Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Close Out Regular Season With Bedlam
October 27, 2010 | Cowgirl Soccer
Oct. 27, 2010
#11 Oklahoma State (14-3-1, 7-2-0)
at Oklahoma (10-6-2, 5-3-1)
Friday, Oct. 29 • 7 p.m.
OU Soccer Complex (3,500)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 14-3-1 overall and in second place in the Big 12 Conference standings with a 7-2-0 league record. The Cowgirls close out the regular season Friday against Bedlam-rival Oklahoma in Norman. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. OSU is assured of at least the second spot in the final conference standings but can clinch a share of the regular-season conference championship with a win over OU coupled with a Texas A&M loss at Texas.
With their strong performance and a nucleus of proven veterans that has led the program to back-to-back Big 12 championships, the Cowgirls achieved their highest-ever national ranking at No. 5 earlier this month. OSU is currently ranked 11th and is also 11th in the official NCAA RPI standings.
The Cowgirls returned eight starters in 2010 from a squad that went 15-7-2 a year ago, won a Big 12 Soccer Championship title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship for the fourth consecutive year. OSU returned a trio of All-Big 12 First Team performers -- senior midfielder Annika Niemeier, junior defender Melinda Mercado and sophomore goalie AD Franch -- but Niemeier was lost for the rest of the '10 season after suffering a knee injury at Oregon in OSU's second game of the year.
Colin Carmichael is in his sixth season as OSU's head coach. The Cowgirls have a .738 winning percentage under Carmichael, having compiled an 88-26-16 record during his tenure.
The Bedlam Series
Oklahoma State is 13-2-1 all time against Oklahoma, and the Cowgirls have won six-straight meetings against their Bedlam rival, including a 1-0 win over the Sooners in this year's season opener in Stillwater in a match that was considered a non-conference tilt.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow Friday's match can do so in a variety of ways. Live stats via Game Tracker can be accessed at www.okstate.com by clicking on the Schedule/Results link, and Stillwater Radio will also air a tape-delayed broadcast of the match on KGFY 105.5 FM following high school football.
High Five
In back-to-back weeks earlier this month, OSU was ranked No. 5 in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com poll, marking the program's highest-ever national ranking. The Cowgirls' previous-best national ranking was No. 7, which they had reached three times (2006, 2008 and 2010).
In November 2008, OSU entered the NCAA Soccer Championship with a No. 7 ranking. The Cowgirls also climbed as high as the seventh spot in the polls in 2006.
This season marked the fourth straight that OSU was nationally ranked in the preseason polls as the Cowgirls were as high as No. 19.
In 2007, OSU began and ended the season in the national rankings, the first time that had happened in its 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 and earn a spot in the final national polls for the first time in the program's history.
Seniors Rule
OSU's 2010 senior class (A. Leggett, Niemeier, Richardson, Thompson, Wernimont) currently ranks as the 12th-winningest senior class in the country. Over the last three-plus seasons (2007-pres.), the Cowgirls have compiled a 61-17-10 record (.750). Among Big 12 schools, only Texas A&M, with 66, has more wins than OSU during that span.
Streakers
Oklahoma State is coming off a recent 13-game unbeaten streak (12 wins, 1 tie), which tied a school record. The 2003 Cowgirls also went 13 games without a loss, compiling an 11-0-2 mark during that stretch.
OSU entered the 2010 season on a 10-game unbeaten streak and extended it to 12 with wins in their first two outings before the sneak was snapped with a 1-0 loss at Portland. The Cowgirls were 10-0-2 during the unbeaten streak as they won their final five regular season games in 2009, then went 3-0 at the Big 12 Soccer Championship before being credited with a pair of ties in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.
The Defense Never Rests
One of the biggest reasons for OSU's success over the last several seasons is defenses that have been among the best in the Big 12 Conference.
That trend continues in 2010 as the Cowgirls have allowed just 13 goals and sport a 0.71 goals against average, both totals that lead the conference. They rank third in the league with eight shutouts
Last season, OSU set school records with 14 shutouts and a 0.65 goals against average, and the Cowgirls' 16 goals allowed tied the school mark. OSU led the Big 12 in all three categories.
In 2008, OSU allowed just 18 goals and recorded 10 shutouts. The Cowgirls ranked third in the Big 12 in goals allowed and goals against average (0.75).
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), goals-against average (0.84) and save percentage (82.1).
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 its 0.66 goals against average was also tops in the conference.
Balanced Attack
OSU ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 37 goals on the season. While junior Krista Lopez leads the way and ranks second in the league with 12 goals, the Cowgirls have had nine different players find the back of the net.
In addition, five other players have notched assists, giving OSU 14 players who have recorded points in 2010.
They Shoot, They Score
Helping lead the scoring attack for OSU in 2010 are forwards Megan Marchesano, Katie Richardson and Kyndall Treadwell, a trio that has combined for 41 goals and 28 assists in their careers.
With 18 goals and 13 assists, Richardson ranks 10th on OSU's career charts in goals and points and 11th in assists. Following a two-game performance in which she had three goals and an assist in wins over Colorado and Nebraska, the senior earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week honors.
Treadwell has notched 14 goals and 12 assists in just over two years for the Cowgirls, while Marchesano recorded four goals as a freshman last season and has five goals and three assists in 2010.
Lopez Adds To Resumé
Junior Krista Lopez' outstanding play this season has been rewarded by several outlets.
A forward/midfielder, Lopez has been named a CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week, the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week and to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week.
Lopez' first honors came after she led OSU to wins over 13th-ranked Memphis and Murray State. She netted three goals that weekend, getting the game winner vs. Memphis then notching the first multi-goal game of her career with two goals against Murray State.
Lopez has not slowed down since. She ranks second in the Big 12 and 15th nationally with 12 goals, which is also tied for the fifth most goals in a single season in OSU history. Her six game-winning goals lead the league, and she ranks fourth with 26 points.
Against Mississippi State, Lopez became just the 10th different OSU player to record a hat trick as she recorded three goals. It marked only the 14th time in program history a player has collected three goals in a game.
4x4x4x4
• With four shutouts, AD Franch would break OSU's career record and also surpass her own single-season shutout record.
• OSU is four wins shy of its the highest single-season total in school history.
• Krista Lopez needs four goals to tie for the most in a single-season in OSU history.
