#14 Oklahoma State (4-1-0) at SMU (3-1-1) Friday, Sept. 10 • 7 p.m. Westcott field (4,000) ... at TCU (3-2-1) Sunday, Sept. 12 • 4 p.m. Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium (1,500)
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State is 4-1-0 on the season, and the Cowgirls are coming off two home wins last weekend, including a 2-1 triumph over No. 13 Memphis. With its hot start and a strong nucleus of proven veterans that has led the program to back-to-back conference championships, OSU is currently ranked as high as 14th nationally. The Cowgirls return to action with a pair of road games this weekend in the Lone Star State. OSU takes on SMU in Dallas Friday at 7 p.m. before a showdown against TCU in Fort Worth Sunday at 4 p.m. OSU returns eight starters in 2010 from a squad that went 15-7-2 a year ago, won a Big 12 Soccer Championship title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship for the fourth consecutive year. The Cowgirls returned a trio of All-Big 12 First Team performers -- senior midfielder Annika Niemeier, junior defender Melinda Mercado and sophomore goalie AD Franch -- but Niemeier was lost for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury at Oregon last month. Colin Carmichael is in his sixth season as OSU's head coach. The Cowgirls have a .731 winning percentage under Carmichael, having compiled a 78-24-15 record during his tenure.
The Opponents SMU is 3-1-1 on the season, with the lone loss coming at No. 3 Portland. OSU is 3-0-0 all time vs. the Mustangs, with the last meeting coming last season and resulting in a 4-0 win for the Cowgirls in Stillwater. TCU will enter Sunday's match with a 3-2-1 record. The Cowgirls are 1-1-0 against the Horned Frogs, but the two teams have not met since the 2000 season in a match that TCU won 3-2 in double overtime.
On The Air & The Web Fans wishing to follow this weekend's matches can do so in several ways. Live stats via Game Tracker can be accessed at www.okstate.com by clicking on the Schedule/Results link. Sunday's game will be aired live on The MountainWest Sports Network - The Mtn - which is carried nationally by DIRECTV (Channel 616) and numerous cable operators representing over 200 municipalities in nine states.
Dominant Defender Melinda Mercado has established herself as one of college soccer's top defenders in her first two seasons as a Cowgirl. A native of Sapulpa, Okla., "Minnie" started every game at defender for OSU in 2008 and was a key part of a defense that recorded 10 shutouts and allowed just 18 goals. Mercado's stellar play did not go unnoticed as she earned third-team Freshman All-America honors from Soccer Buzz and a spot on the Big 12 All-Newcomer team. Following the season, Mercado joined the OSU basketball team and appeared in 29 games on the hardwood for the Cowgirls. It was her only season to play collegiate hoops. The spring of '08 was also highlighted by Mercado's participation in the U.S. Soccer Under-20 Women's National Team Domestic Training Camp in April. There was no sophomore slump for Mercado as she anchored an OSU defense that set a school record for shutouts in '09. She was named All-Big 12 First Team and was the Defensive MVP at the Big 12 Soccer Championship.
AD U.S. U-20 Earlier this year, AD Franch became the first OSU player to ever compete for a U.S. National Team. In February, Franch competed for the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team at the La Manga Cup in Spain. She recorded a shutout in the opening round match against Norway. Franch followed that by being named to the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team that travelled to the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Germany in June. Franch suffered a concussion prior to the tournament, however, and did not play in the tourney.
They Shoot, They Score Looking to lead the scoring attack for the Cowgirls in 2010 are forwards Kyndall Treadwell and Katie Richardson. That duo has combined for 27 goals and 20 assists during their careers. A senior, Richardson has 14 goals and 10 assists during her time in Stillwater, while Treadwell has notched 13 goals and 10 assists in just over two years for the Cowgirls. OSU's other top returning scoring forward is sophomore Megan Marchesano, who recorded four goals as a freshman in 2009.
Lopez Adds To Resumé Cowgirl junior Krista Lopez picked up a pair of awards for her performances in wins over Memphis and Murray State last week. A forward/midfielder, Lopez was named a CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week for Week #3 and also earned the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week award for games played from Sept. 3-6. In leading OSU to a pair of wins, Lopez netted three goals on the weekend, including the game winner against 13th-ranked Memphis in a 2-1 win on Friday. On Sunday, Lopez notched the first multi-goal game of her career with two goals against Murray State in a 4-2 win. Lopez recorded nine shots on the weekend with four of those on goal. Lopez' three goals give her the team lead through OSU's first five games.
