Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Awarded National Seed At NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
November 11, 2008 | Cowgirl Soccer
INDIANAPOLIS — Oklahoma State was awarded a No. 4 national seed for the 2008 Women's NCAA Soccer Championship and will open play in the tournament Friday against Fairfield in Piscataway, N.J., it was announced today.
The Cowgirls, who are making their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth overall, are in a bracket with Fairfield (15-4-3), Penn State (16-7-0) and host Rutgers (12-6-1). If OSU wins its opening round match Friday, the Cowgirls would advance to face the Penn State-Rutgers winner Sunday.
OSU is one of 16 national seeds for just the second time in school history, joining the 2006 squad in earning that distinction. The other seeded teams in the Cowgirls' regional bracket are No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Portland and No. 3 Wake Forest.
“(The seeding) means we're in the top 16 in the country in a bunch of people's eyes,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “We know we're a good team and getting seeded allows us to avoid the other seeded teams for the first two rounds, and that's the important thing.
“Penn State is traditionally a top-five type team who finished the season very strong. Rutgers has a very good history of women's soccer. We don't know anything about Fairfield, except they're conference champions and have won 15 games.
“The seed is huge, and we'll do our best to go up there and prove we deserve it.”
OSU is 17-1-3 on the season and won the Big 12 Conference regular season championship. The 17 wins are tied for the school record, and the Cowgirls' No. 7 national ranking also ties for the highest in program history.
The Cowgirls have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship each of the last two seasons, and OSU is 2-2-1 all-time in the NCAA tourney.
“We wanted to compete for a Big 12 championship, and we accomplished that goal, and we wanted to get to the Sweet 16 — those were two of our main goals,” Carmichael said. “This team is right on track for that.
“If we can get there (Sweet 16), it allows us to get that extra bit of credibility nationwide. Right now, we're viewed as a very good team, but really if you want that ultimate respect, you've got to have a good run in the tournament.”
The Cowgirls sport one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. OSU leads the NCAA in goals (73) and scoring offense (3.48 goals per game), and three Cowgirls — Yolanda Odenyo, Siera Strawser and Kasey Langdon — have recorded double figures in goals this season. Defensively, OSU allowed just 18 goals and recorded eight shutouts.
“We used to be excited just to get into the tournament, but now we have a lot higher expectations,” said OSU senior goalkeeper Erin Stigler. “We expect to win. We go into games expecting to play better than the other team. We know that when we play at the top of our game, we can beat anybody in the nation.
“We don't like losing. We've got some momentum going into this, and I think this is our year to break out and be a Sweet 16 team.”
The Cowgirls, who are making their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth overall, are in a bracket with Fairfield (15-4-3), Penn State (16-7-0) and host Rutgers (12-6-1). If OSU wins its opening round match Friday, the Cowgirls would advance to face the Penn State-Rutgers winner Sunday.
OSU is one of 16 national seeds for just the second time in school history, joining the 2006 squad in earning that distinction. The other seeded teams in the Cowgirls' regional bracket are No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Portland and No. 3 Wake Forest.
“(The seeding) means we're in the top 16 in the country in a bunch of people's eyes,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “We know we're a good team and getting seeded allows us to avoid the other seeded teams for the first two rounds, and that's the important thing.
“Penn State is traditionally a top-five type team who finished the season very strong. Rutgers has a very good history of women's soccer. We don't know anything about Fairfield, except they're conference champions and have won 15 games.
“The seed is huge, and we'll do our best to go up there and prove we deserve it.”
OSU is 17-1-3 on the season and won the Big 12 Conference regular season championship. The 17 wins are tied for the school record, and the Cowgirls' No. 7 national ranking also ties for the highest in program history.
The Cowgirls have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship each of the last two seasons, and OSU is 2-2-1 all-time in the NCAA tourney.
“We wanted to compete for a Big 12 championship, and we accomplished that goal, and we wanted to get to the Sweet 16 — those were two of our main goals,” Carmichael said. “This team is right on track for that.
“If we can get there (Sweet 16), it allows us to get that extra bit of credibility nationwide. Right now, we're viewed as a very good team, but really if you want that ultimate respect, you've got to have a good run in the tournament.”
The Cowgirls sport one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. OSU leads the NCAA in goals (73) and scoring offense (3.48 goals per game), and three Cowgirls — Yolanda Odenyo, Siera Strawser and Kasey Langdon — have recorded double figures in goals this season. Defensively, OSU allowed just 18 goals and recorded eight shutouts.
“We used to be excited just to get into the tournament, but now we have a lot higher expectations,” said OSU senior goalkeeper Erin Stigler. “We expect to win. We go into games expecting to play better than the other team. We know that when we play at the top of our game, we can beat anybody in the nation.
“We don't like losing. We've got some momentum going into this, and I think this is our year to break out and be a Sweet 16 team.”
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