Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Look For Third-Straight Title In San Antonio
October 31, 2011 | Cowgirl Soccer
Oct. 31, 2011
OSU Game Notes - Big 12 Championship 
#1-seed Oklahoma State (17-0-2)
at the Big 12 Soccer Championship
Nov. 2, 4 & 6 • San Antonio, Texas
Blossom Soccer Stadium (2,600)
Oklahoma State
OSU is the top seed at this week's Big 12 Conference Soccer Championship in San Antonio after the Cowgirls claimed the second regular season conference championship in school history. The Cowgirls are 17-0-2 overall and bring a No. 2 national ranking, their highest ever, into the postseason. OSU was 6-0-2 in league play this season and opens tourney play Wednesday against Bedlam-rival Oklahoma, a team the Cowgirls have defeated twice this season. OSU has been dominant in 2011, outscoring its opponents by a 42-5 margin and recording 14 shutouts.
In 2011, OSU returns 10 of its 11 starters from last season, and six All-Big 12 performers are back on the pitch. All-Americans Melinda Mercado and AD Franch anchor one of the nation's top defenses, while the Cowgirls also return five of their top six goal scorers from a year ago, led by senior Krista Lopez.
The 2011 Cowgirls return a strong nucleus of proven veterans. OSU has won four-straight Big 12 titles, and every returning player on the roster has been a part of an NCAA Women's Soccer Championship team as head coach Colin Carmichael's squad has made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The senior class is seven players strong, and that group has combined for 70 victories and won more than 80 percent of its matches.
Cowgirls At The Big 12 Soccer Championship
OSU is one of five teams to win a Big 12 postseason tournament championship, joining Missouri, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Texas. The Cowgirls won tourney titles in 2003 (3-2 double overtime triumph vs. Missouri), 2009 (1-0 over Texas A&M) and 2010 (won PK shootout vs. Oklahoma after 1-1 tie) and are 11-3-3 all time at the Big 12 Soccer Championship.
The Cowgirls are 6-0-2 this season against teams in the Big 12 Championship field. OSU's all-time records against the teams in San Antonio are: Oklahoma (16-2-2), Texas Tech (12-5-1), Texas (6-9-4), Baylor (9-5-2), Missouri (8-9-1), Kansas (8-7-3) and Texas A&M (1-15-3).
If OSU wins its opening-round match, the Cowgirls will advance to Friday's semifinals to face the winner of No. 4-seed Texas Tech and No. 5-seed Texas at 5:30 p.m. The title match is Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow the matches at the Big 12 Soccer Championship can do so via the league website at www.big12sports.com. Free live webcasts with audio, as well as live stats, are available for each match. A free Big 12 app allowing fans to follow games on a mobile device is also available to download. OSU's games will also be carried by live by Stillwater Radio on KGFY 105.5 FM, and Sunday's championship match will be televised by FSN.
Trendy
OSU has earned a berth in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship in each of the last five years and has made six tourney appearances in the program's 15-year history.
The Cowgirls have advanced to at least the second round of the tourney each of the last five years, including a march to the Elite Eight in 2010, and are 6-3-4 all time in NCAA play.
Four Play
OSU has won four consecutive Big 12 Conference championships and has captured five conference titles in the last nine seasons -- three tournament (2003, '09, '10) and two regular season (2008, '11).
Eyeing A Three-Peat
OSU is attempting to become only the second team to win three-straight Big 12 Soccer Championship titles, joining Nebraska, who won the tourney in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Moving On Up
OSU entered last week ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire poll for the seventh consecutive week. That matches the Cowgirls' highest-ever national ranking.
The Cowgirls' previous high ranking was No. 4, which they reached on Sept. 6. They have been ranked in the top five for nine-straight weeks.
OSU also entered last week ranked 3rd by Soccer America, SoccerTimes.com and TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Home Sweet Home
OSU is 10-0-1 in 2011 at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. The Cowgirls sport a 40-3-1 record on their home field since 2008.
Seniors Rule
OSU's 2011 senior class (Brown, DeLozier, Dougherty, Lopez, Mercado, Niemeier and Treadwell) is the fourth-winningest senior class in the nation. Over the last three-plus years, the Cowgirls own a 70-12-10 (.815) record. The 70 wins are the most among Big 12 schools during that span.
Second To One
With its 37-4-4 record, OSU owns the second-most wins in the nation over the last two seasons. The Cowgirls' win total trails only Stanford, which is 41-1-3 over the span.
Hermann Watch
For the fifth-straight year, OSU placed a player on the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List as senior defender Melinda Mercado and junior goalie AD Franch both made the 42-player list.
The Hermann Trophy is considered the highest individual honor in collegiate soccer.
Franch was one of 15 semifinalists for the 2010 Hermann Trophy. Yolanda Odenyo (2008) is the only other Cowgirl semifinalist.
