OSU Soccer: Cowgirls Beat Sooners in First Big 12-SEC Bedlam

STILLWATER — The first edition of Bedlam in a Big 12 vs. SEC world took place Thursday night, and it went the way of the Cowgirls.

Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma 1-0 at Neal Patterson Stadium in the first meeting between the two state schools since OU left the Big 12. Although the conference makeup has changed, the results on the pitch haven’t, as since 2017, OSU is 12-2-2 against the Sooners in soccer. The Cowgirls haven’t lost in Stillwater to OU since 2016, and in total now, OSU is 32-10-5 against OU in the sport.

“We’ve had OU’s number for many, many years, and it’s really amazing to me because they’ve had some really good teams,” OSU coach Colin Carmichael said. “Their team this year is good. We just seem to find a way, and we have a knack of winning. I don’t have any one thing that it is. I know it means a lot to our kids. I know they take this game very seriously. They mark it on their calendar. Whether it’s a conference game or a nonconference game, it means the world to our kids.”

These teams have been playing soccer since 1996. That was well before Thursday night’s goal scorer was even born. A freshman out of Alamo, California, Bella Pierotti subbed in with 36:55 to play in the first half. Just 72 seconds later, she was putting the ball in the back of the net.

It was the first goal of Pierotti’s career. The ball whipped in from the wing before Adelhia Ghonda and an OU defender rose to meet it, but instead the two collided and the ball went over their heads. It fell to Pierotti, who took a touch past a defender to the inside before unwinding a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.

You’ll always remember your first, especially when it comes in Bedlam!#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/mWbDQUw3tQ

— OSU Cowgirl Soccer (@CowgirlFC) August 23, 2024

Not bad for after only a 72-second warmup.

“It’s definitely hard because everybody’s kind of already warmed up and got their bad touches out,” Pierotti said. “I wanted to have a nose for the goal, and I looked up and took my opportunity when I had it.”

The Cowgirls’ last game saw them outshoot ORU 34-4, as OSU bossed possession but needed a late goal to earn the victory. Thursday’s game was quite different, as it was OU controlling the ball for much of the night. The game ended with a 17-4 shot advantage in OU’s favor. The Sooners also had nine corners to the Cowgirls’ four. But all that matters is the tallies in the goal column.

Even with that large shot disparity, the Cowgirls probably had the two best scoring chances of the evening. The first was the goal. The second came in the final 10 minutes when Ghonda muscled past an OU defender and forced a remarkable save.

Nearly got another one#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/bLLIOz1tDy

— OSU Cowgirl Soccer (@CowgirlFC) August 23, 2024

The Cowgirls usually spray their hair orange for the Bedlam matchup. After the game, they got the can out and went to work on Carmichael.

“They wanted to do it pregame to show support, and I said, ‘You know what, if I do that and we don’t win, I’m all over social media, and it’s not a good look,'” Carmichael said. “So, I said, ‘But if we win, after the game, I’ll take it for the team.’ I kinda hoped they’d forget. But, no, it’s great. Obviously big win. Kids are doing a great job, so I just want to try to be a man of my word and take the orange hair.”

OSU advanced to 3-0 this season, as the Cowgirls came into the night ranked 17th nationally. They hit the road this weekend for a game against Central Arkansas at 1 p.m. Sunday, which will be on ESPN+.