Defense and physicality: The Nov. 13, 2021 Great American Conference Tournament Final between the Bison and rival Southwestern Oklahoma State could have been summed up with those two words.
By the end of the 90-minute contest, it was OBU’s standout backline that had helped secure the green and gold’s second GAC Tournament Championship.
Led by All-Tournament team selections Maddison Williams, Asley Baker and Kimmy McKinney, the Bison yielded only two shots on goal to the host Bulldogs.
On the other side, SWOSU did a good job, too, keeping a strong Bison offense to a trio of shots on goal. However, the last one the hosts gave up, proved to be the difference in the match.
Eleven minutes into the second half, the tournament MVP, Tori Kitchel, struck a shot just outside the top of the 18-yard box and found the left side of the goal.
After that, SWOSU had two opportunities to tie the game, but freshman keeper Ireland Jeffrey denied both to preserve victory.
That victory, OBU’s 13th of the season, catapulted the program into its second NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2017.
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