Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas Tech
Cowgirls Back Home For Big 12 Action
September 30, 2015 | Cowgirl Soccer
Oklahoma State (5-6-0, 0-2-0)
vs. #14 Texas Tech (7-1-3, 0-0-1)
Fri., Oct. 2 • 7 p.m. • Stillwater, Okla.
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
vs. Texas (3-3-3, 0-1-0)
Sun., Oct. 4 • 1 p.m. • Stillwater, Okla.
Cowgirl Soccer Complex (1,450)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State opens a four-match homestand this weekend at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex with a pair of Big 12 Conference contests, taking on Texas Tech Friday at 7 p.m. before a Sunday showdown against Texas at 1 p.m. The Cowgirls are 5-6-0 overall and 0-2-0 in Big 12 Conference play.
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 Opponents
Texas Tech is 7-1-3 on the season and opened league play last Friday by tying Oklahoma, 0-0, in Norman. The Red Raiders are ranked 14th nationally and led by All-American junior forward Janine Beckie, who has three goals and four assists on the season. OSU is 13-6-3 all time against Texas Tech and has not lost to the Red Raiders since 2012. Last season, the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw in Lubbock.
Texas enters a Friday night match at Kansas with a 3-3-3 overall mark. The Longhorns dropped their Big 12 opener by a 2-0 count at No. 5 West Virginia last week. UT senior Abby Smith leads the Big 12 with 57 saves on the season and has recorded three shutouts. OSU is 9-10-5 all time against Texas and has won each of the last two meetings by a 2-1 margin.
On The Air & The Web
Fans wishing to follow this weekend's matches can do so in a variety of ways. Live stats will be available at
www.okstate.com (link is available under the Schedule tab on the Cowgirl soccer page), and both matches will also stream free online on YouTube, with the link available at www.okstate.com/live. A radio call also airs online and on Stillwater Radio, with Friday's game on KSPI 93.7 FM and Sunday's contest on KGFY 105.5 FM; Bill Van Ness will call the action.
Home Sweet Home
The Cowgirls are 3-1-0 on their home field in 2015. OSU is 67-10-7 (.839) at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex since 2008 and is 125-34-14 (.763) all time on its current home turf.
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.
Road Weary & Ready TO Stay A While
Oklahoma State has played only once on its home field since Aug. 30 — seven road matches, one home — but the Cowgirls will be at home for six of their final eight regular season contests.
The Going Gets Tough
In 2014, OSU's schedule ranked as the second toughest in the NCAA, which helped the Cowgirls finish 34th in the RPI, and the Big 12 ranked as the second-highest RPI conference in the nation a year ago.
Things won't be any easier in 2015 as OSU will face a dozen teams that made the NCAA Soccer Championship last season, including seven in non-conference play. Of the Cowgirls' 18 opponents, four are currently ranked in the national polls — West Virginia (3), Florida (12), Texas Tech (14) and Washington State (19).
New Faces
Only five newcomers joined the OSU roster in 2015, but four of those have become immediate contributors.
Freshmen forwards Marlo Zoller and Haley Woodard have combined for four goals and two assists, while JUCO transfer Christina Jean-Charles has started all 11 games and leads the Cowgirls with three assists. Another freshman, Morgan McDougal, has seen action as a reserve in 10 matches.
Scoring & Sharing The Wealth
Through 11 games this season, OSU has recorded 17 goals and 12 assists. In 21 games in 2014, the Cowgirls had 22 goals and 15 assists.
Ten different Cowgirls have collected goals in 2015, with five of those having two or more scores, and seven different OSU players have collected assists.
OSU has scored multiple goals in six matches this season, already equaling its total from 2014. A year ago, the Cowgirls did not score more than two goals in a game — they've done it twice this season.
