Sooners Continue Record-Setting Start, Beat UAPB

Thursday, August 24

John Crain Field

8 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

3-0-0, 0-0-0

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

2-1-0, 0-0-0

Ark.-Pine Bluff

Oklahoma

Sooners Continue Record-Setting Start, Beat UAPB

August 24, 2023 | Soccer

Box Score Box: OU 8, UAPB 1 Photo Gallery

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma soccer team moved to 3-0 on the season with a dominant 8-1 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Thursday night at John Crain Field. The Sooners' eight goals tied a school record for single game goals, while the team racked up a single match school record 23 points.

The Sooners 3-0 start is their best since 2009 when OU opened the year 4-0, and Oklahoma's 18 goals through three games are the most in program history.

"Team played really well, continued to attack the whole game, that's what we talked about at the end of the game," said first-year head coach Matt Mott. "We continued to go at them and use our pressure and how we turned them over we were able to get some good goals."

After surrendering a goal in the fifth minute, the Sooners responded by scoring eight unanswered goals over the remainder of the match, powered by braces from redshirt senior Dani Wolfe and sophomore Hadley Murrell.

The Wolfe sisters scored their first goals as Sooners, as forward D. Wolfe tallied goals in the fifth and 13th minutes for her third career brace, while her sister, defender Andie Wolfe, scored her first career goal in the 23rd minute. D. Wolfe was assisted on her goals from Michelle Pak, Leonie Weber, Emma Hawkins and Alexis Washington, while Weber tallied her second assist of the match on A. Wolfe's goal.

Rounding out OU's four first-half goals was Morganne Eikelbarner, her second of the season and fourth of her career. The sophomore forward was assisted by A. Wolfe, the third point of the night for the Michigan State junior transfer.

The Sooners didn't let up in the second 45, doubling their goal tally with two of the four coming from Murrell over a 34-second burst. The sophomore recorded her first career brace with the pair, slotting her first of the night past the the keeper and then her second with a right-footed strike from outside the 18-yard box in the 61st minute.

Keller Matise opened her account in the 74th minute, scoring her first career goal off an assist from Muriel Kroflin. Nine minutes later, Murrell drew a penalty in the box and sophomore Marianne Baltmanis notched her first career goal from the spot to make it 8-1, Sooners.

Emma Hawkins, who was named national player of the week by United Soccer Coaches on Tuesday, took a team-high nine shots — her most as a Sooner and second-most in her career behind a 12-shot effort vs. UAPB while she starred at Central Arkansas.

Thursday night's eight goals tied the program record, accomplishing a feat that had been done only four times prior, most recently vs. UTSA on Sept. 6, 2015.

In goal, sophomore Olivia Ramey and redshirt sophomore Sierra Giorgio did not allow a goal in the run of play, allowing just one goal off a set piece in the fifth minute. Giorgio recorded OU's only save of the night.

The Sooners take the show on the road for the first time this season on Sunday, meeting Samford in Birmingham, Ala. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. CT start and can be seen via ESPN+.

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