While football fans head south to the Cotton Bowl this weekend, OU soccer prepares to improve its conference standing by traveling north to face the Iowa State Cyclones at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Ames, Iowa, and finishing the road trip against the Missouri Tigers at 1 p.m. Sunday in Columbia, Mo.
The Sooners are 5-4-1 overall, 1-1 in conference action, following a loss to Texas Tech on Friday and a win over Baylor on Sunday in Norman.
A Look at Iowa State
OU defeated the Cyclones 1-0 on Oct. 9, 2009, in Ames, Iowa — the only road win for the Sooners last season. The Cyclones lead the all-time series between the Sooners 8-4-2, 6-1-1 in Ames.
The Cyclones (6-3-2, 1-0 Big 12) won their conference opener against the Kansas Jayhawks in a 2-0 shutout Sunday at home. A pair of freshmen, Jessica Stewart and Emily Goldstein, scored Iowa State’s goals, assisted by another freshman, Jennifer Dominguez, both times.
The Cyclones have a balanced offensive attack, including nine current players with goals scored and five players with assists registered this season.
The team is led on offense by Goldstein with three goals and two assists. The freshman midfielder also has 16 shots on goal for the season and earned Newcomer of the Week conference honors Aug. 24.
A Look at Missouri
The Missouri Tigers (3-4-2, 1-0 Big 12) face Oklahoma State on Friday before hosting the Sooners on Sunday afternoon.
Last season, the Sooners fell to Missouri 1-0 in double overtime in Norman. It was the third consecutive meeting against the Tigers where OU was shut out. The Tigers own an 8-4-1 overall series record over the Sooners.
The Tigers registered a 4-1 come-from-behind win against Kansas in their conference opener Friday.
KU’s Kaitlyn Cunningham scored at the 10:02 mark of the first half, but that was the only time the Jayhawks found the back of the net. Missouri responded with four consecutive goals — three in the second half — by four Tiger players.
The Tigers continue to have a potent offensive front, with six players on the roster scoring multiple goals this season. Missouri is led by Alysha Bonnick, the senior forward who has started all nine games and scored five goals with one registered assist. The North Gower, Ontario, native also has 16 shots on goal.
Freshman midfielder Dominique Richardson and senior midfielder Krista Kruse also remain at the top of the scoring threat list for the Tigers with three goals and one assist each.
A win over one or both teams this weekend would put the Sooners in a good position to advance to the postseason Big 12 Conference tournament.
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