The women’s soccer team will scrimmage away at Oklahoma State University on Saturday, Feb. 28.
“It will be against a NCAA D1 school so they will challenge us to perform at a higher intensity and help us grow,” coach Damien Clarke said.
The team has been working hard in off season by waking up three days a week for 6 a.m. workouts and 3 p.m. practices a few days a week Clarke said.
“I hope we prove to ourselves that we can compete with anyone,” Clarke said.
The team will travel the two hours in small vans all the way to Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Ashley Cottrell, team captain and junior in environmental science, said, “Traveling in the tiny white vans is always an adventure. The entire team prefers the huge buses with lots of leg room and TVs, but regardless we will travel like happy sardines.”
The team plans to leave either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, weather permitting.
“We are so lucky to have the opportunity to play such an advanced team,” Cottrell said.
The women’s soccer team finished the 2014 season at 8-6-5 and placed 4th in the Lone Star Conference. The team did not get to proceed to the conference tournament.
“We have a lot of building we need to do as a team and playing OSU will help us determine which things we need to focus on,” Courtney Burnette, goalkeeper and sophomore in nursing, said.
Burnette was starting goalkeeper the entire 2014 season and spent a lot of time at the back of the field watching how the team played together. The team received a new head coach and goalkeeper coach at the beginning of the season which shook the team a bit, Burnette said.
“Our new coaches did an awesome job this past season and this offseason. The team and our new coaches mesh well together. I think we improve every practice and game,” Burnette said.
Ashley Cottrell scored three goals and had three assists this last season for the mustangs.
“I won’t be able to participate in the OSU scrimmage due to injury, but I know our forwards will get a workout during this game. I am hoping they find chances to take as many shots as possible,” Cottrell said.
Oklahoma State University finished their conference with 5-2-1. They ended up finishing second in the Big 12 Conference.
“Playing OSU will help us improve in places where we need better ourselves as a team,” Clarke said.
The game will kick off at 1p.m.
