Oklahoma State University Athletics
Soccer Gets Set For Big 12 Tournament
November 04, 2002 | Cowgirl Soccer
Nov. 4, 2002
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Looking Ahead
For the first time in program history, the Oklahoma State soccer squad is making an appearance in the Big 12 Tournament to be held in San Antonio Texas this Thursday through Sunday at the Blossom Soccer Complex. After missing out on postseason play in 2001 with a 2-1 loss to Oklahoma in overtime, the Cowgirls returned the favor in 2002, claiming a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Sooners to secure the final bid. The meeting between the Cowgirls and Aggies in San Antonio will be the first for the teams on a neutral playing field, as all previous contests have been played in Stillwater or College Station. Texas A&M leads the series with Oklahoma State 7-0-0, including a 4-0 win earlier this year in Stillwater. Hopefully the neutral site will bring luck to the Cowgirls as they are 1-0 on neutral sites in 2002, capturing their first program win over Tulsa, 2-0, during the opening weekend of the season. If the Cowgirls make it past A&M, they will face the winner of the Missouri vs. Colorado game. A complete schedule can be found on page two of this release.
Scouting Texas A&M
Texas A&M enters the Big 12 Tournament at 14-3-1 overall and 8-0-1 in conference action and is ranked sixth in the latest NSCAA poll. The Aggies clenched the Big 12 regular season championship on Friday, edging Texas 2-1. A&M is riding a six-game winning streak and has outscored its opponents 21-7 in that span. The Aggies tied Baylor 1-1 on Oct. 11, but have not lost a contest since a 4-1 setback to North Carolina on Sept. 13. A&M leads the conference in shots (394), goals (53) and points (158). Sophomore Linsey Woodard leads the team and the Big 12 with 32 points off 13 goals and six assists. Senior Heather Ragsdale is second with eight goals, five assists and 21 points. Also a threat on the offensive end are Emma Smith (17 points), Kristen Strutz (16 points) and Cristina Echavarry (15 points). Freshman goalkeeper Kati Jo Spisak has made an immediate impact in the Big 12, recording four shutouts and a 1.08 goals-against average.
Oklahoma In Review
Oklahoma State earned its first-ever trip to the Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio before a record crowd of 1,079 at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex on Friday night. Despite the frigid temperatures, Cowgirl fans rolled out to watch OSU edge Oklahoma, 3-2, and capture the final spot in the conference tournament next week. From the beginning it was obvious that both teams knew exactly what was on the line, not only were they playing for state pride and the bedlam bell, but they were chasing the final invite for postseason play. The first period ended in a deadlock with neither team able to break through the defense in spite of a combined 17 shots. The second half was a different story, as five goals were scored off 16 shots. Oklahoma's Krissy Dawson came out firing, finding the back of the net for the eighth time this season just 1:03 into the period. Then as is one was not enough, Dawson gave the Sooners a two-goal cushion four minutes later when she sent a free kick just out of goalkeeper Kat Doud's reach. For the next 30 minutes the Cowgirls seemed deflated, thinking that their postseason hopes were slipping away, but sophomore Jeni Jackson had other things in mind. With less than six minutes remaining Jackson gave the Cowgirls new hope, burying a corner kick from Nikki Wojtowicz. Then just 30 seconds later, Jackson took a feed from Carla Dolomont to knot the score at two. Suddenly, it was a new game and the Cowgirls took over for the final five minutes when fittingly, Jackson snagged the game winner with 19 seconds left on the clock. Entering Friday's contest, Jackson had not scored a collegiate goal, but she came through big in a big way, notching the first hat trick by a Cowgirl since Robin Rampey in 1996 and sending the Cowgirls to the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in program history.
