SHAWNEE – There's something to prove this season for the Oklahoma Baptist women's soccer team who returns to the pitch on Sept. 4 at the University of Texas at Dallas.
A season ago, the green and gold made their eighth-straight Great American Conference Tournament Final. It's ending, though, didn't go OBU's way after an incorrect overruling that eventually led to a penalty-kick shootout defeat.
Fast forward to this fall, the Bison and their 16
th-year head coach
Mike White are back and ready to raise a conference crown again.
Offensively, the Bison must replace their top two point scorers in
Olivia Kenas and
Alanna Bloomingdale who totaled 17 points and almost a third of the team's goals (6-of-19).
OBU has a few options.
Lex Williamson and
Sam Sheffield, two All-GAC honorees last year, return after combining to score four goals in 2024. For Sheffield, she also dished out four assists, tied for second-most on the team and a top-two conference mark.
Hali White, a junior midfielder, is another option for the Bison after totaling three goals. Also of note,
Ashley Bell, now a senior who has played in 44 career matches, registered five assists, tied for most in the GAC.
There's also a couple others that Coach White can rely on. Senior
Annabelle Joski, a defensive midfielder, returns after starting in 17 of 18 matches last year. The Trophy Club, Texas native has played over 4,000 minutes in her career and started in 48 of 58 career matches. At defender,
Chloe Monroe, a sophomore who made the All-GAC Tournament Team last November, returns. Monroe started every match last year and finished with 1,739 playing minutes, second-most on the squad.
At goalie, there are two freshmen battling for the top spot:
Jolee King and
Jalen Cramer. During her last playing season at Elk City High, King was named an All-State selection. She finished with seven shutouts in her career. As for Cramer, she played at nearby Westmoore High in Oklahoma City.
There are a couple of newcomers to keep an eye on, too. Those are
Ajae Belliston and
Tiare Hermosilla. Belliston is a transfer from Centralia College in Washington. Over the last two years, she played in 30 contests and scored three goals while adding a trio of assists. As for Hermosilla, in 2024 she played at William Carey University in Mississippi. In 12 matches, she tallied a pair of goals with four helpers.
Here are quick notes on this week's opponents for OBU:
UT Dallas Comets
- Members of the Lone Star Conference.
- Posted an 8-7-1 record last fall.
- Return their top two goal scorers from 2024: Chelsea Vilca (10) and Jules Chavez (9).
- UTD did lose its top goalie in Jade Press. She notched five shutouts and posted a 1.31 goals against average.
- This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Angelo State
- The Rambelles are ranked 18th in the nation (United Soccer Coaches) and were picked to finish in second in the LSC.
- Last season, Angelo State went 14-2-5, which included a 3-0 win over OBU, and made the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Former Bison goalie Claire Stoermer transferred to Angelo in the offseason.
- Leading scorer Sanai Stewart returns for the Rambelles after totaling seven goals with four assists and 18 points last season.
- Also of note, midfielder Madison Bourzikas, an All-LSC Freshman Team selection last year, returns after registering 11 points in 2024.