Four Stars
OSU had four players named to the 2011 Preseason All-Big 12 Team -- forwards Krista Lopez and Kyndall Treadwell, defender Melinda Mercado and goalie AD Franch. Each of those players earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2010.
Shutouts and Scores
OSU has established itself as one of the top defensive programs in the country. The Cowgirls have led the Big 12 in shutouts in four of the last five seasons (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010), and they recorded 56 shutouts in 119 games during that span -- not to mention their league-best 14 in 19 games this season.
The Cowgirls don't just thrive on defense. They've also led the Big 12 in goals scored in two of the last three seasons (74 in '08 and 52 in '10) and are currently third in the league with 42 goals this season.
Making History
OSU is coming off a 2010 season that saw it embark on a magical postseason run as the Cowgirls captured their second-straight Big 12 Soccer Championship title before their deepest-ever NCAA tourney run, during which they advanced to the Elite Eight. OSU finished the season with a 20-4-2 record, which included an 8-2-0 mark and second-place finish in the always tough Big 12 Conference.
Century Mark
With the win over Creighton on Sept. 2, OSU head coach Colin Carmichael notched his 100th career victory. In his seventh season at the helm, Carmichael sports a career mark of 111-27-19 (.761).
Karen Hancock, now a Cowgirl assistant, served as OSU's first-ever head coach and was 110-89-19 in 11 seasons.
1,359 Minutes & 13 Seconds
That's how long OSU went this season before trailing in a match. The Cowgirls never trailed in their first 15 games before Texas took a 1-0 lead 3:49 into their match on Oct. 24.
Broken Record
Junior goalkeeper AD Franch set OSU's career shutouts record against Oklahoma, notching her 22nd shutout in just her 51st career game. Erin Stigler, whose record Franch broke, had 21 shutouts in 64 games from 2005-08.
Franch led the Big 12 in shutouts in each of her first two collegiate seasons, setting an OSU record with 11 as a freshman and then recording nine a year ago. She has eight in 13 games this season.
Broken Record, Pt. II
Krista Lopez set a pair of OSU records in the win over UALR. She recorded four goals against the Trojans to become the first Cowgirl in history to score four goals in a single game. Lopez broke the previous mark of three, which she held with nine other players. Lopez, who was the first Big 12 player to record four goals in a match since 2009, also set OSU's single-game record by collecting eight points.
Lopez notched the hat trick with three goals in the opening half against the Trojans, then added her record-setting fourth just over five minutes into the second half.
With eight goals this season, Lopez has moved into fifth place all time at OSU with 27 career goals, and she ranks seventh on the Cowgirls' career points list with 69.
Four Score
Seniors Annika Niemeier, Krista Lopez and Kyndall Treadwell, along with junior Megan Marchesano, have combined for 83 goals and 56 assists during their careers.
Niemeier, Lopez and Treadwell each ranks among the top 10 on OSU's career goals, assists and points lists.
Balanced Attack
The Cowgirls have recorded 42 goals by 12 different players in 2011, and 11 different players have notched assists.
Statistically Speaking
OSU leads the Big 12 in shutouts (14), goals allowed (5), goals against average (0.26) and corner kicks (142) and is second in shots (350).
Individually, Krista Lopez is tied for the Big 12 lead with four game-winning goals and is fifth with eight goals and 21 points, while AD Franch sits atop the league statistics in goals against average (0.23) and save percentage (.945) and is second with eight shutouts.
Entering last week, in the NCAA statistics, OSU ranked second nationally in goals against average and save percentage and fourth in shutout percentage and winning percentage, while Franch ranked second in save percentage and third in goals against average.
11 & 14
OSU set a school record for consecutive wins when it earned its 11th-straight victory last month vs. Utah State. The previous record was 10, which the Cowgirls achieved in 2003.
With its win over Oklahoma in Sept., OSU set the mark for the longest unbeaten streak in school history at 14. The Cowgirls had two previous 13-match unbeaten streaks -- in a 2010 stretch when they went 12-0-1 and the 13-game span to open the 2003 season during which they went 11-0-2.
It's Academic
OSU's success on the pitch has carried over to the classroom. OSU had a program-record 13 players named to the 2010 Academic All-Big 12 First Team, and the Cowgirls also earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the ninth-straight year.
Krista Lopez was named an Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine and the NSCAA in 2010, and the Cowgirl forward is one of 10 finalists for the prestigious 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Records Watch
• OSU's 14 shutouts is tied for the most in school history along with the 2009 team. The Cowgirls also currently sport a 0.26 goals against average, which far bests the record 0.65 GAA of the 2009 squad.
• AD Franch has eight shutouts on the season, tied for the third-most in a single season in OSU history. Franch already owns the top two spots with a record 11 shutouts in 2009 and nine blankings in 2010.
• Franch is also set to shatter her single-season record for goals against average of 0.61 set in 2009. She enters the Big 12 tourney with a 0.23 GAA.
• OSU's 142 corner kicks is the fifth most in a single-season in program history. The record is 186 by the 2003 squad.
