Oklahoma State University Athletics
2009 Cowgirl Soccer Preview
August 14, 2009 | Cowgirl Soccer
Aug. 14, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State soccer continues to progress towards establishing itself as one of the nation's elite programs, and the Cowgirls are aiming to build on a 2008 season that was the most successful in school history.
Coach Colin Carmichael's squad, which is ranked No. 11 in the preseason NSCAA/adidas poll, opens the 2009 season with an exhibition Saturday against Tulsa at 7 p.m. at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. Admission to the match is free.
OSU will begin defense of its Big 12 title right out of the gate as the Cowgirls open the regular season with a trip to Boulder to take on Colorado on Aug. 22. OSU was picked by the conference's coaches to finish fourth in the league race, while the Lady Buffs were tabbed third.
The Cowgirls are coming off an '08 season that saw them win their first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship and set a school record for wins. Carmichael's squad also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Soccer Championship for the third-straight year.
OSU finished the 2008 campaign with an 18-1-4 overall mark that included a 7-1-2 record in the Big 12. The Cowgirls were among the nation's top offenses and were ranked in the national polls throughout the season.
"Coming off last year we've set the bar pretty high," said Carmichael, who is entering his fifth season as head coach. "But we've got a talented group coming back -- seven starters and about 15 kids who played a lot of minutes. We've got high expectations for this group, and our goals are again to compete for a Big 12 championship and to get in the NCAA Tournament and go as far as we can."
OSU returns seven starters from last year's squad, including seniors and All-Big 12 performers Kasey Langdon and Siera Strawser. The Cowgirls' third senior, Bridget Miller, is a team captain and has earned All-Region honors twice in her career.
The Cowgirls also return plenty of depth, with eight other players who played in at least 21 games returning. And of the 15 different OSU players who scored at least one goal a year ago, 10 of those are back in 2009.
Carmichael said while the Cowgirls are certainly proud of their 2008 accomplishments, they won't dwell on the past and are focused on even bigger things moving forward.
"It helps put you on more people's radar nationally," Carmichael said. "Everybody regionally knows how good we've become but winning the Big 12 and being ahead of an A&M, a Texas, Colorado, that helps the image of our program nationally.
"With the players we have returning, our job is to make sure they don't feel like they've accomplished something, that they want to build on this and not step back and say `We've already accomplished our goals.' We have to make sure to build on the Big 12 championship and go forward."
Along with the always-tough Big 12 Conference schedule, OSU's 2009 slate pits them against the likes of USC, BYU and Utah.
"We've really upgraded our schedule," Carmichael said. "The more successful the program becomes, the tougher the schedule we want to play to help with the RPI, as well as prepare us for the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament games.
"BYU at their place in the altitude, their home record there is ridiculous, and they're just a very tough team. USC is just one year removed from a national championship, and it will be a challenge for us against one of the best teams in the country. Utah is generally an NCAA Tournament team. Add in the Big 12 games, and the schedule is going to be really challenging."
FORWARDS
OSU returns a strong group of players up top, led by first-team All-Big 12 performer Kasey Langdon, who led the Big 12 with 14 assists as a junior. Langdon also added 11 goals, which ranked third in the conference, and five of those were game winners.
One of the leading scorers in OSU history, Langdon has racked up 19 goals and 23 assists in her first three seasons in Stillwater.
"Kasey will be the focal point for us up front," Carmichael said. "Towards the end of last year, teams really took note of her and were trying to shut her down. It puts a little more pressure on her to perform because she's going to be a key player. With Yolanda (Odenyo) leaving, it puts a little more emphasis on Kasey."
There will also be an emphasis on several returning players to step up their scoring production, and all are capable. Junior Katie Richardson recorded eight goals and seven assists over her first two seasons, while sophomores Kyndall Treadwell and Krista Lopez combined for 10 goals and 10 assists a year ago. Treadwell recorded eight goals and was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.
"They all contributed last year, and we expect a little bit more from them as they mature through their career," Carmichael said. "They have to pick up some of the scoring slack. There's a lot of goals and assists in that group, and if they're performing up to the level we expect, our attacking group should be very good."
