NORMAN, Okla. – Fighting Illini junior Katie Murray carded her first goal of the season on Sunday in Illinois' 2-1 loss at Oklahoma. Murray fired two shots in the match, putting both on frame, while junior Patricia George also led the attack with five shots on the day. With the loss, Illinois moves to 3-5-0 on the season.
"We need two things right now," head coach Janet Rayfield said. "Consistency in effort and execution, and confidence in front of the goal. Someone needs to step up and lead the charge in both of those areas."
The Illini and the Sooners traded shots right off the bat as Murray got the attack started for Illinois. George also put the pressure on as she tallied three first-half shots for the Illini, putting one on frame. Sophomore goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham grabbed four of her five total saves before the break, but Oklahoma carried a 1-0 lead into halftime with a goal in the 24th minute.
The Sooners pushed to extend their lead early in the second half, netting a goal in the 51st minute of play. Murray put the Illini on the board soon after, however, converting a penalty kick in the 64th minute. Following the goal, Illinois worked to shift the momentum in its favor as George and senior Katherine Ratz combined for four late shots in the match. UI forced two corner kicks in the last two minutes of play, but the Sooners managed to maintain their advantage.
The Orange and Blue tallied 10 shots to OU's 12, and the Illini put five of those shots on goal.
The Illini will open conference play on the road next weekend, taking on Ohio State (Sept. 14) and No. 5 Penn State (Sept. 17), before returning to Champaign to host Maryland for Soktoberfest on Sept. 22.
