OSU Eyes Big 12 Tournament Berth: Sonora DeFini Leads Attack

Cowgirl Soccer Targets Late-Season Surge in Ames

The Oklahoma State soccer team sits at 6-7-4 overall and 11th in the Big 12 standings with a 2-5-2 conference mark, according to okstate.com. With the regular season winding down, the Cowgirls remain one of six programs still mathematically alive for a top-eight finish and a coveted spot in the Big 12 Tournament.

That postseason push takes the squad to the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa, where they face off against Iowa State on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. The match will air live on ESPN+, with Tom Kroeschell and Lindsey Long calling the action.

Chasing a Four-Game Win Streak on Cyclones’ Turf

History favors the visitors in this late-October matchup. Oklahoma State holds a 16-10-2 all-time record against Iowa State and has claimed the last five meetings. While the Cowgirls own a 6-7-1 record playing in Ames, they have walked away victorious in their previous four trips to the Cyclones’ home field.

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Iowa State enters the contest searching for a spark after stumbling to a 4-9-4 overall record and a 0-7-2 conference standing. Head coach Matt Fannon, now in his seventh season in Ames, holds a 28-65-24 career record with the program. Across the pitch, Colin Carmichael commands the Cowgirls in his 22nd season, boasting a career mark of 269-123-55.

Rewriting the Script Against Ranked Opponents

To understand how Oklahoma State reached this bubble position, look at how they handled the heavyweights on their schedule. Both of the Cowgirls’ conference victories this season have come against nationally ranked opponents, a stark turnaround for a program that went winless in Big 12 play during the 2025 campaign.

OSU Eyes Big 12 Tournament Berth: Sonora DeFini Leads Attack

The breakthrough came against then-14th-ranked TCU, snapping a seven-game losing skid against the Horned Frogs and marking OSU’s first win over them since 2017. It also served as the team’s first conference win since an October 20, 2024 victory at UCF. Just last weekend, the Cowgirls struck again, downing No. 16 West Virginia 2-1 on a penalty kick with a mere two minutes remaining on the clock.

Those two ranked victories match the program’s highest single-season output since the split 2020-21 season. Back in 2004, a vintage OSU squad knocked off four ranked opponents.

Sonora DeFini…Again!DeFini scored her 5th goal of the year, which is one more than she had all of last year, and she had 2 in the exhibition on top of that. Arizona had just tied the match at 2-2, then DeFini used her head to grab the lead back. This is a VERY big match… pic.twitter.com/S68bP63BEd

— https://x.com/Ostate_Daily/status/2106196318871867786

Offensive Depth and Standout Performers

The scoring punch has traveled much farther down the roster this fall. Through 17 matches, the Cowgirls have put 32 goals on the board, with 11 different players finding the back of the net. That efficiency surpasses last year’s output when the team managed just 20 goals across 19 games with eight individual scorers.

Sophomore Sonora DeFini has anchored that attack, pacing the team with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Four of those tallies have come against conference competition, placing her ninth in goals and tied for sixth in points across the Big 12.

Meanwhile, senior midfielder Laudan Wilson has provided veteran stability after missing much of last season with an injury. An All-Big 12 First Team selection as a sophomore in 2024, Wilson has matched her career high with five goals this season, three of which came in league play. In 67 career appearances, she has accumulated 13 goals and 16 assists, leaving her just four assists shy of cracking the top 10 in program history.

Following Thursday night’s match in Ames, the Cowgirls will close out their regular season on the road next week against Colorado.