Newcomers Andrea Carlson and Megan Marchesano will also be in the mix for playing time, while versatile high-scorer Siera Strawser will likely spend some time at the forward spot.
MIDFIELDERS
Despite losing three-time All-American Yolanda Odenyo and starter Jamie Markaverich, the Cowgirls have several returning players capable of helping to fill those voids.
"There's an emphasis on `How do we replace (Odenyo and Markaverich)?'" Carmichael said. "We've got a group of five or six girls to fill those three spots. It's a very talented group -- the job for us is just finding the right blend."
Anchoring the midfield is senior Siera Strawser, who is on the verge of rewriting the OSU record books. The Bixby, Okla. native has 26 career goals, which ranks fourth on the school's all-time list, and she ranks in the top 10 in career assists, points and shots.
"If Siera does the things that she can do, there's no reason that she couldn't lead the conference in scoring this year," Carmichael said. "She strikes the ball as well as any female athlete I've ever worked with."
An interesting piece to the midfield mix could be senior Bridget Miller, who has starred at the defender spot her first three seasons in Stillwater but has the potential to move into the spot vacated by Markaverich.
"Wherever we play Bridget, she's going to be one of our best players," Carmichael said. "She's such a good athlete, she's a competitor and she knows the game so well you can play her anywhere. We know that wherever we put Bridget, we're gonna be better in that area of the game."
A native of Germany, Annika Niemeier is another threat for OSU in the midfield and is coming off a sophomore season in which she collected six goals and four assists.
"Annika is a big part of our team, and we'll expect even more from her," Carmichael said. "Late in the year (2008), she was one of our best and most consistent players. She's been working hard to become better physically and defensively, and that'll help her. She'll be a huge part of our midfield, and we also expect her to take on more of a leadership role."
A pair of sophomores who played valuable minutes off the bench last season -- Sarah Brown and Elizabeth DeLozier -- could play their way into more prominent roles this season, while Alison Farrell is a talented player coming off a knee injury that caused her to redshirt a year ago.
DEFENDERS
The Cowgirls' defense has been a big key to the team's success over the last several seasons, and 2009 should be no different.
"They're all competing for minutes, and it's nice for us because we have a lot of options," Carmichael said. "Again, we've got good options, it's just a matter of who is going to fit best next to Melinda."
That would be Melinda Mercado, who earned Freshman All-America honors in 2008 after blossoming into one of the Big 12's top defenders.
" Minnie had a great season and was one of our better, most consistent players last year," Carmichael said. "We expect a little bit more from her this year, to be a little bit more of a leader and maybe do a little bit more offensively on set plays. She definitely has the talent to be a difference maker for us in a number of ways."
Bridget Miller will be a force, whether she continues at defender or moves to the midfield. Junior Allyson Leggett has been a starter for much of her two seasons, while Colleen Dougherty played in all 23 games as a freshman last season.
Also in the mix are junior Whitney Wernimont, who is coming off an outstanding spring exhibition season, and newcomers Amanda Robinson, a Canadian transfer from the University of Ottawa, and incoming freshman Carson Michalowski.
GOALKEEPERS
For the first time in three years, the Cowgirls will have a new face in the box as the school's all-time leader in shutouts, Erin Stigler, has graduated.
Looking to step into the goalkeeping role are a trio of Cowgirls, none of whom have collegiate playing experience.
"You don't replace Stigler -- the career she had, setting the school record for shutouts and playing solid in as many big games as she did. We'll miss her, no doubt about it," Carmichael said. "It's an unknown, but we've got three girls vying for those minutes that we feel pretty good about."
Redshirt freshman Keely Kippenberger played valuable minutes during the spring exhibition season and has shown the ability to play a key role.
"(Kippenberger) improved drastically, maybe the most improved kid on our club," Carmichael said. "She still has some work to do to get to the level that we need, but she's gone from a kid who didn't have much hope of getting minutes to a kid that's in the mix."
Carmichael dubs freshman Adrianna Franch "an unbelievable athlete," and if she is able to overcome a recent knee injury, Franch will be a factor.
Charlotte Wood is the third freshman in the mix. The New Zealander has a wealth of international experience, having played with her country's U-17 and U-20 national teams.
