved as the clock hit zero, giving the Cowgirls the 1-0 win.

The Sooners now look toward the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship, slated to open Saturday afternoon at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex in Round Rock, Texas. With the Big 12 expanding to 14 teams in 2023, only 10 of the league's teams made the tournament. Oklahoma will take on Oklahoma State at 3:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in the single-elimination championship. The winner of Saturday's Bedlam rematch will take on No. 2-seeded BYU, who was ranked No. 7 nationally in this week's poll, on Monday at 5:30 p.m. At the 2022 championship, Oklahoma upset No. 3-seeded Texas Tech in the first round before falling to eventual runner-up TCU in the next round.

All-session tickets to the championship cost $35, and general admission tickets to Saturday's first round are just $5. All of the championship's matches will be streamed on ESPN+.