Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Host The Sooners
April 15, 2003 | Cowgirl Soccer
For the second consecutive year Oklahoma State enters the final game of the regular season in a must-win situation against Oklahoma. More than state pride and a bedlam bell will be on the line, the two teams will be vying for the final spot in the Big 12 Tournament to be held in San Antonio, Texas Nov. 7-10. The Cowgirls hope to carry momentum over from the victory over No. 25 Nebraska on Friday. It was the first time the Cowgirls have defeated the Huskers and the first conference road win for OSU since Sept. 29, 1999 when the Cowgirls downed Oklahoma, 1-0. Currently, Oklahoma has 12 points and is tied with Iowa State for seventh in the Big 12 standings. OSU is close behind with nine points and a win would give the Cowgirls 12 points and allow them to edge OU in the tie-breaker system. The Sooners and Cowgirls ignite the rivalry at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. The game is tabbed as Senior Night and the Cowgirls will honor their three seniors; Kat Doud, Katie Higgins and Jennifer Ward, prior to the contest. Oklahoma State leads the series with Oklahoma 5-1-0 after the Sooners captured their first win in Norman, 2-1, last year.
Scouting Oklahoma
Oklahoma carries an 11-7-0 overall and a 4-5-0 conference record into the match-up on Friday. The Sooners are riding a four-game losing streak, having lost to Colorado and Nebraska last weekend and Texas and Texas A&M the week before. Shannon Wing scored the lone OU goal of the weekend against Colorado, but it was not enough and the Sooners fell to the Buffs, 2-1, on Friday. On Sunday, Oklahoma gave up the game winner to Nebraska with just over a minute left in the first half and succumbed to the Huskers, 1-0. Krissy Dawson leads the Sooners with 22 points off seven goals and eight assists. Also chipping in on the offensive end is Logan Womack with a team-high eight goals. Three other Sooners; Becky Nelson, Lauren MacIver and Shannon Wing have more than one goal on the season. Catharine Wade has logged a 1.17 goals-against average in 1536 minutes and has six shutouts on the season.
Nebraska In Review
Oklahoma State's soccer squad snapped a four-game losing streak and picked up its first conference road win on Friday, defeating No. 25 Nebraska, 2-1, for the first time in program history. After suffering at the hands of opponents in the opening and closing minutes of several contests the Cowgirls were finally able to turn the tables, notching a goal in the first and last five minutes of the game. Junior Jere Boykin struck first, giving the Cowgirls the early lead with a goal less than four minutes into the contest. Nebraska's Breanna Boyd then notched the equalizer at the 32:10 mark on an assist from goalkeeper Erin Miller. The two teams entered the break deadlocked and played fairly evenly for the first 40 minutes of the second stanza, but one goal was all that was needed and this time the Cowgirls got it. As time was winding down, OSU avoided overtime thanks to freshman Cassie Lewis. Lewis snagged her fourth goal of the season in the 85th minute of the game to propel Oklahoma State to victory. Doud notched a season-high nine saves on the night, upping her career total to 319 and giving her sole possession of the top spot in the record books. The senior faced 19 shots, 10 on goal, and two penalty kicks.
Colorado In Review
Oklahoma State's soccer team was shut out by Colorado, 1-0, before 630 fans at the Pleasant View Soccer Complex on Sunday. Colorado extended its unbeaten streak to six with the win over Oklahoma State. The first half of play was extremely physical, as 19 fouls were called in the stanza. The score was deadlocked at zero entering the locker room after both teams registered three shots and one corner kick. The Buffs came out and took over in the second stanza, maintaining control of the ball for much of the period and constantly challenging the Cowgirl defense. Colorado took 12 shots, including seven on goal, while limiting Oklahoma State to two shots with neither finding the target. Despite the large differential of offensive output, the Cowgirls held strong until the 86th minute of the contest when a free kick by Fran Munnelly was broken up by the Cowgirls. As luck would have it, the ball fell in front of Jennifer Thais who was waiting in front of the net and was able to sneak the shot past Doud for the game winner.
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 55-68-8 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.
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.
Nová Brings In Two
Sophomore defender Marcela Nová 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. Nová 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 second in the Big 12 with 11 assists in 18 games. She holds a 0.61 assists-per-game average, good for 21st in the country and is just six touches shy of taking over sole posession 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 http://okstate.com.
Promotions at the Oklahoma Game
Not only is the season finale against Oklahoma tabbed as Senior Night, it is also Fan Appreciation Day and the first 500 fans at the game will be given orange shakers. Also, all fans in attendance will have the opportunity to register for autographed soccer memorbilia that will be given away during the contest.
