OU dropped a tough match in penalty kicks to Bedlam rival Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship final Sunday in San Antonio.

OU’s loss to the Cowgirls was only the second time the final match was decided by penalty kicks in conference history (Texas-Colorado in 2006).

“I was proud of the way we came out and got an early goal,” coach Nicole Nelson said. “It was a great build-up and a great goal. But you have to commend Oklahoma State for a great fight and congratulate them on the win.”

OU wasted little time during the program’s first championship final, scoring just one minute and 38 seconds into the contest with a back-post assist from sophomore forward Caitlin Mooney to freshman forward Annalisa Hall. It was Hall’s third goal of the season.

After falling scoreless to OSU 1-0 on Aug. 22 and 2-0 on Oct. 29, the Sooners led for over 67 minutes in the contest with the first goal against OSU’s goalkeeper Adrianna Franch in three games this season.

The Cowgirls held a 14-2-1 edge in the all-time series against the Sooners entering the contest.

But OSU, the defending conference champions, didn’t go down quietly. The Sooner defense spent most of the second half battling Cowgirl shots, leading to a miscue by sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Devonshire that left the net wide open for OSU.

The score by OSU junior forward Kyndall Treadwell was the first goal allowed by Devonshire during the tournament.

The Sooners saw offensive life in two breakaways by senior forward Whitney Palmer and senior defender Lauren Alkek, but OU was unable to capitalize on either opportunity.

Offensive momentum continued for the Sooners as sophomore forward Dria Hampton also had a chance in the 80th minute to put the Sooners back in the lead, but Franch made a diving save to keep the teams tied and force overtime.

After two overtime sessions couldn’t decide a winner, the teams prepared for the penalty kick round. Palmer led off the stance with a quick shot past Franch on the left side. OSU senior midfielder Annika Niemeier followed in line with an identical shot.

But it was the save by Franch against OU junior midfielder Jordan White in the third round that gave the Cowgirls the edge the team needed.

With one shot left to defend and both teams tied at 4-4 in the round, OSU junior forward Krista Lopez sent the game-winning shot beyond the fingertips of Devonshire to give the Cowgirls their second conference win and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Sooners will await the NCAA selection at 3:30 p.m. Monday to find out if their 12-7-3 record is enough to earn the team a spot in the field of 64.