Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set For Opening Weekend
August 18, 2011 | Cowgirl Soccer
Aug. 18, 2011
#7 Oklahoma State
vs. TCU
Friday, Aug. 19 • 7 p.m.
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
...
vs. UAB
Sunday, Aug. 21 • 1 p.m.
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State enjoyed the most successful season in the 15-year history of its soccer program in 2010, and a year later, the Cowgirls are poised to best that performance in 2011.
And there is plenty of reason for optimism. OSU returns 10 of its 11 starters from last season, and six All-Big 12 Conference performers will be back on the pitch. All-Americans Melinda Mercado and AD Franch return to 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 and her 19 career goals.
The 2011 Cowgirls return a strong nucleus of proven veterans. OSU has won three-straight Big 12 championships, and every returning player on the roster has been a part of an NCAA Women's Soccer Championship team as 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 over 40 victories and won nearly 80 percent of its matches. And of the 15 players Cowgirls that played in at least 23 games in 2010, 12 of those are back.
OSU is coming off a 2010 season that saw them embark on a magical postseason run as they captured their second-straight Big 12 Soccer Championship title before their deepest-ever NCAA tourney run, which saw them advance to the Elite Eight. The Cowgirls 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.
In 2011, OSU enters the season as the team to beat in the league as the Cowgirls were the coaches' preseason pick to finish atop the Big 12 standings. They also placed four players on the preseason all-conference team and have been ranked among the nation's top teams by numerous outlets.
The Opponents
TCU is coming off a season in which it finished 7-10-2. OSU is 2-1-0 all time against the Horned Frogs, including a 4-0 win last year in Fort Worth.
UAB was 8-9-2 in 2010 and is entering its first season under head coach Harold Warren. This will be the first ever meeting between the Cowgirls and Blazers.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow this weekend's matches can do so in a variety of ways. Live webcasts of each match are available at www.okstate.com (a fee is involved with this feature), while live stats can also be accessed at okstate.com. The matches will also be carried live by Stillwater Radio; Friday's match will air on KGFY 105.5 FM and Sunday's on KSPI 780 AM.
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.
Three-Peat -- Why Not Four?!
OSU has won three consecutive Big 12 Conference championships and has captured four conference titles in the last eight seasons -- three tournament (2003, '09, '10) and one regular season (2008).
And for the first-time ever, the Cowgirls are the preseason favorites to repeat as champs as the league coaches picked them to win the title. OSU received six of nine first-place votes.
High Five -- and Seven
OSU ended the 2010 season ranked No. 5 in the final NSCAA poll, marking their highest-ever national ranking.
The Cowgirls are ranked as high as No. 7 by Soccer America in the 2011 preseason polls. OSU is 14th in the NSCAA poll and is ranked 21st by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Home Sweet Home
OSU was 12-1-0 at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex in 2010, and the Cowgirls are 30-3-0 on their home field over the last three years.
Seniors Rule
OSU's 2011 senior class (Brown, DeLozier, Dougherty, Lopez, Mercado, Niemeier and Treadwell) enters the season as the seventh-winningest senior class in the nation. Over the last three years, the Cowgirls own a 53-12-8 (.780) record. The 53 wins are the most among Big 12 schools during that span.
Hermann Watch
For the fifth-straight year, OSU placed a player on the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List as Melinda Mercado and AD Franch both made the 42-player list.
The Hermann Trophy is considered the highest individual honor in collegiate soccer.
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 and recorded 56 shutouts in 119 games during that span.
The Cowgirls don't just thrive on defense. They've also led the Big 12 in goals in two of the last three seasons (74 in '08 and 52 in '10).
