Bison Soccer: Week 10 Preview

SHAWNEE – A chance to claim the Great American Conference Regular Season title is on the line for Oklahoma Baptist on Nov. 4. OBU travels to Southwestern Oklahoma State and a victory would secure the Bison their fourth title in the last five seasons.  
 

OBU will then wrap up its regular season on Nov. 6 at home versus Northwestern Oklahoma State for Senior Night.  
 

The Bison's (10-4-1, 9-1 GAC) Thursday match with the Bulldogs will be the second meeting this fall. The previous match, a physical one at that with 30 combined fouls, brought a 2-0 OBU win which included goals by Hannah Evans and Keely Hampton.  
 

Most recently, the green and gold defeated Southern Nazarene 10-0 on Oct. 28. In that match, Kaylee Swaner recorded a career-high seven points on three goals and an assist. Collectively, the Bison had a whopping eight goal scorers.  
 

Those totals moved the Bison to the 21st-best scoring offense in Division II (2.60) and 11th in assists (2.40). Coach Mike White's team is also averaging 19.93 shots per match. That ranks 14th in the country.  
 

Individually, OBU has a host of weapons. Senior Tori Kitchel is tied for 11th in D2 with five game-winning goals. Swaner is tied for fourth in the GAC in points (1.21) and is slotted in first in the conference with Evans with five assists.  Furthermore, Annie Louthan and Hannah White have each scored six goals.  
 

Defensively, Ireland Jeffrey's .559 goals against average mark is the 23rd-best in D2 and is the second-best freshman total.  
 

Here's a look at OBU's opponents: 
 

Southwestern Oklahoma State | Great American Conference | Spring 2021 Record: 4-4-1 
 

The Bulldogs are just two points behind OBU in the standings with 25. SWOSU has won four straight after a 4-1 triumph versus Harding on Oct. 30. That win moved coach Mark Persson's team's record to 10-5-1 and 8-1-1 in the GAC. Despite being shut out against the Bison in the Oct. 16 matchup, SWOSU still ranks in the top two in the GAC in points, goals and goals per game.  
  
Here are the key players for SWOSU: 

 
No. 0 Ashley Hughes | Spring 2021 All-GAC Honorable Mention; Third in the GAC in GAA (1.02) 
No. 6 Juliana Rocha | Her five goals are tied for ninth in the GAC.  

No. 17 Brianna Benitez | Spring 2021 All-GAC First Team; Is third in the GAC in points (25) and tied for first in assists (5) 
 

Northwestern Oklahoma State | Great American Conference | Spring 2021 Record: 0-5-2  
 

The Rangers tied Ouachita in their last match and in the process clinched their first berth into the GAC Tournament. Northwestern is 10-4-2 this season with a 5-3-2 conference mark. Coach Alex Piekarski's team has a good offense, one that ranks in the top three in several categories: points, goals, goals per game and assists.  
 

Here are a few players to keep an eye on: 
 

No. 1 Reagan Allen | Ranks second in the conference in saves (102) and fourth in GAA (1.31) 
No. 2 Abby Nunez| Tied for eighth in the GAC in assists (4) 
No. 27 Tiara Campbell | Conference leader in points (35) and goals (17) 
 

For complete information on Bison soccer, follow the team's official Twitter account (OBU_WSoccer) and download the new OBU mobile app on your iOS or Android device.