Second Half of SEC Play Starts at Home Against Auburn

NORMAN — (NR/20) Oklahoma Soccer starts the second half of conference play when (RV/NR) Auburn comes to John Crain Field for the first time Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday's match will be streamed on SEC Network+ and will be available on statbroadcast.com. Chad McKee (play-by-play) and Nick McMillan (color commentary) will be on the call.

PROMOS AT THE PITCH

Friday will be this year's Kicks for a Cure game, raising awareness for breast cancer as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pizza will be given away to students in attendance and a $2 concessions promotion available for fans.

SERIES HISTORY

Oklahoma and Auburn are meeting for just the second time and for the first time in Norman. OU and Auburn played to a 1-1 draw in Alabama last season, with Kayla Keefer scoring the Sooners' goal.

LAST TIME OUT

OU led, 1-0, at the half thanks to a Kate McCallister goal, but Texas got even with a penalty kick and eventually took the lead with a goal in the 82nd minute as the Sooners came up short on the road for the first time this season.

THE SCOUT

Auburn makes its first-ever trip to Norman. The Tigers are in their second year under the direction of head coach James Armstrong, who spent six seasons at Mississippi State where he helped guide the Bulldogs to the 2024 SEC Regular Season Championship.

Auburn went 5-6-7 last season, earning the final spot in the 2025 SEC Tournament.

This season the Tigers have tallied a 7-2-3 record in part due to a stingy defense that has only allowed 3 goals while the Tigers have scored 20. Auburn's goals against average (.250) ranks first in the SEC and second in the nation. Dylan Driver's four goals ranks first on the team, but the Tigers have had 12 different goal scorers.

MAC HERMANN TROPHY RECOGNITION

Junior forward Kayla Keefer was named to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List on Wednesday. Keefer is one of 30 players across the country tabbed to the list as she leads the nation in goals (15) and points (32) through 13 matches.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Freshman Kate McCallister earned her second SEC Freshman of the Week honor of the season after being tabbed this past Monday. The freshman is the first two-time SEC Freshman of the Week in program history. Three of her four goals this season have come on the road (at Oklahoma State, at Georgia and at Texas).

NOTABLE NUMBERS

4: Oklahoma and Auburn are tied for fourth place in the SEC standings (both teams are 3-2). The top four teams in the SEC standings receive a first round bye in the SEC Tournament.

5: OU is five games into its SEC slate, marking the halfway point in the Sooners' conference schedule. OU hosts Auburn and Arkansas while it is set to go to Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee.

10: With a win the Sooners would reach double-digit victories for the third season in a row. It would be just the second time in program history that OU has done so (2014-16 was the previous time.)

27: Freshmen Kennedy Kaiser and Kate McCallister have combined for 21 of the 27 points tallied by freshmen this season, with 10 coming from Kaiser's five goals and 11 from four goals and three assists by McCallister.