After a heartbreaking loss to No. 17 Texas Tech last week, Texas soccer enters the final game of their regular season against Oklahoma in pursuit of a bounce-back performance.

The loss against Texas Tech was particularly rough for Texas. They lost 2-1 in overtime — for the second time this season — on their Senior Day. The loss was also the second loss to a ranked opponent this season following a loss to No. 18 Oklahoma State several weeks ago.

“I’m sorry that it didn’t turn out differently today,” head coach Angela Kelly said after the loss. “Those kinds of games are just gut-wrenching. It’s going to be a hard one to swallow.”

While the loss may be disappointing for the coaching staff and the players, the carousel doesn’t stop turning for Kelly and the Longhorns. While the loss bumped them from a top-two seed in the upcoming Big 12 Soccer Championship tournament, a win will secure them a top-four seed, and a chance at moving back to the No. 2 seed with a little luck and help from other Big 12 teams.

“You just have to have resilience an perseverance,” Kelly said. “Very rarely does it go your way in life. You find success when it doesn’t go your way and you continue to battle and fight, and that’s what I impart to my players at Texas.”

Texas will travel to Oklahoma with the level of confidence and resilience they have been preaching all season, but it won’t be easy to close out the regular season with
a win.

While Oklahoma may be just 8-7-3 on the season, the Sooners have a history of performing well against Texas at home. The Longhorns have not won in Norman, Oklahoma, since Oct. 24, 2014. The Red River Rivalry component of the game cannot be understated as these types of games tend to draw the best out of both teams.

On a more positive note, Texas is currently undefeated on the road in Big 12 play, sitting at 3–0. There is some reason for optimism that the Longhorns can end the season with an unblemished road record.

The Sooners are not coming into the game with momentum. They are coming off of back-to-back losses and will be fighting to avoid a third straight loss to cap off a
disappointing season.

Though they haven’t found as much success as other teams in the conference this season, Oklahoma was able to earn draws against the top-two teams in the conference, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, early in the season — both of which defeated Texas.

The match against Oklahoma will take place Thursday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Oklahoma.