The Drovers reserve soccer team had an excellent year as they ended the season with a 7-1-1 record. A near perfect record was only one reason to celebrate this season as USAO was able to bring home the first-ever Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Reserve Championship.
When asked about the season, Harry Cracknell, junior goalkeeper and team captain, explained that the season had its highs and lows. The international transfers came onto the team with their own ways of playing, which forced the team to figure out how to work as one as the season progressed.
“The whole tournament in Kansas, it was the first time the reserve team traveled to an away game. Staying in a hotel overnight for a couple [of] nights was such a good experience,” Cracknell said when asked what his favorite part of the season was. He went on to give his praise to Coach Diaz, and Coach Mantooth who he said made the experience that much more enjoyable.
The team’s hard work and determination led the Drovers to the SAC Reserve Championship, where they faced Mid-America Christian University (MACU). The Evangels gave the USAO reserve team trouble at the beginning of the season with their first game being a tie and then losing to them in their second matchup of the regular season.
Despite the results of their first two games against MACU this season, they came out on top when it mattered the most. This game showed both teams on equal grounds, with the Drovers being able to overcome their different playing styles to become a cohesive unit and take down the Evangels 2-1 in the SAC Reserve Championship game. The two goals from USAO were scored by freshman middlefielder Alejandro Pena and junior forward Callum Tucker.
After the game, freshman forward Jose Frayre, junior forward Aarin Simon, sophomore middlefielder Quintin Mantooth, and junior defender Luka Jekic were selected to the SAC All-Tournament Team.
The team ended on a celebratory note, which they will take into their next season begining in the fall of 2024.
Holden Pate is a second-year business administration major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
