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MATCH PREVIEW: NCAA Tournament vs. No. 19 Oklahoma State

Texas A&M (12-3-0) enters the contest with a four-match shutout string.
Credit: Texas A&M Athletic Department

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies play for a spot in their seventh Elite Eight on Wednesday when they battle the No. 19 Oklahoma State Cowgirls in an NCAA Division I Championship third round match at WakeMed Soccer Park – Field No. 4 in Cary, North Carolina at 11 a.m.

 

Fans may listen to the match worldwide on 12thMan.com/live and the 12th Man Mobile App. In the Brazos Valley, the match airs on 97.3 FM with David Ellis on the call. The NCAA will provide streaming of the contest, which can be found at 12thMan.com/live as well as on NCAA.com

 

Texas A&M (12-3-0) enters the contest with a four-match shutout string. Netminder Kenna Caldwell paces the SEC and ranks 14th in the nation with seven shutouts. The Maroon & White have nine clean sheets as a team in 15 matches, which also leads the league and ranks 20th in the country.

 

The Aggies’ freshmen have blossomed in the spring, scoring six of the team’s eight goals over the last four matches. On the season, the Aggies’ rookie class has scored 17 of the team’s 30 goals.

 

SEC Freshman of the Year Barbara Olivieri leads the Aggies’ offense with 20 points on eight goals and four assists. Fellow freshmen Laney Carroll and Lauren Geczik each have three goals to supplement the attack. SEC Co-Defender of the Year Karlina Sample anchors a back line that holds opponents to a 0.73 goals-against average.

 

The Maroon & White are playing in their 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament, one of four teams to play in each tournament since 1995. The other schools to make every tournament since 1995 are North Carolina (1982-2001), Virginia (1994-2021) and Penn State (1995-2021). Texas A&M is 39-23-7 (.616) all-time in the NCAA Championship.

The Aggies own a 16-1-4 edge in the all-time series against Oklahoma State, but nine of the last 10 matches have been decided by one goal or less with A&M owning a 6-1-3 edge. The last five games have the Maroon & White holding a slim 2-1-2 margin.

 

Texas A&M’s shutout string will be put to the test against an Oklahoma State team that pummeled South Alabama, 7-0, in their second round contest. The Cowgirls own a 13-3-1 record on the season. After wobbling out of the gate with a 3-2-1 start, Oklahoma State has won 10 of their last 11 matches.

The winner of the match faces the winner of the North Carolina-Washington match in a quarterfinal contest. The match will be played Sunday at 12 Noon in Cary, North Carolina.

 

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