Texas State (2-3-0) at #12 Oklahoma State (5-0-0)
Thurs., Sept. 5 • 7 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. • Neal Patterson Stadium
ULM (6-0-0) at #12 Oklahoma State (5-0-0)
Sun., Sept. 8 • 1 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. • Neal Patterson Stadium
TV/Video: ESPN+ (Dave Saunders & Anna Beffer)
Radio: The Varsity Network/Stillwater Radio KGFY 105.5 FM (Ryan Breeden)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Twitter In-Game Scoreboard/Updates: @CowgirlFC
About Oklahoma State
• Oklahoma State is 5-0-0 on the season, its best start since 2012, and has outscored its opponents, 11-0. This week, the Cowgirls host a pair of matches at Neal Patterson Stadium, taking on Texas State on Thursday night before a Sunday afternoon contest against ULM.
• OSU is coming off a 12-8-0 season in 2023 in which the Cowgirls finished seventh in the Big 12 standings with a 5-5-0 conference mark.
• The Cowgirls return nine starters and 16 letter winners from last season.
• The 2024 season is the 29th in program history; over the first 28, OSU posted a 334-185-63 (.628) record. Head coach Colin Carmichael enters his 20th season at the helm in 2024 with a 251-105-50 mark.
Scouting The Opponents
• Texas State is 2-3-0 and coming off one-goal losses at home to Colorado State and Houston.
• OSU is 3-0-0 all time against Texas State. Last season, the Cowgirls won a 3-0 contest in San Marcos.
• ULM is 6-0-0 heading into a Thursday match at home against Sam Houston. The Warhawks have outscored their opponents 21-1 on the season.
• OSU won its only previous match against ULM, a 7-0 triumph in Stillwater in 2007.
Last Week
Oklahoma State remained perfect on the season with a 3-0 road win at San Diego State. Logan Heausler scored twice, and Grace Gordon recorded a season high with seven saves.
Trending Up
In this week’s national polls, OSU is ranked No. 12 by TopDrawerSoccer.com and 13th by United Soccer Coaches. The Cowgirls were No. 11 in last week’s United Soccer Coaches poll, their highest ranking since they were No. 11 in both polls on Nov. 17, 2020, and were ranked 14th by TDS.
OSU entered the national rankings on Aug. 19/20 for the first time since Aug. 30, 2021, when the Cowgirls were 22nd in the TDS poll.
In this week’s United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region Rankings, OSU is No. 1.
Clean Sheets
For the first time in program history, OSU has opened the season with five consecutive shutouts. Their previous best streak to begin a season was three games in 2005.
OSU’s five-straight shutouts is also tied for the second longest streak in program history. In 2011, the Cowgirls had shutout streaks of six and five matches.
Grace Gordon’s four shutouts rank third nationally this season.
Start Streaking
OSU is off to a 5-0-0 start for the first time since 2012. The last time the Cowgirls started a season 6-0-0 was also 2012.
The 2011 Cowgirls opened the season with a program record 15 consecutive wins.
Perfect
OSU is one of 14 unbeaten and untied teams remaining in NCAA Women’s Division I soccer.
Sharing the Wealth
OSU’s 11 goals this season have been scored by eight different players. Only Nicole Ray and Logan Heausler have multiple goals for the Cowgirls.
Seven Cowgirls have also recorded assists on the year, with Alex Morris, Xcaret Pineda and Laudan Wilson leading the way with two apiece.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
OSU’s trio of starting center backs is a big reason the Cowgirls have not allowed a goal this season - and it’s rare to not see them on the field.
Mollie Breiner has played the full 90 minutes in four of OSU’s five matches, the lone exception coming at Central Arkansas. Ellie Geoffroy has played full time in three matches, while Chloé Joseph has played 90 minutes twice.
Recognized
A list of OSU’s award winners & honorees during the 2024 season:
• Mollie Breiner - TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week, 8/20
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, 8/21
TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week, 8/27
• Grace Gordon - Big 12 Co-Goalkeeper of the Week, 8/21
Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week, 9/4
• Bella Pierotti - Big 12 Freshman of the Week, 8/28
Saving Grace
Grace Gordon established herself as OSU’s goalkeeper in her first season in Stillwater in 2023 as she started 19 games and posted six shutouts in 1,635 minutes of action.
A transfer who spent her first three seasons at Seton Hall, Gordon ranked second in the Big 12 with a 0.83 goals against average and .815 save percentage, while her six clean sheets was fifth.
During OSU’s five-game winning streak in September, Gordon allowed only two goals and posted three shutouts. She recorded a season-high eight saves in her Big 12 debut to help OSU to a win at Iowa State.
With her six shutouts (she also played a role in two combined shutouts), Gordon is the Big 12’s returning leader in that category in 2024.
Climbing
Grace Gordon ranks sixth on OSU’s career shutouts list with 10 in just 24 games in a Cowgirl uniform; she needs one more to enter the top five. Gordon has 19 clean sheets in her collegiate career after recording nine in three seasons at Seton Hall.
Gordon’s 84 saves in an OSU uniform ranks eighth in program history, and she is currently atop the list in goals against average at 0.65.
Home Sweet Home
OSU has won 79 percent of its games in four seasons at Neal Patterson Stadium, which opened in 2019. The Cowgirls are 45-10-5 on their current home turf, including posting a 2-0-0 mark season.
OSU has gone undefeated at home in seven seasons in its history, the last time coming in 2019.
