Red Raiders Continue Big 12 Play at Oklahoma State

Oct. 1, 2015

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Big 12 Notes

The No. 15 Red Raiders will continue Big 12 play with a road trip to Stillwater, Okla., to take on the Cowgirls at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex Friday night at 7:00 p.m. The match with the Cowgirls will be the second Big 12 Conference match for the Red Raiders after recording a 0-0 draw in Norman, Okla. last week against the Oklahoma Sooners.

"One of the issues about playing Oklahoma State is their unpredictability. As they go through a season coach Carmichle is not adverse to change formations and having a game plan that is different for every single team. You can't always go into that game knowing what you are going to get. You might see a 4-3-3, you might see a 4-3-2-1 or you might see something else. you have to be ready to adapt. These are two of the best coaches in the league again so that is a real challenge for us is to see what they are going to bring on the day and respond to it." -Head Coach Tom Stone

Inside the Oklahoma State Series

The Cowgirls and Red Raiders will be meeting for the 21st time on Friday with Oklahoma State holding a 13-6-3 advantage in the all-time series record. The last meeting between the two squads came on Oct. 5, 2014 and saw the two teams battle to a 1-1 double overtime draw. In the match, the Red Raiders outshot the Cowgirls 24-8, but only Janine Beckie's shot in the 50th minute was able to crack the tough Cowgirl defense and Rosa Medina who made seven saves on the day.

Texas Tech in Big 12 Play

No. 15 Texas Tech is still searching for it's first win in conference play after recording a scoreless 0-0 double overtime draw on the road against Oklahoma last weekend. The Red Raiders, who finished fourth in the league last season with a 4-3-1 conference record. This season, Texas Tech carries a 7-1-2 nonconference record into conference play giving the Red Raiders the second best winning percentage in nonconference play. Entering this weekend, the Red Raiders hold the longest unbeaten streak of any Big 12 conference member with 10 games without a loss. The next closest to that mark is West Virginia with an eight game unbeaten streak.

Texas Tech in the National Rankings

Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, the Texas Tech soccer program opened its 2015 campaign ranked 15th in the preseason NSCAA top-25 poll. It was the highest preseason ranking ever for the Red Raiders, who began the 2014 season ranked 17th before eventually ending the year at No. 14 overall. Last week, Texas Tech climbed to its highest ranking of the regular season and was named No. 15 by the NSCAA. The Red Raiders, after falling to No. 21 after the first week of the season, have risen in the rankings each week during the regular season. The highest rankings for the Red Raiders came in 2014 when Texas Tech was tabbed as the No. 6 team in the country on September 16.

Filling up the Win Column

After dropping a heartbreaker to USC on Sep. 21, to begin the season, the 15th-ranked Red Raiders have not lost a match and enter the weekend with a 10 match unbeaten streak. The 10 match unbeaten streak is tied for second longest active streak without a loss and is just one match behind the 11 match unbeaten streak held by perineal powerhouse University of North Carolina. The streak is the longest unbeaten streak in the Big 12 conference followed by West Virginia who currently holds an eight game unbeaten streak.

Finding Success With Daunting 2015 Schedule

The Red Raiders have certainly challenged themselves this season with a schedule riddled with top-tier talent. So far this season, the Red Raiders have played just three matches against squads ranked outside of the top-100 of the latest RPI. Heading into this weekend, the Red Raiders have faced opponents with an average RPI ranking of 96. So far this season Texas Tech has faced five teams in the top-50 (1-2-2) and four teams in the top-30 (1-0-3).