Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Begin NCAA Soccer Championship Run In New Jersey
November 11, 2008 | Cowgirl Soccer
#7 Oklahoma State (17-1-3)
at the NCAA Soccer Championship
Nov. 14 & 16 • Piscataway, N.J.
Yurcak Field (5,000)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State enters the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship with a 17-1-3 record and No. 7 national ranking. The Cowgirls captured their first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship in 2008, finishing league play with a 7-1-2 mark.
A No. 4 national seed, the Cowgirls open play in the NCAA Soccer Championship Friday at 4 p.m. (CST) in Piscataway, N.J., against MAAC champion Fairfield (15-4-3). Tourney host Rutgers (12-6-1) will play Penn State (16-7-0) in the other first-round matchup.
The Cowgirls have outscored their opponents by a 73-18 margin this season, and they lead the NCAA in goals and scoring offense. OSU leads the Big 12 in six offensive categories, and the Cowgirls' .881 winning percentage is the sixth-best in the country.
With 17 wins, the Cowgirls are tied for the single-season school record for wins. OSU's 2006 squad finished the season with 17 victories.
Cowgirls At The NCAA Soccer Championship
OSU is making its third consecutive NCAA Women's Soccer Championship appearance and the fourth in the program's 13-year history. The Cowgirls are one of 16 national seeds, having earned the No. 4 seed in the Stanford Region. OSU was also a No. 4 national seed in 2006.
OSU has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Soccer Championship each of the last two seasons, and the Cowgirls are 2-2-1 all time in NCAA tourney play.
If the Cowgirls win their opening round game against Fairfield, they would advance to play the Rutgers-Penn State winner on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CST).
In The Polls
OSU is ranked No. 7 in the NSCAA/adidas poll and by Soccer America and Soccer Buzz and No. 8 by Soccer Times and TopDrawerSoccer.com. The No. 7 ranking ties the highest-ever national ranking for the program. The Cowgirls are also No. 1 in the Central Region, according to the NSCAA/adidas rankings.
On The Web
For NCAA Women's Soccer Championship information, including live stats of each match, log on to the official NCAA website at: www.NCAAsports.com.
Higher And Higher
OSU is coming off the two best seasons in the program's 13-year history, and optimism abounds for an even better showing in 2008.
In 2006, the Cowgirls finished 17-3-3, setting a school record for wins. With an 8-1-1 mark, they finished second in the Big 12 Conference standings, also a program best. And after advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in its history, OSU won its first-ever NCAA tourney game, beating UNC-Greensboro before barely missing advancing to the Sweet 16 when they lost on penalty kicks to Clemson.
The Cowgirls followed the record-setting '06 season with a 14-6-3 mark in 2007 that saw them again advance to the second round of the NCAA tourney. Along the way, they knocked off four teams ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
OSU returned nine starters from last season, including their top three scorers and the core of one of the Big 12's top defensive units.
Becoming A Trend
For the second-straight season, Oklahoma State was nationally ranked in the preseason polls, earning a spot as high as No. 19 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll. With their 17-1-3 record, they have since climbed as high as No. 7 in the current national polls, which ties the program's highest-ever ranking.
Along with being nationally ranked, OSU was picked by the Big 12 Conference's head coaches to finish fourth in the league race but claimed the league's regular season title with a win at Oklahoma in its regular season finale.
In 2007, the Cowgirls began and finished the season in the national rankings, the first time that has happened in OSU soccer history. The Cowgirls ended the season ranked as high as 17th.
The '07 season came on the heels of a 2006 campaign that saw OSU achieve its highest national ranking ever — No. 7 — and earn a spot in the final national polls for the first time in the program's history.
To The Victors Go The Spoils
OSU had a program-record six honorees for 2008 Big 12 Conference postseason awards. Those included Big 12 Coach of the Year Colin Carmichael, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Yolanda Odenyo, first-team All-Big 12 selections Yolanda Odenyo and Kasey Langdon, second-team pick Siera Strawser and All-Newcomer Team honorees Melinda Mercado and Kyndall Treadwell.
Doing It With Defense
One of the biggest reasons for OSU's success the last few seasons are defenses that have been among the best in the Big 12.
In 2008, OSU has allowed only 18 goals and recorded eight shutouts. The Cowgirls rank third in the Big 12 in goals allowed and goals against average (0.83).
The Cowgirls tied a school record with 12 shutouts in '06, and that total also tied OSU for the most blankings by a Big 12 team. Opponents attempted just 255 shots against the Cowgirls and only 16 of those found the back of the net. OSU ranked first in the league in goals allowed, and the Cowgirls' 0.66 GAA was also tops in the conference.
In '07, the Cowgirls continued to frustrate opponents with veteran defenders Jessica Jarrell and Bridget Miller and goalie Erin Stigler leading the way.
OSU recorded 10 shutouts in 2007, which once again tied for the most in the Big 12, and the Cowgirls ranked among the conference's best in goals allowed (20) and GAA (0.84).
