Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set To Take On Kansas
October 06, 2010 | Cowgirl Soccer
Oct. 6, 2010
#7 Oklahoma State (11-1-1, 4-0-0)
at Kansas (5-7-0, 1-3-0)
Friday, Oct. 8 • 4 p.m.
Jayhawk Soccer Complex (1,000)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 11-1-1 overall and atop the Big 12 Conference standings after a 4-0-0 start to league play. OSU enters the weekend on an 10-game unbeaten streak (nine wins, one tie), and with their strong performance and a nucleus of proven veterans that has led the program to back-to-back Big 12 championships, the Cowgirls are currently ranked as high as No. 7 nationally, which equals their highest-ever national ranking.
The Cowgirls return to action Friday at 4 p.m. against Kansas in Lawrence in what will be the OSU's lone match of the weekend.
OSU has scored 28 goals on the season while allowing only seven. Junior Krista Lopez ranks second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally with 11 goals, while sophomore AD Franch leads the league in shutouts and goals against average.
OSU 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. The Cowgirls 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 last month.
Colin Carmichael is in his sixth season as OSU's head coach. The Cowgirls have a .744 winning percentage under Carmichael, having compiled a 85-24-16 record during his tenure.
The Opponent
Kansas sports a 5-7-0 record on the season and picked up its first Big 12 win of the season last Sunday with a 1-0 victory against Texas.
OSU is 6-7-3 all time against Kansas. The Cowgirls have not lost to KU since the 2005 season (4-0-1) and have won three-straight meetings against the Jayhawks.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow Friday's match can do so via Game Tracker live stats, which can be accessed at www.okstate.com by clicking on the Schedule/Results link.
Lucky Number 7
OSU is No. 7 in this week's NSCAA/HendrickCars.com poll, which equals the program's highest-ever national ranking. The Cowgirls also hold down the seventh spot in the season's first official NCAA Women's Soccer RPI, which was released this week.
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 the Soccer America preseason poll.
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 11th-winningest senior class in the country. Over the last three-plus seasons (2007-pres.), the Cowgirls have compiled a 58-15-10 record (.759). Among Big 12 schools, only Texas A&M, with 60, has more wins than OSU during that span.
Streaking
Oklahoma State 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.
OSU enters the weekend on another unbeaten streak, this one now standing at 10 games (nine wins, one tie).
The school record for consecutive games without a loss is 13, which was set during the 2003 season.
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 seven goals and sport a 0.52 goals against average, both totals that lead the conference.
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 28 goals on the season. While junior Krista Lopez leads the way and ranks second in the league with 11 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.
Dominant Defender
Junior Melinda Mercado has established herself as one of college soccer's top defenders in her first three seasons as a Cowgirl.
A native of Sapulpa, Okla., "Minnie" started every game at defender for OSU in 2008 and was a key part of a defense that recorded 10 shutouts and allowed just 18 goals.
Mercado's stellar play did not go unnoticed as she earned third-team Freshman All-America honors from Soccer Buzz and a spot on the Big 12 All-Newcomer team.
Following the season, Mercado joined the OSU basketball team and appeared in 29 games on the hardwood for the Cowgirls. It was her only season to play collegiate hoops.
The spring of '08 was also highlighted by Mercado's participation in the U.S. Soccer Under-20 Women's National Team Domestic Training Camp in April.
There was no sophomore slump for Mercado as she anchored an OSU defense that set a school record for shutouts in '09. She was named All-Big 12 First Team and was the Defensive MVP at the Big 12 Soccer Championship.
More On AD
There has been no sophomore slump for AD Franch in 2010.
Through OSU's first 13 games, Franch ranks in the top 11 nationally in goals against average (0.39) and save percentage (.906), and she has recorded five shutouts.
The Salina, Kan. native already owns several OSU records and is on the verge of adding to that list. Among them:
• Franch holds the OSU record for most shutouts in a season with 11.
• Franch's goals against average of 0.61 in 2009 was the best ever in a season at OSU. Erin Stigler's 0.71 mark in 2006 was the previous best.
• With 17 shutouts, Franch already ranks second on OSU's career shutouts list. Stigler owns the all-time mark with 21.
• Franch has recorded 123 saves, which ranks fourth on OSU's career list.
They Shoot, They Score
Helping to lead the scoring attack for OSU in 2010 are forwards Kyndall Treadwell and Katie Richardson, a duo that has combined for 29 goals and 23 assists during their careers.
A senior, Richardson has 15 goals and 12 assists during her time in Stillwater, while Treadwell has notched 14 goals and 11 assists in just over two years for the Cowgirls.
Sophomore Megan Marchesano recorded four goals a year ago and has three goals and an assist 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, beginning with the game winner against Memphis. She then notched the first multi-goal game of her career with two goals against Murray State in a 4-2 win.
Lopez has not slowed down since. She ranks second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally with 11 goals, and her six game-winning goals lead the conference. She also ranks in the top five in the league in shots and 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.
