Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set For Opening Weekend
August 16, 2012 | Cowgirl Soccer
Aug. 16, 2012
#5 Oklahoma State
vs. UMKC
Friday, Aug. 17 • 7 p.m.
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
...
vs.
Weber State
Sunday, Aug. 19 • Noon
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
Oklahoma State
OSU opens the 2012 season with a pair of home matches at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. Coach Colin Carmichael's fifth-ranked squad will take on UMKC in the season opener Friday at 7 p.m. before a Sunday showdown against Weber State at noon.
The Cowgirls are coming off the best season in school history after going 22-2-2 a year ago, along the way setting a school record for wins, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the second-straight year and winning a fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference championship.
In 2012, OSU returns six starters from last season, led by a senior trio that includes All-American AD Franch and All-Big 12 performers Carson Michalowski and Megan Marchesano. This year's senior class is five players strong, and that group has won nearly 80 percent of its games.
OSU is the preseason favorite to repeat as Big 12 regular season champions, and the Cowgirls will be looking for their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.
The Opponents
OSU has never faced either of this weekend's opponents on the pitch. UMKC returns all but two starters from a team that went 8-8-4 a year ago, while Weber State is coming off a 6-10-3 season and returns six starters from that squad.
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 (link is under Schedule). The matches will also be carried live by Stillwater Radio and will air on KGFY 105.5 FM.
Big 12's Best
OSU was selected by the Big 12's coaches -- as well as several other outlets -- as the favorite to repeat as conference champions in 2012. The Cowgirls have won four consecutive Big 12 titles and has captured five conference championships in the last nine seasons -- three tournament (2003, '09, '10) and two regular season (2008, '11).
OSU finished the 2011 regular season 17-0-2, joining the 2006 Nebraska team as the only Big 12 Conference teams in history to go unbeaten during the regular season.
The Cowgirls went 6-0-2 in conference play to claim their second regular-season Big 12 title, and in doing so they became the first Big 12 team since Texas A&M in 2002 to complete the league schedule without a loss.
High Five
The Cowgirls are ranked No. 5 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire preseason poll, which marks the highest preseason ranking in program history. OSU has appeared in the national preseason rankings for six-straight years. OSU has also been tabbed a preseason top 10 team by several other outlets -- No. 8 by College Sports Madness, No. 9 by TopDrawerSoccer.com and No. 10 by Soccer America.
With the preseason rankings, OSU extended its string of consecutive weeks in the national rankings to 29, a program-record streak that dates back to the 2010 preseason. Additionally, the Cowgirls have now been ranked in the top five of the NSCAA poll for 13-straight weeks. They were ranked in the top five for the final 12 weeks in 2011, including a span of eight weeks in which they held the No. 2 spot.
OSU was ranked No. 5 in the final 2011 NSCAA poll, which marked the second-straight year the Cowgirls finished fifth in the final national rankings.
Seniors Rule
OSU's 2012 senior class (Franch, Gray, Kippenberger, Marchesano and Michalowski) enters the 2012 season as the second-winningest senior class in the nation. Over the last three years, the Cowgirls own a 57-13-6 (.789) record. The next closest senior class win total from the Big 12 is West Virginia with 45.
Stanford's senior class leads the way with a 73-2-3 mark.
Second To One
With its 42-6-4 record, OSU owns the second-most wins in the nation over the last two seasons. The Cowgirls' win total trails only Stanford, which is 46-1-3 over the span.
Making History
OSU is coming off a record-setting 2011 season in which the Cowgirls captured the second regular season Big 12 championship in program history before advancing to the NCAA Championship Elite Eight for the second-straight year. OSU finished the season with a 22-2-2 record, which included an 8-2-0 conference mark. The 22 wins is a school record.
Century Mark
With the win over Creighton on Sept. 2, 2011, OSU head coach Colin Carmichael notched his 100th career victory. Entering his eighth season at the helm, Carmichael sports a career mark of 116-29-19 (.765).
Karen Hancock, now a Cowgirl assistant, served as OSU's first-ever head coach and was 110-89-19 in 11 seasons.
Home Sweet Home
OSU was 13-0-1 at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex in 2011. The Cowgirls sport a 43-3-1 record (.926) on their home field since 2008 and are 101-27-8 (.772) all time.
Starting Off Right
OSU is 13-3-0 all time in season openers. The Cowgirls' last loss to open a season came in 2009 in a 1-0 setback at No. 17 Colorado.
