Why Oklahoma State Soccer’s Tie with Arizona Matters Even if it Hurts

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls had their chances to beat the Arizona Wildcats on Friday, but a 3-3 tie is what they walked away with.

The Cowgirls (5-4-3, 1-2-1 in Big 12) led the match every time they scored. Emmy Hedden handed OSU a 1-0 lead win the 19th minute. But the Wildcats (3-5-4, 0-1-3) tied it up on a goal from Mireya Stephenson. Emily Senatore scored her first goal of the season to put Oklahoma State ahead, 2-1, right before halftime. But, right after halftime, the Wildcats tied the match on a goal from Lily Boydstun.

In the 50th minute, Sonora De Fini put the Cowgirls ahead, 3-2, on assists from Hedden and Aubrey Wagner. But, in the 87th minute, OSU couldn’t hold Arizona off any longer as Ella Weathersby delivered a penalty kick goal to tie the match.

It was not the result the Cowgirls wanted. But it came with one benefit.

Why the Tie Matters

Hedden puts us ahead 🤠#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/Yt2vNPnpkc
— OSU Cowgirl Soccer (@CowgirlFC) October 3, 2026

While wins, losses and ties matter, the points that come with them matter more. The Cowgirls get three points for a win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. That’s why their road losses to Baylor and Houston last week hurt. They were by a combined 3-1 and came with no points in the standings.

Even as OSU tied Arizona, it came with something — a point. With the three points the Cowgirls collected in the Big 12 opening win over TCU, they now have four points. That matters in the Big 12 standings and for the Big 12 Tournament.

The Top 8 teams in the conference will make it to the tournament. Entering the week Baylor, Texas Tech and BYU all have 10 points. Houston has nine, West Virginia and Kansas have seven while Colorado, Arizona State and TCU have six. That’s nine teams ahead of OSU at four points, along with UCF and Utah. That’s the field the Cowgirls are going to have to catch.

With four matches done and seven remaining, that means plotting a course that will help the Cowgirls return to the Big 12 Tournament. The path is interesting and the next three matches may be critical. That stretch starts with Texas Tech at home on Thursday. The Red Raiders are one of those three teams tied for first place. After that OSU goes to Orlando, one of the teams it’s tied with. Then, it’s a home match with Arizona State, which is two points ahead of the Cowgirls.

That isn’t all. OSU has a match with Utah, the other team it is tied with, along with West Virginia and Colorado. Iowa State is the only team left on OSU’s schedule that is behind the Cowgirls. The Cyclones have one point.

That’s why, as little as it sounds, one point means something for Oklahoma State.

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