Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Iowa State
Cowgirls Look For First Big 12 Win
October 14, 2015 | Cowgirl Soccer
Oklahoma State (7-6-2, 0-2-2)
at Iowa State (5-9-0, 0-5-0)
Fri., Oct. 16 • 7 p.m. • Ames, Iowa
Cyclone Sports Complex (1,500)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State returns to Big 12 Conference action for the final four games of the regular season and will travel to Ames, Iowa, to take on Iowa State Friday at 7 p.m. Both teams are looking for their first win in conference play, with the Cowgirls entering the match 0-2-2 in Big 12 games and 7-6-2 overall. OSU is unbeaten in its last four matches, with ties against 14th-ranked Texas Tech and Texas and wins over Drake and Oral Roberts.
OSU is coming off a 2014 season in which it earned a spot in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship for the second-straight season. The Cowgirls compiled a 10-10-1 overall record, which included a 5-2-1 mark and second-place finish in the Big 12 standings.
The Cowgirls return 10 starters and 17 letterwinners from 2014, including four All-Big 12 performers in forwards Courtney Dike and Madison Mercado, midfielder Allie Stephenson and defender Natalie Calhoun.
The 2015 season marks the 20th in the history of the OSU women's soccer program. Over their first 19 seasons, the Cowgirls compiled a 229-132-42 (.620) record, and head coach Colin Carmichael entered his 11th season at the helm with a 146-52-29 mark. The Cowgirls have earned a berth in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship in seven of the last eight years and have claimed Big 12 titles in four of the last seven seasons.
About The Opponent
Iowa State is 5-9-0 overall and 0-5-0 in the Big 12, placing them ninth in the conference standings, and has been outscored 23-15 on the season. Junior forward Koree Willer leads the Cyclones with five goals and three assists, while sophomore goalie Lindsey Hendon has recorded five shutouts.
OSU is 9-8-2 all time against Iowa State but just 2-7-1 in Ames. The Cowgirls won last year's meeting by a 1-0 count in Stillwater compliments of a goal by Kelsey Bass.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow Friday's match can do so in a variety of ways. Live stats will be available at www.cyclones.com (link is available under the Schedule tab on the soccer page), and there will be an online stream available at cyclones.tv (there is a fee involved to watch). In-game updates will also be provided via the OSU Soccer Twitter page - @CowgirlFC.
Winning Is A Habit
The 2015 season marks the 20th in the OSU program's history. During the second decade, the Cowgirls have reached unprecedented heights.
• OSU has earned a berth in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship eight of the last nine years (beginning in 2006).
• From 2006-11, the Cowgirls earned six-straight NCAA tourney bids and advanced to at least the second round each time, including back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2010 and 2011.
• From 2008-11, OSU celebrated four consecutive Big 12 championships — two regular season (2008, '11) and two tournament ('09, '10).
• In 2011, OSU set a school record with 22 wins. The Cowgirls finished the '11 regular season 17-0-2, joining the 1996 Nebraska team as the only Big 12 Conference teams in history to go unbeaten during the regular season. OSU was 6-0-2 in conference play to claim its second regular-season Big 12 title and in doing so became the first Big 12 team since Texas A&M in 2002 to complete the league schedule without a loss.
Milestone For Carmichael
Oklahoma State head coach Colin Carmichael recorded career win No. 150 on Sept. 18 against Arizona State. Now in his 11th season as the Cowgirls' head coach, Carmichael has been on the OSU coaching staff since the program's inception in 1996.
Stat Speak
Oklahoma State ranks second in the Big 12 in goals (30), shots (257) and corner kicks (90). Of OSU's 257 shots this season, 115 have been on goal for a .447 shots on goal percentage; its opponents own a .347 shots on goal percentage.
Scoring & Sharing The Wealth
Through 15 games this season, OSU has recorded 30 goals and 18 assists. In 21 games in 2014, the Cowgirls had 22 goals and 15 assists.
Thirteen different Cowgirls have collected goals in 2015, with six of those having three or more scores, and nine different OSU players have collected assists.
OSU has scored multiple goals in nine matches this season, easily surpassing its total from 2014. A year ago, the Cowgirls did not score more than two goals in a game — they've done it four times this season.
