Cowgirls seeking Big 12 title in regular-season finale
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State's regular-season soccer finale will start with a celebration of five seniors who have been vital to the rise of the program in the last few years.
And the 12th- ranked Cowgirls hope to end the night with another celebration.
A win over Baylor at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Neal Patterson Stadium, broadcast on ESPN+, will give t he Cowgirls the outright Big 12 regular- season title. A tie with the Bears will guarantee nothing worse than a shared conference championship, based on what Texas Tech does against Kansas State. Only an OSU loss and Texas Tech win can knock the Cowgirls off the mountaintop.
OSU ( 1 3- 1 - 3) enters the game with an 8-0-1 home record this season and a 6-1-1 mark in Big 12 play.
With bigger goals ahead, the Cow girls hope to finish the regular season emphatically.
“We all enjoy soccer and enjoy being around each other ,” said midfielderJaciJ ones, a Mustang native .“For the seniors, we saw what it was like when we got here as fresh men, and we didn't want to be like those classes that had a lot of talent that couldn't piece it all together and bring everyone together.
“This year has gone by incredibly fast, but regardless of the result at the end of the year, this has been my favorite year to play. It's been really special.”
Jones is one of the five seniors who will be saluted Thursday night, along with Elise Hawn, Claire Gantz er, Julia Len hard ta nd Kirsten Siragusa, a group that has combined for 363 games of experience, including 291 starts.
OSU had high expectations a year ago, before a wild string of injuries derailed the second half of the season. And that led to some low expectations from outsiders entering this season.
“This group has a great mentality,” coach Colin Carmichael said. “We've been healthy overall, which has helped us, and we've got a bunch of kids who are very driven and motivated to do well. And there might be a little bit of proving everyone wrong from how last year went.
“They love each other. They like competing. I think if you have some talented players who have t hose attributes, you're gonna win a lot of games in college soccer.”
The Cowgirls won't have too long to celebrate if they win the conference title Thursday. The Big 12 Tournament begins Sunday in Kansas City.