Oklahoma State University Athletics
No. 2 Cowgirls Close Out Non-Conference Play
September 13, 2011 | Cowgirl Soccer
Sept. 13, 2011
OSU Game Notes - BYU & Utah St
#2 Oklahoma State (9-0-0)
vs. BYU (4-1-2)
Thursday, Sept. 15 • 7 p.m.
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
...
vs. Utah State (8-0-0)
Sunday, Sept. 18 • Noon
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
Oklahoma State
OSU brings a 9-0-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking, its highest ever, into this week's matches at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. The Cowgirls will square off against BYU on Thursday at 7 p.m. before battling fellow unbeaten Utah State on Sunday at noon. OSU has outscored its opponents by a 22-2 margin this season and is the only unbeaten and untied team in the Big 12. This week marks the final non-conference games on OSU's schedule as the Cowgirls open Big 12 play at home next week.
In 2011, the Cowgirls return 10 of their 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 seniors Krista Lopez and Kyndall Treadwell.
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 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 over 60 victories and won more than 80 percent of its matches.
OSU entered 2011 as the team to beat in the Big 12 as the Cowgirls were the coaches' preseason pick to finish atop the league standings and placed four players on the preseason all-conference team.
The Opponents
BYU is 4-1-2 on the season and unbeaten in its last four matches (three wins, one tie). The Cowgirls lost a 2-1 match in two overtimes in Provo, Utah, in the only prior meeting between the two schools in 2009.
Led by Shantel Flanary's eight goals, Utah State entered the week at 8-0-0 prior to Friday's match at Tulsa. OSU won its only previous meeting against the Aggies, that a 1-0 victory in Logan, Utah, in 2009.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow this weekend's matches can do so in a variety of ways. Live webcasts with audio 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; Thursday's match will air on KGFY 105.5 FM and Sunday's on KSPI 780 AM. (Please note that due to logistics, if there is rain in Stillwater - and the forecast is calling for it - no video will be available, but audio will be accessible online in this scenario).
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.
Moving On Up
For the second consecutive week, OSU achieved its highest-ever national ranking when it came in at No. 2 in this week's NSCAA/Continental Tire poll.
The Cowgirls' previous high ranking was No. 4, which they reached last week. They have now been ranked in the top five for three-straight weeks.
OSU is also currently ranked 3rd by Soccer America, 4th by SoccerTimes.com and 7th by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Home Sweet Home
OSU is 5-0-0 in 2011 at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. The Cowgirls sport a 35-3-0 record on their home field since 2008.
Seniors Rule
OSU's 2011 senior class (Brown, DeLozier, Dougherty, Lopez, Mercado, Niemeier and Treadwell) is the fifth-winningest senior class in the nation. Over the last three-plus years, the Cowgirls own a 62-12-8 (.805) record. The 62 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 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.
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 seven in nine 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 second in the league with 22 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 earlier this month, OSU head coach Colin Carmichael notched his 100th career victory. In his seventh season at the helm, Carmichael sports a career mark of 103-27-17 (.759).
Karen Hancock, now a Cowgirl assistant, served as OSU's first-ever head coach and was 110-89-19 in 11 seasons.
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 30 candidates for the prestigious 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
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.
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 the four goals, Lopez vaulted to the top of the Big 12 in goals this season with five. She also moved into a tie for sixth all time at OSU with 24 career goals and now ranks in the top 10 on the Cowgirls' career points list.
Balanced Attack
The Cowgirls have recorded 22 goals by 10 different players in 2011, and eight different players have notched assists.
It's Early But...
After the first month of the 2011 season, OSU is the lone unbeaten and untied team in the Big 12. The Cowgirls lead the league in shots (178), corner kicks (70), shutouts (7), goals allowed (2) and goals against average (0.22) and are second in goals (22), points (62) and saves (33).
Individually, Krista Lopez is tied for the league lead with five goals, while Rosa Medina sits atop the conference rankings in goals against average (0.33) and save percentage (.917) and is second with four shutouts.
Four Score
Seniors Annika Niemeier, Krista Lopez and Kyndall Treadwell, along with junior Megan Marchesano, have combined for 77 goals and 49 assists during their careers.
Both Niemeier and Lopez rank among the top 10 on OSU's career goals and points lists, while Niemeier and Treadwell are in the top 10 in career assists.
10
OSU's record for consecutive wins to start a season is 10, which the Cowgirls achieved in 2002 and 2003. The 2003 squad started the season on a 12-match unbeaten streak (11-0-1) to mark the best-ever start for an OSU team.
The Cowgirls' nine-straight wins to open this season stands tied as the third-best start to a season in program history. The 2008 team also started 9-0-0.
