WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Tori Kitchel scored 11 minutes into the second half as Oklahoma Baptist won its second Great American Conference Tournament Championship after a 1-0 decision over the host and top-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State. It is the green and gold's first tourney title since 2018.
The win moved OBU's record to 13-5-1 and it clinched an automatic berth into next weekend's NCAA Tournament.
While Kitchel, the tournament MVP, provided the lone goal, it was the Bison defense that really stole the show.
The Bulldogs, whose offensive scheme called for over-the-top passes, were stymied throughout the physical match. All-Tournament Team selections
Asley Baker,
Maddison Williams and
Kimmy McKinney yielded almost no good opportunities to the hosts.
In fact, there was just one sticky situation all game for freshman keeper
Ireland Jeffrey. That came with less than 30 minutes left near the left post when she corralled a ball near SWOSU's Brianna Benitez.
As for OBU, it dominated the first 20-some odd minutes of action with a few shots on goal from
Abigail Parker, another All-Tournament team member, and McKinney. Her header from in front of the goal mouth was stopped by a Bulldog defender about 17 minutes in.
The game's lone goal, Kitchel's seventh game-winner, a mark currently tied for third in the country, was delivered at 56:21. The senior navigated right near the top of the box and fired into the left pocket past a diving Ashley Hughes.
Stay tuned to OBUBison.com as more info becomes available on next week's NCAA Tournament.
