Cowgirls in a groove as Bedlam arrives
STILLWATER — Jaci Jones has played on Oklahoma State soccer teams that might've had more talented players.
But none of them came together to be quite the team this year's Cowgirls are.
With a 12-1-3 record, and the only loss on the road, Oklahoma State closes the regular season with a couple of important home games over the next week.
Senior Night against Baylor awaits next Thursday, but first, Bedlam.
The Sooners ( 8- 63) visit Neal Patterson Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday to take on an OSU squad that has won five straight matches and risen to No. 13 in the national rankings.
“We might not have the most talent that we've had in the past,” said Jones, a senior midfielder from Mustang. “But you put all that aside when you have good team chemistry and you want to fight for one another and put it all out there for your teammates.
“You hear teams say, ` Oh, it's like a family,' and stuff like that, but I've never been part of a team that felt more like a family than this team, and I really think it shows.”
With that bond, the talent has excelled. OSU
has outscored its opponents 39-11 this season. Jones leads the team with nine assists, and is second with six goals.
Leading the way in the scoring department is sophomore Grace Yochum, a Houston product who was the Big 12 and United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Player of the Week.
Her 11 goals are the most by a Cowgirl since 2013. She had a hat trick in a 3- 0 win over Iowa State, and scored the game- winner in a 2- 1 victory over West Virginia — OSU's firstever victory over the Mountaineers.
Yochum had just two goals through OSU's first
seven matches, but has caught fire lately, with at least one goal in the last four.
“Early in the season, Grace was playing really well. The ball just wasn't dropping for her,” OSU coach Colin Carmichael said.
“Once she got a couple, I think that gave her the belief that she could go on and score. Now, she probably feels like every time she shoots, it's going in.”
The first Bedlam meeting was a 2- 2 draw in Norman, so there will be some extra juice in this meeting.
“It's one of those games that's always so much fun,” Jones said. “Being an Oklahoma kid, you dream of playing in a Bedlam game.
“This might be my last one. You never know with the Big 12 Tournament, but there's something special about it, for sure.”