Bedlam Soccer: Don't Miss Out!

Cowgirl Soccer has celebrated numerous memorable moments during The Bedlam Series, and the chance to add to the list comes Friday at 7 p.m. when Oklahoma State hosts its rival at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.

OSU is 20-4-3 all time against the Sooners, and one of those Cowgirl victories is among the most dramatic in the 20-year history of the program.

That game came in 2002 and produced an unlikely hero. Will the first Bedlam match of 2015 join that game from 13 years ago as an all-time classic? Be there and see for yourself!

But for now, back to that '02 game, which was played on Nov. 1 at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.

It was the final game of the regular season, and on the line — besides state bragging rights — was a trip to the Big 12 Conference Soccer Championship. For Oklahoma State, a win would secure the program's first-ever postseason berth.

For 84 minutes, it looked like the Cowgirls' conference tourney dreams would be dashed.

Jeni Jackson had other ideas.

OSU's sophomore defender entered the game having never scored a goal for the Cowgirls — and after this night, she would never score again.

But with OSU trailing 2-0, Jackson netted what would be the first of three goals over the final 5:49 as her hat trick lifted the Cowgirls to an improbable 3-2 triumph.

Jackson's first score came when she found the back of the net off a corner kick by Nikki Wojtowicz. Just 31 seconds later, the score was tied when Jackson took a pass from Carla Dolomont and netted the equalizer.

With the Cowgirls riding that momentum, Jackson decided to go ahead and secure an OSU win, and she did just that when she scored off a Cassie Lewis assist with only 19 ticks remaining in regulation.

Adding to the improbability of Jackson's heroics — she took only 11 shots all season (in 20 games).

Jackson's hat trick secured the No. 8 seed for OSU at the Big 12 Championship in San Antonio, giving the Cowgirls that coveted first postseason berth.

OSU head coach Colin Carmichael, who was an assistant for the Cowgirls in 2002: "To be down 2-0 in the last six minutes and come back and win 3-2 in any game would be amazing, but to do it against your rival made it even sweeter. And then for a center back, who those were the only goals of her career, to score all three just made it surreal. Incredible. I remember thinking when we were down 2-0 that we didn't deserve that because we had played very well. But OU was good. We thought if we just got that first goal, we had a chance and sure enough, the momentum just shifted. We scored two within about a minute, and then Jeni popped up with the last one. That was a great moment against our fiercest rival."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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