For however many games can actually be played, a Big 12 thread! Preseason Info Preseason Coaches Poll (cannot vote for own team) 1. Texas Tech (6) 2. Oklahoma State (3) 3. TCU 4. West Virginia 5. Texas 6. Kansas 7. Baylor (1) 8. Oklahoma 9t. Iowa State 9t. Kansas State Preseason Coaches All-Conference Team (cannot vote for own players) GK Madison White, Texas Tech D Kim Rodriguez, Oklahoma State D Cassie Hiatt, Texas Tech D Jordan Brewster, West Virginia MF Ceri Holland, Kansas MF Grace Yochum, Oklahoma State MF Yazmeen Ryan, TCU MF Julia Grosso, Texas F Olyvia Dowell, Oklahoma State F Messiah Bright, TCU F Kirsten Davis, Texas Tech Week 1 Games Sept. 11 West Virginia at Iowa State Kansas at Texas (LHN) TCU at Baylor (ESPN+) Sept. 12 Oklahoma State at Kansas State (ESPN+) Postponed Week 1 Games: Texas Tech at Kansas State (rescheduled for 11/13), Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (TBD)
Kansas was down 7 players but managed to squeak by with the win. Lots of playing time for the freshmen.
Week 1: Saw a bit of the UT/KU game. Texas couldn't finish at all, despite some good play. It felt for a while that Kansas was just trying to hold on, but if the Jayhawks were down that many players on top of their personnel losses from last year, that's understandable. Ceri Holland got a fortuitous bounce on the winning goal; the Texas keeper should have made that save. Definitely some early-season form for both squads. Didn't catch TCU/Baylor, but the box score looks like TCU was also in early-season form up front and couldn't finish. Baylor is Baylor; they're physical when they're good, physical when they're not. Not surprised to hear it was ugly. I already wonder if this result will influence the conference title race. I don't know if it was rust on West Virginia's part, improvement in Iowa State, or a combination of the two, but the Cyclones made a better showing than I expected. They gave up an early goal, but held the game at 1-0 for 70 minutes. Stats say it was WVU's game in the second half and that ISU fouled a lot. We'll get a clearer picture of the Cyclones on Friday. The choice to move their game up from November didn't work out so well for Kansas State, but it couldn't have worked out better for Oklahoma State. Two goals in the first three minutes iced this one early. Kim Rodriguez sat out for the Cowgirls because of a red card in the second-round fiasco against Santa Clara in last year's tournament, and the Wildcats were without both their best player, Brookelynn Entz, and regular goalkeeper, Rachel Harris. It's still too early to truly gauge the teams (especially since two haven't played), but I've got to think Texas and TCU are both regretting missed opportunities. Standings after Week 1: Oklahoma State 1-0-0 3 +3 West Virginia 1-0-0 3 +2 Kansas 1-0-0 3 +1 Baylor 0-0-1 1 0 TCU 0-0-1 1 0 Oklahoma 0-0-0 0 0 Texas Tech 0-0-0 0 0 Texas 0-1-0 0 -1 Iowa State 0-1-0 0 -2 Kansas State 0-1-0 0 -3
Big 12 announces the rest of its scheduled broadcast coverage for the season: https://big12sports.com/news/2020/9/14/2020-big-12-soccer-tv-coverage-announced.aspx Summation: Texas home games on Longhorn Network, Oklahoma home games on Fox Sports Oklahoma, everything else on ESPN+ except for two ESPNU games. Kansas home games are listed on the Big 12's release as ESPN+ games, but not on ESPN's release. If all that is correct on the conference release, then only four or five games will not be available through ESPN portals. Oklahoma State at Oklahoma has not yet been rescheduled and is not listed here. Previously, that game was going to be shown via Oklahoma's online service, but no word on how it will be shown now.
Totally agree. However, I've seen shots like that slide by keepers at all levels (eg. De Gea misses a lot of easy saves) so it is also a great lesson on putting the shot on frame.
Watched the Big 12 games! A few observations.... - Oklahoma State looks really strong with an offensive attack - Kansas State settled down their D with an offside trap after the first 10 minutes. Impressed with their Arkansas transfer as forward - TCU defense is really athletic and fast. And, their GK on the Mexican national team is excellent. TCU had a some good scoring chances on Baylor but Baylor GK and D made some strong saves - Baylor has added some freshman with good technical skills - KU has lost some talent from last year but their GK and D look solid. - Texas has always had tremendous talent especially with two top Canadian players. However, their team chemistry and rhythm may need more time to gel. - WVU vs Iowa State - still need to watch! Schedules for Friday: https://big12sports.com/calendar.aspx?path=soc
I watched Baylor vs TCU. that was brutal to watch. not much soccer being played. just wack it and let me try and out athlete you. if they had a rule that 5 consecutive passes equal a goal the game still would of been 0-0
Haha exactly. Baylor doesn’t even look to connect a pass. Just kick it as far forward as possible. “Some of the new freshman seem to be technical.”.....um how could you tell?