That's Offensive
While OSU has established its defense as a strength, it certainly does not overshadow the Cowgirls' offensive attack.
OSU leads the nation with 73 goals and in scoring offense at 3.48 goals per game. And the Cowgirls top the Big 12 in nearly every offensive category, including goals, assists (53) and points (199).
OSU has recorded 25 more goals than the next highest Big 12 team, and the Cowgirls lead the conference with 22.7 shots per game.
Six Cowgirls have collected at least 10 points during the 2008 season, with Yolanda Odenyo's Big 12-best 36 leading the way. Odenyo also leads OSU and the Big 12 with 16 goals, while Kasey Langdon paces the league with 13 assists.
In 2006, the Cowgirls' 39 assists was the third-highest total in school history, while their 46 goals tied for fourth. OSU also racked up 131 points, which tied for the third-best output in program history.
OSU ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring in 2006 at just under 5.7 points per game, as well as third in goals (46) and assists (38).
Rare Company
Several Cowgirls have achieved notable feats this season, including:
• Yolanda Odenyo, Kasey Langdon and Siera Strawser are just the sixth, seventh and eighth OSU players to ever record 10 goals in a season. That feat also marks the first time in Cowgirl soccer history the team has had three double-digit goal scorers in a season.
• Odenyo set a school record earlier this season by scoring goals in seven-straight games (Oral Roberts-McNeese State).
• Odenyo's 16 goals and 36 points are the most ever by a Cowgirl in a single season.
• Kasey Langdon is only the second Cowgirl (along with Nikki Wojtowicz) to record 10 or more assists in a single season.
• Langdon and Krista Lopez (vs. ISU) are just the fifth and sixth OSU players to have a three-assist game. Langdon has reached that feat twice this season (vs. Xavier and McNeese St.) and is one of only two Cowgirls ever to have multiple three-assist games.
• Siera Strawser is the ninth player in OSU history to earn a hat trick and just the fourth to reach the feat twice in a career. She has three-goal performances against Xavier and Iowa State this season.
Records Are Made To Be Broken
While several Cowgirls are climbing up the OSU single-season and career records lists (charts on pages 5 & 7 of this release), the squad has broken or is on the verge of breaking several team records in 2008. Among them:
• OSU's 73 goals bests the Cowgirls' previous record for goals in a season (62 in 2003).
• OSU's 199 points also stands as the highest single-season total in program history, surpassing the 2003 squad's mark of 184.
• The Cowgirls' have recorded 53 assists on the season, which ranks second behind the school record of 60 set in 2003.
at the NCAA Soccer Championship
Nov. 14 & 16 • Piscataway, N.J.
Yurcak Field (5,000)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State enters the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship with a 17-1-3 record and No. 7 national ranking. The Cowgirls captured their first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship in 2008, finishing league play with a 7-1-2 mark.
A No. 4 national seed, the Cowgirls open play in the NCAA Soccer Championship Friday at 4 p.m. (CST) in Piscataway, N.J., against MAAC champion Fairfield (15-4-3). Tourney host Rutgers (12-6-1) will play Penn State (16-7-0) in the other first-round matchup.
The Cowgirls have outscored their opponents by a 73-18 margin this season, and they lead the NCAA in goals and scoring offense. OSU leads the Big 12 in six offensive categories, and the Cowgirls' .881 winning percentage is the sixth-best in the country.
With 17 wins, the Cowgirls are tied for the single-season school record for wins. OSU's 2006 squad finished the season with 17 victories.
Cowgirls At The NCAA Soccer Championship
OSU is making its third consecutive NCAA Women's Soccer Championship appearance and the fourth in the program's 13-year history. The Cowgirls are one of 16 national seeds, having earned the No. 4 seed in the Stanford Region. OSU was also a No. 4 national seed in 2006.
OSU has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Soccer Championship each of the last two seasons, and the Cowgirls are 2-2-1 all time in NCAA tourney play.
If the Cowgirls win their opening round game against Fairfield, they would advance to play the Rutgers-Penn State winner on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CST).
In The Polls
OSU is ranked No. 7 in the NSCAA/adidas poll and by Soccer America and Soccer Buzz and No. 8 by Soccer Times and TopDrawerSoccer.com. The No. 7 ranking ties the highest-ever national ranking for the program. The Cowgirls are also No. 1 in the Central Region, according to the NSCAA/adidas rankings.
On The Web
For NCAA Women's Soccer Championship information, including live stats of each match, log on to the official NCAA website at: www.NCAAsports.com.
Higher And Higher
OSU is coming off the two best seasons in the program's 13-year history, and optimism abounds for an even better showing in 2008.
In 2006, the Cowgirls finished 17-3-3, setting a school record for wins. With an 8-1-1 mark, they finished second in the Big 12 Conference standings, also a program best. And after advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in its history, OSU won its first-ever NCAA tourney game, beating UNC-Greensboro before barely missing advancing to the Sweet 16 when they lost on penalty kicks to Clemson.
