Cowgirls one win away from Big 12 regular season title

The Oklahoma State soccer team was the first to claim the new Bedlam trophy on Friday night after beating the Sooners 3-1 in a soggy match in Neal Patterson Stadium.

(I do like that trophy.)

The Cowgirls went into the half up 2-1, but an own-goal off Ally Jackson in the 53rd minute suddenly made it a match. Thankfully, a beautiful corner by senior midfielder Jaci Jones helped the Cowgirls reclaim a two-goal lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

The win moves OSU to 13-1-3 on the season, including 6-1-1 in Big 12 play. The victory over Oklahoma gives the Cowgirls 19 points and keeps them in first place and — with just one match to go against Baylor this week — in control for the conference regular season crown.

The Cowgirls last won the regular season crown in 2017, and honestly were primed to do so again in 2018. They started the year 10-1-1 before injuries to their best players started to pile up and they ended the year on a six-match losing streak.

This year though, the Cowgirls have stayed healthy, and their best players are some of the best in the league.

The squad is led by sophomore midfielder Grace Yocum, who leads the team with 11 goals, and is second in the Big 12. Of those 11, four have been game winners. She was the National Player of the Week last week after scoring four of the team’s five goals for the week, including a hat trick against Iowa State.

Behind her is Jones who leads the team — and the Big 12 — in assists with 11, and is second on the team with six goals (10th in the Big 12).

Then there’s freshman midfielder Olyvia Dowell who leads the team in shots (53) and shots on goal (24), both good enough to be in the top 10 in the conference. She’s second on the team in assists with six.

But it’s not just the stars. The team as a whole has been fantastic. They’re disciplined, racking up only 11 yellow cards and 151 fouls all season. Goalie Dani Greenlee has given up just nine goals this season and has 39 saves to date.

This team is loaded and set to continue to be successful for the next few years. But the great thing is, they don’t have to wait that long to win big.

With the weekend’s action wrapped, it’s simple; win their regular season finale and OSU is the Big 12 regular season champs. Draw or lose and you’re going to have to hope that Texas Tech trips up against 3-12-2 Kansas State.

The Cowgirls will welcome the 8-6-3 Baylor Bears to Neal Patterson Stadium this Haloween night for a 7 pm showdown. If you’re anywhere near Stillwater and can be there, do. Not only to cheer on the Cowgirls, but to potentially witness a Big 12 title clenching victory.