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Aug. 16, 2012

Oklahoma vs. Nebraska and LSU
Game 1 vs. Huskers	Friday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.
Game 2 vs. Tigers	Monday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. | John Crain Field
Online	Live Stats | Twitter (@SoonerSoccer)
Promos and Tickets	Schedule Posters, Autographs & More | Tickets
Additional Info	2012 Guide | Notes | 2012 Preview | Q&A

 
NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma soccer team (0-0) kicks off the 2012 season at home for fourth time in the last six years when it hosts Nebraska (0-0) on Friday, Aug. 17. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. start time at John Crain Field at the OU Soccer Complex and is the start of a four-game homestand for the Sooners. OU will also host LSU, Nicholls State and Vanderbilt in the longest homestand of 2012.

OU is coming off a 2-0 exhibition loss at home against Tulsa on Saturday. Nebraska was victorious in its lone exhibition game with a 2-0 decision at South Dakota State on Aug. 10. Nebraska enters its 19th season under head coach John Walker. The Huskers were 7-10-1 in 2011 and finished 10th (4-7) in their first season in the Big 10 Conference. NU returns six starters from a year ago and was picked to finish 10th this season by the league coaches.

The Sooners are 2-12-1 all-time against the Huskers after the last meeting in 2010, which ended in a scoreless tie in Norman. The double overtime game ended a five-game winning streak for Nebraska in the series. OU last topped NU in 2004, a 1-0 decision in Norman. The Sooners are 1-5-1 all-time against the Huskers in Norman. Nine of the 15 all-time meetings have been decided by one goal or less, with Nebraska holding a 7-1-1 advantage.

Game 2 | vs. LSU
On Monday, Aug. 20, Oklahoma welcomes LSU (0-0) to Norman for the first time since 2008. The Sooners and Tigers are scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at the OU Soccer Complex.

LSU did not play a preseason game and Monday’s contest marks the 2012 season opener for the Tigers. LSU was 13-8-1 under head coach Brian Lee in 2011. It returns six starters from the team that finished first in the SEC West at 8-3-0. The Tigers were picked to finish second in SEC West this season behind former Big 12 member Texas A&M.

The Sooners are 0-4-1 all-time against the Tigers, which have won the last three meetings. The two met in Baton Rouge in 2011 and LSU prevailed by a 2-1 score. The Sooners are 0-1-1 in games played at the OU Soccer Complex against the Tigers. In 2008, LSU topped OU 4-0 in Norman, but the Sooners tied the Tigers, 2-2, in 1999.

On the Web
Fans can follow live stats for both games with a link via the schedule page on SoonerSports.com. Fans can also catch updates via Twitter on the offical page of the soccer program, @SoonerSoccer.

PLAYER TO WATCH - #0 Kelsey Devonshire | Sr. | GK | North Richland Hills, Texas
One of two, three-year starters on the 2012 squad, Kelsey Devonshire enters the season with 14 career shutouts and 289 saves. Both totals rank third all-time at Oklahoma. She has started the season-opening game each of the last three years and has allowed one goal or less in 32 of her 61 career starts.
2011 Stats: 19 games played (19 starts), 2 shutouts, 77 saves, 1.85 goals-against average

TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
The Oklahoma Athletics Marketing Department has a number of promotions planned as the 2012 Oklahoma soccer team begins the regular season this weekend at home against Nebraska and LSU.

Season tickets are on sale now for purchase online and by phone (800-456-GoOU). Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children and senior citizens. Single-game tickets are also on sale and will also be available at the gate the day of the game.

Below is a look at some of the promotions planned for the first two home games:

SEASON OPENER - Friday, August 17 vs. Nebraska at 7 p.m.
- First 250 fans receive 2012 Oklahoma Soccer schedule poster
- 200 free tank Tops for OU students
- Post-game autographs

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Monday, August 20 vs. LSU at 7 p.m.
- 100 free “There’s Only One Oklahoma” tote bags for OU students
- Free Raising Cane’s for the first 100 students
- Post-game autographs

Last Time Out
The Sooners dropped a 2-0 decision to visiting Tulsa on Aug. 11. The teams played three 30-minute periods before the Golden Hurricane finished on top. OU last lost an exhibition game in 2002 to Saint Louis.

Next Week
Oklahoma continues the four-game homestand against Nicholls State (Aug. 24) and Vanderbilt (Aug. 26). The Sooners and Colonels have never met on the soccer field and the Commodores hold a 1-0 advantage in the series after posting a 3-1 win in Nashville during the 2009 season.

Season Openers
OU is 7-3-1 in the last 11 season openers after topping UAB 5-0 at home in 2012. The Sooners scored the second most goals in a season opener a year ago, second only to the eight tallied in 2007 against Alabama A&M. OU lost to Oklahoma State in the 2010 opener and the other two defeats in the last 10 games came in 2008 at Colorado College (L, 3-1) and in 2006 at Washington (L, 1-0). The tie occurred in 2004 against Saint Louis in Norman. The Sooners are 8-7-1 overall in season openers and 4-0-1 when beginning a campaign at home.

Attendance Marks
The Sooners cracked the top 10 in attendance three times this season, including the largest crowd in program history (2,002) on Sept. 30 against Oklahoma State. The previous best was also recorded against OSU on Oct. 29, 2010 (1,946). Also in 2011, OU has seen the eighth-largest crowd at the OU Soccer Complex on Sept. 4 against ORU (1,054) and the ninth-largest against UAB in the season opener on Aug. 19 (1,026).

New Coaching Staff
Head coach Matt Potter begins his first season at the helm of the Oklahoma soccer program. Hired in December of 2011, Potter comes to Norman after nine successful seasons at Washington State where he led the Cougars to three NCAA tournaments, including a pair of second round bids in the last three years.

Joining Potter in 2012 is assistant coach Graeme Abel, also from Washington State and formerly an assistant at OU in 2008 and 2009, and Kacey White. White held previous stints SMU and Texas Tech and was a member of the 2003 National Championship team at North Carolina and a member of the U.S. Senior National Team (2006-2010).

2012 Newcomers
In February, head coach Matt Potter announced the signees joining OU for the 2012 season, including Devin Barrett (Corona, Calif.), Jade Dapaah (Bedford, Texas), Katie Marcheso (Littleton, Colo.), Madison Smith (Edmond, Okla.) and Kenzie Sublett (Norman, Okla.). OU also announced the addition of Martha Turrentine (Plano, Texas), who signed an agreement to enroll at the University of Oklahoma in the fall. In December, the Sooners added Cassidy Nangle (Issaquah, Wa.,) to a financial aid agreement.

The Sooners also brought in freshmen Kassidie Stade (goalkeeper) and Jordan Voth (defender). Senior forward Renae Cuellar transferred from Arizona.

More on Cuellar
Renae Cuellar, who has one year of eligibility left, not only was the Wildcats’ leading scorers as a freshman and sophomore, but was an alternate for Mexico’s 2011 World Cup team played in Germany.

Cuellar played for the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010, also in Germany, and scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over England in group play. She also found the back of the net in a 3-3 draw with Japan.