Conference honors for Week 1: Offensive Player of the Week - Ceri Holland, Kansas Defensive Player of the Week - Kayley Ables, Baylor Goalkeeper of the Week - Sarah Peters, Kansas Freshman of the Week - Marz Akins, TCU TopDrawerSoccer.com has named Ceri Holland as their national Player of the Week. Team of the week here: https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/womens-team-of-the-week:-sept-15_aid48502
Pretty much would imagine if you have to cancel one game you will have to cancel 2. Most kids have to be quarantined for 10-14 days if they test positive or contact tracing puts them in quarantine
Texas Tech cancelled vs. Kansas State due to Covid cases. However, Baylor is scheduled to play Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX on Friday at 5:30pm on ESPN+. I hope this game and many more across Women’s college soccer play on!
Conference honors for Week 2: Offensive Player of the Week - Grace Yochum, Oklahoma State Defensive Player of the Week - Kayley Ables, Baylor Goalkeeper of the Week - Emily Alvarado, TCU Freshman of the Week - Madison Martin, Texas Tech TDS Team of the Week: https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/womens-team-of-the-week:-sept-22_aid48524 Standings after Week 2: West Virginia 2-0-0 6 +5 Oklahoma State 2-0-0 6 +4 TCU 1-0-1 4 +3 Kansas 1-0-0 3 +1 Baylor 0-0-2 2 0 Texas Tech 0-0-1 1 0 Oklahoma 0-0-0 0 0 Iowa State 0-2-0 0 -3 Texas 0-2-0 0 -4 Kansas State 0-2-0 0 -6 Week 3 Games (all scheduled for Sept. 25): Baylor at Iowa State, 6 PM Central, ESPN+ Oklahoma at Texas, 7 PM Central, LHN West Virginia at Oklahoma State, 7 PM Central, ESPN+ Texas Tech at Kansas, 7 PM Central, ESPN+ TCU at Kansas State has been postponed and will be rescheduled.
The Coaches Poll is going to run a Top 15 during the fall with teams that are playing. I missed that decision, and I'm frankly a little surprised. Big 12 teams in the first poll: 4. West Virginia 6. Oklahoma State 9. Kansas 14. TCU
Interesting that the coaches are doing that. From a statistical perspective, there is no way to do a good ranking when the top conferences, for all practical purposes, are playing only conference games. (I know that the ACC is playing a few non-conference games, but not enough to be significant.) This does not mean that the coach rankings are meaningless, just that any meaning they have does not come from valid current statistical underpinnings.
I don't think there's a good way to do this from any perspective with so many schools sitting out right now. Regional rankings might make more sense, but they aren't going to do those. On the men's side, they're only ranking a Top 5, which to me seems to have no value at all.
Suppose I should also add that United Soccer Coaches have started their Player of the Week awards as well. Emily Alvarado from TCU claims this week's honor.
Big 12 has #6 and #8 per Top During the 2020 fall season, the TopDrawerSoccer.com will release Power Rankings, sizing up the top teams playing in the truncated Division I soccer season. With minimal non-conference games, and no NCAA Championship for the fall, the Top 25 will return in the case of a spring season. With all conferences now underway (minus a few programs sitting out due to COVID-19 issues) there is a flurry of movement in the most recent edition of the Women’s Division I Power Rankings. 1. North Carolina (2-0-0) The first two games yielded two wins for the Tar Heels against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. A rivalry matchup with Duke is up next. Last Week’s Results: W 4-1 vs. Wake Forest; W 1-0 vs. Virginia Tech This Week’s Match: at Duke (Sept. 27) 2. Florida State (2-0-0) Another ACC side that secured two wins at home, the Seminoles looked solid, winning both games without conceding a goal. Leilanni Nesbeth could be a crucial attacking figure during the current season. Last Week’s Results: W 5-0 vs. Notre Dame; W 1-0 vs. Louisville This Week’s Match: No match 3. Arkansas (1-0-0) There’s little doubting that the Razorbacks have a relatively easy start to their schedule with games against LSU and Kentucky. Last weekend’s game resulted in an easy win before a road trip to the Bluegrass State on Sunday. Last Week’s Result: W 2-0 vs. LSU This Week’s Match: at Kentucky (Sept. 27) 4. Texas A&M (1-0-0) Addie McCain stood up to provide the offense in the opening matchup, scoring twice from her midfield spot. That’s the trend to watch in the conference schedule, which continues against Auburn this weekend. Last Week’s Result: W 3-0 at Mississippi This Week’s Match: vs. Auburn (Sept. 27) 5. Vanderbilt (1-0-0) It was nearly a disastrous start for the Commodores, who conceded twice in the first half at home against Kentucky. Senior Haley Hopkins led the comeback, bagging a brace that ensured a quality Last Week’s Result: W 3-2 vs. Kentucky This Week’s Match: at Tennessee (Sept. 27) 6. Oklahoma State (2-0-0) It’s now two wins from two matches for the Cowgirls, with Kim Rodriguez back in the lineup over the weekend. Up ahead is a crucial matchup against a West Virginia side that’s shown some quality through so far. Last Week’s Result: W 2-1 vs. Iowa State This Week’s Match: vs. West Virginia (Sept. 27) 7. Clemson (3-0-0) Wins against the Hokies and Cavaliers at home buoy the Tigers into the Power Rankings. Caroline Conti played a pivotal role in both games. The team now has eight days to prepare for an Oct. 1 matchup against North Carolina. Last Week’s Results: W 3-0 vs. Virginia Tech; W 3-0 vs. Virginia This Week’s Match: No match 8. Texas Tech (0-0-1) Kirsten Davis and the Red Raider offense were unable to get off the mark against Baylor. They’ll look to rectify that this weekend on the road against Kansas. Last Week’s Result: D 0-0 vs. Baylor This Week’s Match: at Kansas (Sept. 25) 9. Virginia (1-1-1) While Virginia looked like the better side on Thursday against Duke, they were unable to convert it into three points. Injuries could be an issue now with Taryn Torres yet to play this season and Alexa Spaanstra coming off injured against Clemson. Last Week’s Result: D 1-1 at Duke; L 3-0 at Clemson This Week’s Match: at Virginia Tech (Sept. 25) 10. Louisville (1-1-0) Emina Ekic couldn’t provide the magic needed to defeat Florida State in Sunday’s match. The Cardinals now have some time to regroup and prepare for an Oct. 1 game against Syracuse. Last Week’s Results: W 3-0 at Miami (FL); L 1-0 at Florida State This Week’s Match: No game Honorable Mention: South Alabama, Kansas, Troy University, Duke, TCU, Florida, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Alabama
Obviously the big game is in Stillwater tonight...a winner between OSU and WVU would get an early leg up in the conference title race. Not a lot to tell about either team from the first two games, so it will be interesting to see how things go between two teams that are more evenly matched. Should be a good one. Baylor/Iowa State will also be a revealing game. Baylor has been able to hold TCU and Tech to draws, but how good are they actually? Iowa State hasn't won, but after seeing them last week, I do think they are playing stronger soccer than they have in the past. I'll be interested to see if they can break through against Baylor. Not sure what to think about Tech/Kansas. Normally, I would expect some fireworks, but the up-and-down schedules these two squads have had and the results from their played games so far make it difficult to assess how things might go. Hoping for some entertainment out of this one. Barring a last-minute disaster, we'll finally get our first look at Mark Carr's Oklahoma. Not an ideal situation for Texas to be the first opponent - no game film for the Longhorns to study in a week they desperately need a result. After both teams' Week 1 results, I certainly didn't see a 3-0 TCU win in the cards last week, and I bet Texas didn't either. I thought Chris Henderson stated it perfectly on his Twitter account: "Texas really, really misses Cyera Hintzen." The Longhorns need to adapt quickly, or this conference slate is going to be a disaster for them.
Oklahoma State is in first place! See box scores here: https://big12sports.com/calendar.aspx?path=soc
Conference honors for Week 3: Offensive Player of the Week - Olyvia Dowell, Oklahoma State Defensive Player of the Week - Kate Dreyer, Baylor Goalkeeper of the Week - Jordan Silkowitz, TCU Freshman of the Week - Olivia Edwards, Texas Tech TDS Team of the Week: https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/womens-team-of-the-week:-sept-29_aid48548 Big 12 teams in the Coaches poll for Sept. 29: 4. Oklahoma State 6. Kansas 7. West Virginia 12. TCU The TDS power rankings are now behind their paywall. Standings after Week 3: Oklahoma State 3-0-0 9 +5 Kansas 2-0-0 6 +2 West Virginia 2-1-0 6 +4 TCU 1-0-1 4 +3 Iowa State 1-2-0 3 -2 Texas 1-2-0 3 -3 Baylor 0-1-2 2 -1 Texas Tech 0-1-1 1 -1 Oklahoma 0-1-0 -1 0 Kansas State 0-2-0 0 -6 Week 4 Games (all scheduled for Oct. 2): Texas at West Virginia, 6 PM Central, ESPN+ Oklahoma State at Baylor, 7 PM Central, ESPN+ Kansas at Kansas State, 7 PM Central, ESPN+ Texas Tech at Oklahoma, 7 PM Central, Fox Sports Oklahoma Iowa State at TCU, 7 PM Central, ESPN+