Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Overall Rank: #39
#4 Big 12
Oklahoma State Team Page
Oklahoma State reached their seventh NCAA Tournament in the last eight years in 2013. But it was close. The Cowgirls finished with a 9-7-6 overall record and went 2-3-3 in Big 12 play. That was enough though. However, Oklahoma State fell in the first round against Arkansas in a tough, hard fought 2-1 defeat. The Cowgirls return a lot of talent to this team, but the schedule is tough and the Big 12 is better almost entirely across the board.
2013 Record: 9-7-6, 2-3-3
2013 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Colin Carmichael
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Courtney Dike, Sophomore, F, 13
Assists: Madison Mercado, Junior, M, 7
Shots: Allie Stephenson, Junior, M/F, 66
Saves: Rosa Medina, Senior, GK, 42
Other Key Returnees: F Krissi Killion, M/F Miriam Rhinehart, M Haley Maurice, M Joanna Robertson, D Kelsey Bass, D Natalie Calhoun, D Delaney Kiely, D Lauren Reeyes, D Baillie Burmaster
Key Losses: M Kristen Kelley
Strengths:
With ten starters back, Oklahoma State does not have to worry about filling many holes. Courtney Dike will once again lead the offense after scoring 13 goals as a freshman in 2013. With that year of experience, she could easily turn into the best striker in the Big 12. Allie Stephenson and Krissi Killion will join Dike up top. Stephenson was second on the squad with six goals, while Killion added four. Killion was just a freshman in 2013 as well, so she has a lot of room to grow. Midfielder Madison Mercado is the other player often involved in the attack. She scored five goals and led the Cowgirls with seven assists. With two juniors and two sophomores in the offensive mix, they should be better now, but the problem is those four accounted for 28 of the team’s 29 goals and 17 of the team’s 22 assists.
Weaknesses:
There is nothing wrong with having four main offensive players, but at times it would be nice if somebody else was a legitimate threat going forward. But the good news is that most of those other players are back and they play pretty good defense. Junior Kelsey Bass leads the back line, which also returns Natalie Calhoun, Delaney Kiely, Lauren Reeyes and Balillie Burmaster. But things can be a little shaky between the posts. Rosa Medina played in a total of nine games in 2013 and allowed 13 goals. That experience is going to be important for a team that lacks experience at keeper, yet Oklahoma State needs more consistency in goal if they want to compete with the best teams in the Big 12.
Final Projection:
But long before the Cowgirls can worry about the fact that they have to play both Texas Tech and West Virginia on the road, they will have to navigate through a pretty difficult non-conference schedule. It begins with a rematch against Arkansas, this time in Fayetteville. After that Florida State and Florida come to town; and that all happens before the end of August. But with so much experience returning, this is a team that should be able to play well early in the year and win one or two of those games.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 1.32 (170th in nation, 5th in conference)
Goals-Against Average: 1.06 (99, 5)
Shutout Percentage: 0.227 (228, 8)
Save Percentage: 0.797(120, 6)
Madness 2014 Women’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#59 Anna Beffer
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