Arizona head coach Becca Moros wasn’t a fan of the old Big 12 soccer schedule, where teams battled through two matches almost every single week of conference play, and honestly, who could blame her? Good news for her and the Wildcats, because that grind is gone. This season, the league has rolled out a completely new model, and it’s already making a difference for player health and development, even if it adds an extra week to the overall conference schedule.
This New Big 12 Schedule Is a Game Changer
The Big 12 is finally listening to what players and coaches needed. Now, teams are only hitting the field for two matches every *other* week, with a single game slotted in between. Moros is hyped about it, and you can practically hear the relief in her voice. After their September 18th match against BYU, she said the new schedule means they actually get “a couple training days.” Before, players logging heavy minutes were constantly stuck in “recovery mode.” Think about it: no real time to work on skills, training tempo dropping, fewer touches on the ball. They couldn’t build confidence or even make adjustments because it was just game after game after game. Moros called it a “grind,” and she’s not wrong. That extra training day? It’s huge for mental growth and getting ready to compete hard.
Wildcats Hunting for Their First League Win on the Road
Arizona is currently sitting at 3-5-3 overall and still searching for their first conference win at 0-1-2. They just wrapped a tough road trip with a draw and a loss against Kansas State and Kansas. Getting a point on the road is never something to dismiss, but they need more. This week, they are back on the road for another single match. The Wildcats are traveling to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State this Friday evening. They’re hoping to come back to Mulcahy Soccer Stadium with that elusive first league victory.
Oklahoma State, however, is not the same team Arizona defeated 3-1 last season when the Cowgirls were battling injuries and finished 4-13-2. This year, OSU is showing more success with a 5-4-2 overall record and a 1-2-0 mark in the Big 12. They even pulled off a shocking win against TCU, a team ranked sixth in the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll. While TCU proved to be overrated, that win was still a huge indicator that OSU is ready to compete. The Cowgirls are scoring machines, averaging 2.09 goals per game, which is double Arizona’s 1.00 average. They’ve got four players with three or more goals, led by Sonora Defini and Keaton Mitchell, who each have four.
So, the Wildcats have a big test ahead. They’ll face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls this Friday, October 2nd, at 5 p.m. MST at Neal Patterson Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. You can catch all the action streaming on ESPN+. After this road battle, Arizona won’t compete again until Thursday, October 8th, when Houston comes to Tucson, followed by a home game against Iowa State on Sunday, October 11th. Can they grab that crucial first league win on the road and really leverage this new schedule? We’ll find out Friday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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