Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Head To Oregon For Weekend Matches
August 25, 2010 | Cowgirl Soccer
Aug. 25, 2010
#19 Oklahoma State (1-0-0)
at Oregon (1-0-0)
Friday, Aug. 27 • 9 p.m.
Papé Field (2,000)
...
at #3 Portland (2-0-0)
Sunday, Aug. 29 • 2 p.m.
Merlo Field (4,892)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State opened the 2010 season with a 1-0 win over Oklahoma last Friday in Stillwater as junior Kyndall Treadwell's goal in the 36th minute helped the Cowgirls extend their unbeaten streak to 11 games. Up next is a road trip west to take on Oregon and Portland.
OSU returns 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 return three All-Big 12 First Team performers in senior midfielder Annika Niemeier, junior defender Melinda Mercado and sophomore goalie AD Franch.
With a strong nucleus returning to a program that has won back-to-back conference championships, OSU is ranked as high as No. 19 nationally.
Colin Carmichael is in his sixth season as OSU's head coach. The Cowgirls have a .730 winning percentage under Carmichael, having compiled a 75-23-15 record during his tenure.
The Opponents
OSU begins its road trip Friday in Eugene, Ore., with a 9 p.m. (CST) match against Oregon. The Ducks opened their season with a 2-0 win over Boise State last week. OSU is 1-0-0 all time against UO, claiming a 3-1 win in Stillwater during the 2008 season.
On Sunday, the Cowgirls will travel to Portland for a showdown of nationally ranked teams set to kickoff at 2 p.m. (CST). The Pilots are 2-0-0 on the young season and enter the weekend ranked No. 3. Portland was 21-2-0 last season and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. OSU suffered a 9-0 loss in its only previous meeting with Portland, that coming in 1999 at the Portland Invitational.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow this weekend's matches can do so in a variety of ways. Live stats via Game Tracker can be accessed for both games at www.okstate.com by clicking on the Schedule/Results link. For Sunday's contest at Portland, fans can access free live video and audio at the following link:
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/up.portal.
Back-to-Back Champs
Oklahoma State has won back-to-back Big 12 Conference championships and has captured three conference titles in the last seven seasons -- two tournament (2003, '09) and one regular season (2008).
The Cowgirls entered the 2009 conference tourney as the fifth seed and proceeded to knock off fourth-seeded Nebraska, top-seeded Missouri and second-seeded Texas A&M en route to the title. OSU lost to each of those teams during the regular season, and the 1-0 win over Texas A&M was the first victory over the Aggies in program history.
In 2008, OSU set a school record with 18 wins, finishing 18-1-4, and won the first regular season Big 12 championship in school history by finishing league play with a 7-1-2 mark.
OSU won the 2003 tourney title by defeating Missouri in double overtime, a win that gave the Cowgirls their first-ever NCAA Women's Soccer Championship appearance.
Becoming A Trend
OSU has earned a berth in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship in each of the last four years and has made five tourney appearances in the program's 14-year history.
The Cowgirls have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for four-straight years and are 3-2-4 all-time in the tourney.
Becoming A Trend, Part II
For the fourth-straight season, Oklahoma State was nationally ranked in the preseason polls, earning a spot as high as No. 19 in the Soccer America poll.
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.
Four Real
Over the last four seasons (2006-09), OSU compiled a 64-17-10 record (.758). The 64 wins tied for the 12th most by any NCAA Division I program during that span. Among Big 12 Conference teams, only Texas A&M, with 68, had more wins during that span.
Streaking
Oklahoma State entered the 2010 season on a 10-game unbeaten streak and extended it to 11 with their season-opening triumph. The Cowgirls are 9-0-2 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 school record for consecutive games without a loss is 13, which was set during the 2003 season.
Three's Company
Three OSU players -- midfielder Annika Niemeier, defender Melinda Mercado and goalie AD Franch -- were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team in a vote of the league's head coaches.
OSU's three preseason All-Big 12 picks is tied with Texas A&M for the most in the league.
Hermann Watch
For the fourth-straight year, OSU has placed a player on the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List.
In 2010, there are two Cowgirls on that list -- Annika Niemeier and AD Franch. OSU is one of 10 schools with multiple players on the 45-player list.
The Hermann Trophy is considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer.
This year's duo joins Yolanda Odenyo (2007 and 2008) and Kasey Langdon (2009) as Cowgirls to appear on the Hermann Trophy Watch List. Odenyo was one of 15 semifinalists for the award in '08.
Five Stars
OSU had five players earn 2009 All-Big 12 honors, and four of those return in 2010.
The Cowgirls had a league-high three players -- midfielder Annika Niemeier, defender Melinda Mercado and goalie AD Franch -- on the All-Big 12 First Team in 2009. Forward Kasey Langdon ended her collegiate career as an All-Big 12 Second Team selection.
Franch, along with freshman defender Carson Michalowski, was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.
The Defense Never Rests
One of the biggest reasons for OSU's increased success over the last several seasons is defenses that have been among the best in the Big 12 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).
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.
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).
