Cowgirl Soccer All-Time Team: Midfielder

The Oklahoma State Cowgirl soccer program will mark its 20^th season in 2015. As we celebrate two decades of milestones, OSU head coach Colin Carmichael and assistant coach Karen Hancock, both of whom have been with the program since its inception and built it into a national power, collaborated on a list of the top players in Cowgirl soccer history. We'll reveal the top 11 daily on www.okstate.com over the next two weeks, and today we highlight the first of three Cowgirl midfielders.

Annika Niemeier – Willingen-Ussein, Germany (2007-11)
Niemeier played parts of five seasons with the Cowgirls and was one of the top scorers in program history. The German native played in 86 games and ranks in the top 10 at OSU in career goals (24), assists (18) and points (66). She holds the OSU record by scoring in seven-straight matches during the 2009 season.

Niemeier redshirted while recovering from a knee injury as a freshman in 2006, then started 62 games over the next three seasons. In 2010, she suffered a season ending knee injury in the second game of her senior year, but the NCAA granted her a medical hardship waiver to return for a fifth year in 2011. She has the unique distinction of having played on five NCAA Tournament teams, and she was also a part of four Big 12 Conference title squads.

As a junior in 2009, Niemeier led OSU with 11 goals and was an All-Big 12 First Team and NSCAA All-Central Region Second Team selection. Of her 11 goals that season, a Big 12-best seven were game winners.

With a knack for scoring crucial goals, Niemeier had 10 game winners in her career. She missed much of her final season in Stillwater in 2011 recovering from her knee injury, but scored the game-winning goals in each of OSU's three NCAA Tournament wins that season, including scores in 1-0 victories over Illinois and Maryland.

Colin Carmichael on Annika Niemeier: "Annika was one of the smartest players ever at Oklahoma State. A great goal scorer out of the midfield who was always a threat. She read the game very well and was technically a very, very clean player."

Here's video of Niemeier's goal in the NCAA Sweet 16 against Maryland in 2011 that gave Oklahoma State a 1-0 win and helped the Cowgirls advance to the Elite Eight for the second-straight year.

All-Time Cowgirl Soccer Team
GK – AD Franch
D – Lauren Colwell
D – Melinda Mercado
D – Carson Michalowski
D – Bridget Miller
MF – Annika Niemeier

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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