OSU Soccer Opens Big 12 Tournament With Third Bedlam Clash

Coach Colin Carmichael is trying do to something he has never done.

Carmichael has been with the program for more than 20 years. He is the second-most senior coach at Oklahoma State behind wrestling coach John Smith, and Carmichael has seen success, but he has never coached a team that has won the Big 12 regular season and the conference tournament in the same season.

He gets his lucky third chance starting at 11:30 a.m. Friday from Kansas City, Missouri, when the top-seeded Cowgirls play bottom-barreled Oklahoma for the third time this season.

In 2011, OSU went 17-0-2 during the regular season. The Cowgirls rattled off two wins to start the Big 12 Tournament but lost in the final against Texas A&M 1-0. In 2008, the Cowgirls lost in a shootout. In 2003, 2009 and 2010 they won the tournament but not the regular season crown. Carmichael said he feels excited to just have the opportunity again to pull off the double crown.

Big 12 Coach of the Year @coachcolin_osu talks this week's #Big12SOC Championship in KC which opens with #Bedlam Wednesday morning #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/TnNO7s6UF3

— Cowgirl Soccer (@CowgirlFC) October 31, 2017

The Cowgirls have the winning mentality going for them, certainly, having won five straight and eight of their last nine regular season games. Haley Woodard and Anna Beffer were both named to the All-Big 12 First Team on Sunday and are in excellent form, either scoring or assisting on more than 55 percent of the OSU goals during that nine-game stretch.

Carmichael, who was named Big 12 Coach of the Year on Sunday as well, said he likes the team’s chances given its momentum and No. 1 seeding in the tournament but noted how tough it’s going to be to beat the same team three times in the same season. T

he Cowgirls first went to Norman and grabbed a late goal in the annual non-conference tilt. Then back in Stillwater, OSU ran the Sooners out of town with a 4-1 result. Getting dialed in again before the Big 12 Tournament is always a challenge, Carmichael said, but drawing OU worked to their favor.

“As soon as we saw it was Oklahoma, I think that was quite easy to (refocus),” Carmichael said. “They’re always a tough opponent, even if they’re a little bit down this year. It doesn’t matter. It’s Bedlam.”

Should OSU advance, either No. 4 Texas or No. 5 Baylor will be waiting. The Cowgirls took care of both those teams with 1-0 finishes.

The Big 12 champions are hungry for more #trophyhuntinginKC #GoPokes #okstate pic.twitter.com/eXemgwUZFu

— Cowgirl Soccer (@CowgirlFC) October 31, 2017