The Cowgirls followed the record-setting '06 season with a 14-6-3 mark in 2007 that saw them again advance to the second round of the NCAA tourney. Along the way, they knocked off four teams ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
OSU returned nine starters from last season, including their top three scorers and the core of one of the Big 12's top defensive units.
Becoming A Trend
For the second-straight season, Oklahoma State was nationally ranked in the preseason polls, earning a spot as high as No. 19 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll. With their 17-1-3 record, they have since climbed as high as No. 7 in the current national polls, which ties the program's highest-ever ranking.
Along with being nationally ranked, OSU was picked by the Big 12 Conference's head coaches to finish fourth in the league race but claimed the league's regular season title with a win at Oklahoma in its regular season finale.
In 2007, the Cowgirls began and finished the season in the national rankings, the first time that has happened in OSU soccer history. The Cowgirls ended the season ranked as high as 17th.
The '07 season came on the heels of a 2006 campaign that saw OSU achieve its highest national ranking ever — No. 7 — and earn a spot in the final national polls for the first time in the program's history.
To The Victors Go The Spoils
OSU had a program-record six honorees for 2008 Big 12 Conference postseason awards. Those included Big 12 Coach of the Year Colin Carmichael, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Yolanda Odenyo, first-team All-Big 12 selections Yolanda Odenyo and Kasey Langdon, second-team pick Siera Strawser and All-Newcomer Team honorees Melinda Mercado and Kyndall Treadwell.
Doing It With Defense
One of the biggest reasons for OSU's success the last few seasons are defenses that have been among the best in the Big 12.
In 2008, OSU has allowed only 18 goals and recorded eight shutouts. The Cowgirls rank third in the Big 12 in goals allowed and goals against average (0.83).
The Cowgirls tied a school record with 12 shutouts in '06, and that total also tied OSU for the most blankings by a Big 12 team. Opponents attempted just 255 shots against the Cowgirls and only 16 of those found the back of the net. OSU ranked first in the league in goals allowed, and the Cowgirls' 0.66 GAA was also tops in the conference.
In '07, the Cowgirls continued to frustrate opponents with veteran defenders Jessica Jarrell and Bridget Miller and goalie Erin Stigler leading the way.
OSU recorded 10 shutouts in 2007, which once again tied for the most in the Big 12, and the Cowgirls ranked among the conference's best in goals allowed (20) and GAA (0.84).
That's Offensive
While OSU has established its defense as a strength, it certainly does not overshadow the Cowgirls' offensive attack.
OSU leads the nation with 73 goals and in scoring offense at 3.48 goals per game. And the Cowgirls top the Big 12 in nearly every offensive category, including goals, assists (53) and points (199).
OSU has recorded 25 more goals than the next highest Big 12 team, and the Cowgirls lead the conference with 22.7 shots per game.
Six Cowgirls have collected at least 10 points during the 2008 season, with Yolanda Odenyo's Big 12-best 36 leading the way. Odenyo also leads OSU and the Big 12 with 16 goals, while Kasey Langdon paces the league with 13 assists.
In 2006, the Cowgirls' 39 assists was the third-highest total in school history, while their 46 goals tied for fourth. OSU also racked up 131 points, which tied for the third-best output in program history.
OSU ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring in 2006 at just under 5.7 points per game, as well as third in goals (46) and assists (38).
Rare Company
Several Cowgirls have achieved notable feats this season, including:
• Yolanda Odenyo, Kasey Langdon and Siera Strawser are just the sixth, seventh and eighth OSU players to ever record 10 goals in a season. That feat also marks the first time in Cowgirl soccer history the team has had three double-digit goal scorers in a season.
• Odenyo set a school record earlier this season by scoring goals in seven-straight games (Oral Roberts-McNeese State).
• Odenyo's 16 goals and 36 points are the most ever by a Cowgirl in a single season.
• Kasey Langdon is only the second Cowgirl (along with Nikki Wojtowicz) to record 10 or more assists in a single season.
• Langdon and Krista Lopez (vs. ISU) are just the fifth and sixth OSU players to have a three-assist game. Langdon has reached that feat twice this season (vs. Xavier and McNeese St.) and is one of only two Cowgirls ever to have multiple three-assist games.
• Siera Strawser is the ninth player in OSU history to earn a hat trick and just the fourth to reach the feat twice in a career. She has three-goal performances against Xavier and Iowa State this season.
Records Are Made To Be Broken
While several Cowgirls are climbing up the OSU single-season and career records lists (charts on pages 5 & 7 of this release), the squad has broken or is on the verge of breaking several team records in 2008. Among them:
• OSU's 73 goals bests the Cowgirls' previous record for goals in a season (62 in 2003).
• OSU's 199 points also stands as the highest single-season total in program history, surpassing the 2003 squad's mark of 184.
• The Cowgirls' have recorded 53 assists on the season, which ranks second behind the school record of 60 set in 2003.
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