Head Coach Karen Hancock
Karen Hancock is in her seventh year at Oklahoma State, having started the program in 1996. She picked up her 50th win at OSU against Northeastern State and her 75th career win against East Central. In six years at OSU, Hancock holds a 56-68-8 record. Hancock led the 2002 squad to a 10-0 start, the best ever by a Cowgirl team and OSU upped its win total to 11 against East Central to set a school record for season wins. The 2002 Cowgirls have continued to break records under the tutelage of Hancock, but the most impressive is the Cowgirls qualifying for their first conference tournament
Jackson Tops All
Sophomore defender Jeni Jackson not only scored the first goal of her career against Oklahoma, but notched the first hat trick by a Cowgirl since Carrie Jones in 1997. And the way she did it was impressive, scoring three goals in less than six minutes, including a pair just 30 seconds apart. After serving as part the backbone of the Cowgirl defense and starting all 38 games of her career, she now has a game winning goal in her pocket.
Schweitzer Snags Honor
Sophomore forward Jolene Schweitzer was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 9. Schweitzer scored five points in OSU's two wins against Louisiana-Lafayette and Stephen F. Austin, snagging the game winner in both contests. When honored, Schweitzer led the Cowgirls with five goals and 12 points, after pacing the squad with eight goals during the 2001 season.
Doud Does It All
Senior goalkeeper Kat Doud was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 23. Doud earned the honor after opening Big 12 play with a pair of shutouts in wins over Texas Tech and Baylor. At the time, Doud had given up just three goals in 843 minutes to lead the Big 12 with a 0.32 goals-against average.
Nov? Brings In Two
Sophomore defender Marcela Nov? was named to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week and the Soccer America Team of the Week for her play during the opening weekend of Big 12 action. Nov? plays a critical role in the Cowgirl backfield that gave up just six shots on goal while shutting out Baylor and Texas Tech, 2-0. The sophomore also scored her first goal of the season against Tech, netting the game winner midway through the second period.
Wojtowicz Nears The Top
Sophomore midfielder Nikki Wojtowicz leads the Cowgirls and is tied with Kati McBain to lead the conference with 12 assists in 19 games. She holds a 0.63 assists-per-game average, good for 17th in the country and is just five touches shy of taking over sole possession of the top spot in career assists at OSU.
Boykin Gets It Done
Junior Jere Boykin leads the Cowgirls with eight goals. The forward came off the bench to score both goals in the Baylor contest to lift Oklahoma State to victory and also added a goal against Iowa State and East Central. The Denver, Colo., native came up big once again in the Cowgirls upset of No. 25 Nebraska in Lincoln. Boykin scored the first goal of the night and then assisted Cassie Lewis on the game-winner as time was winding down.
Cowgirls Shatter The Records
Oklahoma State's 2002 squad continues to break into the record books, most recently with its 38 shots against East Central. The previous high was 37 against Oklahoma Christian in 1996. The contest with the Tigers also marked another milestone, it was the seventh shutout for the Cowgirls this year, eclipsing the previous high of six set in 1997.
OSU Claims Bragging Rights
Oklahoma State captured the title at the 2002 Mazzio's Oklahoma Shootout, defeating Oral Roberts and Tulsa, 3-1. The win over Tulsa, Head Coach Karen Hancock's alma mater, was the first in program history. Oklahoma also went 2-0, but the Cowgirls edged the Sooners by a one point goal differential for the championship. Four Cowgirls; Leah Carr, Krista Dedmon, Kat Doud and Kim Graves were named to the all-tournament squad.
Cowgirls In Spain
Prior to the 2002 season, Oklahoma State spent 10 days training in Spain. The Cowgirls played three games against international competition, posting two shutouts and finishing the tour undefeated. The Cowgirls also met the Sunderland A.F.C Under 23 Regional Team and members of the Swedish and Irish National Teams.
Cowgirls On The Web
For the latest information on 2002 Cowgirl Soccer visit the official website of Oklahoma State Athletics at www.okstate.com.
Big 12 Tournament Ticket Info
The seventh Big 12 Confernce Soccer Tournament will take place Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 7-10 at the Blossom Soccer Complex in San Antonio, Texas. Tickets for the event are $5 per day. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the San Antonio Sports Foundation at (210) 820-2100 or visit their website at www.sanantoniosports.org
