The Drovers traveled to Siloam Springs, Arkan. to compete against John Brown University (JBU) for the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Championship Friday, Nov. 10. USAO came in looking to bring home the SAC championship trophy and secure a spot in the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
Starting the game off the Golden Eagles came in confident, controlling the ball. After 20 minutes of play, JBU put up the first goal of the night. At the end of the half, the Golden Eagles remained on top with a 1-0 lead over USAO.
Starting the second half, the Drovers looked to tie the score but could not find the correct shot. JBU managed to score two goals in the 52nd minute, extending their lead to 3-0. USAO was unable to score the rest of the game, which inevitably made 3-0 the final score of the championship game.
What gave the Golden Eagles the edge in this game was their shot attempts compared to USAO. In the game, JBU had 24 shot attempts while the Drovers only had nine on the night. In turn, USAO had more saves than the Golden Eagles. The Drovers saved the ball seven times to JBU’s three. The Drovers also had more fouls on the night than their competitor. USAO drew nine fouls on the field, while JBU drew six.
JBU took home the trophy and secured their spot in the NAIA Championship Tournament. However, the Drovers season may not be over yet as they are in the bid to also be selected to compete in the tournament. The decision will be made Monday, Nov. 13 as to whether or not their season will continue.
If the Drovers are not selected to compete for that tournament, they will have finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 14-6 and a conference record of 7-2.
Holden Pate is a second-year business administration major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
