After going 1-3-1 in its previous five games, Kansas University’s soccer team entered this weekend needing to do something that it hadn’t done all season to help get back in the conference race.

Before a two-game weekend set against the Big 12 Conference’s two Oklahoma schools, the Jayhawks had not won two games in the same weekend and had not won on a Sunday all season.

Sunday, they accomplished both of those feats.

Thanks to goals from three players and a shutout by goalie Julie Hanley, the Jayhawks played what coach Mark Francis called “their best game of the season” and defeated Oklahoma, 3-0, Sunday at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

Coupled with Friday’s 4-1 victory over Oklahoma State, it was KU’s first weekend sweep of the season.

“I felt like earlier in the season we had some good performances, but our mentality was different,” Francis said. “The difference was, for the first time, this weekend, we actually finished a game and buried a team when we were up and when we had the momentum.”

It was a momentous win for the Jayhawks.

Oklahoma entered ranked No. 21 in the nation and was riding a 10-match unbeaten streak. The Sooners also were tied for first place in the Big 12, but the Jayhawks used a strong defensive effort to dominate throughout.

The Sooners did not record a shot on goal until midway through the second half and had only two shots on goal all game. Overall, the Jayhawks outshot Oklahoma, 21-10.

“This was our best defensive effort of the season,” Francis said. “We kept our discipline. They have some dangerous players, but I thought our kids did a good job in the back, and Julie did a good job in goal. They had a couple of good chances, but overall we did a good job of keeping them out.”

The Jayhawks took the lead in the 31st minute, when Caroline Smith controlled a cross-field pass from Michelle Rasmussen and poked it past sprawling Oklahoma goalie Jennifer Nichols. The goal was Smith’s team-leading sixth of the season.

Kansas scored again later in the first half when Jessica Smith broke in one-on-one with the Sooner defender and was able to get off a quick shot that found the back of the net. It was Smith’s fourth goal of the season; she hadn’t scored until recording a hat trick against Oklahoma State

Early in the second half, Holly Gault fed Rasmussen, who tacked on an insurance goal.

“I got a really good ball from Holly, and I had a lot of space to dribble,” Rasmussen said. “I kind of broke through and found an opening and put it in.”

The Jayhawks will hit the road this weekend, traveling to play Friday at Texas Tech and Sunday at Colorado.