Cowgirls Ready to Defend Big 12 Title in Shortened Season

Oklahoma State now has a soccer schedule for 2020 and the shortened campaign starts with Bedlam.

STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State was waiting like the rest the soccer programs in the Big 12 to see what their schedule/season would look like for this fall. The NCAA had already cancelled the Divsion I Women's Soccer Championship, but like football, the plan was to play this fall. Oklahoma State and the Big 12 pulled down their schedules last week. Those schedules had already been pushed back to September and the Cowgirls were slated to open with former Big 12 foe and powerhouse Texas A&M. Now the new schedule has been released and, as suspected, it is a conference only slate.

Oklahoma State will be playing all nine of their Big 12 brethren this fall. The defending Big 12 champions will open the season Sept. 11 at Oklahoma before hosting Iowa State the following week for its home opener at Neal Patterson Stadium. The match against the Cyclones is one of five at home for the Cowgirls, who will also welcome West Virginia, TCU, Texas and Texas Tech to Stillwater.

"First and foremost, I'm excited that we get to play," Cowgirls head coach Colin Carmichael told Pokes Report. "The Big 12 is tough, every match, so we have a lot to look forward to. It's the same home and away schedule we had previously, so that is okay. I know it will all be pretty intense."

OSU was picked to finish second in the conference standings in a preseason vote of the league’s head coaches. The Cowgirls were just behind the Texas Tech Red Raiders in that poll. 

Oklahoma State returns a lot of talent to their squad for this fall including Preseason All-Big 12 performers in defender Kim Rodriguez, midfielder Grace Yochum, and forward Olyvia Dowell. A glue player in Camy Huddleston is also a very critical returning player to the line-up. 

Big 12 teams are now no longer permitted to play non-conference opponents this fall. The season is set to conclude on Nov. 6, but makeup contests could continue past that date.

There was rumored that a four-team championship tournament might be played after the regular season in Fort Worth. 

:I think that is still up in the air," Carmichael said. "I think the Big 12 is waiting on clarification from the NCAA on whether a spring champion can be an automatic qualifier for the NCAA spring championship. At first, they said there would be no fall qualifiers, so we would have to do something in the spring. If we can then we would likely do this. The (athletic directors and senior women administrators) are waiting for some clarity from the NCAA."

Oklahoma State officials have yet to determine what kind of crowd will be permitted at Neal Patterson Stadium for matches or the protocols involved with attending.

2020 Oklahoma State Cowgirl Soccer Schedule

Fri., Sept. 11 at Oklahoma Norman, Okla. 7 p.m.

Fri., Sept. 18 Iowa State Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m.

Fri., Sept. 25 West Virginia Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 2 at Baylor Waco, Texas 7 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 9 TCU Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 16 at Kansas Lawrence, Kan. 7 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 23 Texas Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 30 Texas Tech Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 6 at Kansas State Manhattan, Kan. 7 p.m.