Cowgirl Soccer Picked 2nd in Big 12 and Pushed Back to September
STILLWATER -- Sometimes Oklahoma State fans forget that football is not the first sport to lead off a new school year as that honor goes to soccer and the Oklahoma State women's program that has become a fixture in battling for the Big 12 championship and they will defend it this season. Much like all of sports, they will do it in delayed fashion and with the hope that they get their season in.
"Just living day-to-day and taking each day as it comes," Carmichael said of training his team in pandemic. "I'm glad we have our kids back and we've started training and we're taking each day as it comes and rolling with the changes."
The title of that REO Speedwagon hit song is a good attitude to keep in these times. The Cowgirls, who just started practice earlier this week (Aug 2), were supposed to open in an exhibition game with conference foe TCU in Fort Worth on Aug. 14. That as well as several other contests in August have been wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The latest update for us, it looks like most other conferences that we are going to roll back to September 1 as a start date for soccer," Carmichael explained. "It is day-by-day, but as of right now our first match will be Texas A&M here on Sept. 4."
Texas A&M is a nationally-ranked program and a former rival in the Big 12. That will be a huge match to kick off the season in women's college soccer's premier facility, Oklahoma State's Neal Patterson Stadium.
The interesting aspect of this season is like football, the conferences are trusting their fellow members more than anybody, so Oklahoma State is already playing home and home this season with Kansas and Kansas State. Carmichael said Oklahoma State is in discussion with TCU and two other conference schools about having a weekend of games in Fort Worth.
The Cowgirls are looking to defend their title from 2019, but they are picked second.
Texas Tech is the preseason favorite for the first time in their program history in the 2020 Big 12 soccer preseason poll, as voted by the league’s head coaches.
The Red Raiders earned six first-place votes and 72 points while Carmichael and the Cowgirls were projected to finish second with three first-place votes and 70 points.
The Big 12 coaches poll is below.
| School | Total Points (1st Place Votes) |
|---|---|
Texas Tech Red Raiders | 72 (6) |
Oklahoma State Cowgirls | 70 (3) |
TCU Horned Frogs | 55 |
West Virgina Mountaineers | 54 |
Texas Lady Horns | 50 |
Kansas Jayhawks | 48 |
Baylor Lady Bears | 38 (1) |
Oklahoma Sooners | 31 |
Tie - Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas State Wildcats | 16 each |
Oklahoma State is still a team that is centered on the back line and the way they play defense. In fact, in recent seasons even moreso the way the Cowgirls defend.
"The system we play with three center backs and two, sort of, wingbacks, if you like. We started that three years ago and we've won two Big 12 Championships playing that way," Carmichael said. "That is obviously something we're not going to change until such time that we feel we have to."
So, it is no surprise that some of their best players and All-Big 12 preseason selections and potential All-Americans blend into that system.
"We return Kim Rodriguez, our All-American center back that is different level," Carmichael said of the senior from Porter, Texas. "She hasn't missed a beat the first couple of days of practice and it all starts back there with Kim."
Olyvia Dowell is a returning sophomore midfielder that Carmichael thinks will be outstanding in helping the Cowgirls control the middle of the field.
Then in their offensive shape they have two what Carmichal calls "holding midfielders" and he has two veterans that are All-Big 12 candidates there.
"The interesting thing for me is that Camy (Huddleston) is kind of that glue player that holds it all together for you," he said. "She does all the dirty work. It's not to diminish her ability to play soccer, she is very good. She is just not afraid to get in there and disrupt everything.
"Then Grace Yochum, if Grace didn't get injured when she did last year we really feel that she would have been an All-American. She was on track to do that," Carmichael said of the junior from Houston, Texas. "She is back and we expect her to dominate games."
There are plenty of younger players and new goal keepers to go with the one veteran Hannah Warner, and overall, Carmichael feels good about his team's chances, if they can get on the pitch.
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