The Daily O’Collegian

As the day dawns on a new season, Cowgirl soccer team captains aren’t satisfied with the way last season ended.

“We were so disappointed with the loss at the end of the season,” senior midfielder and co-captain Yolanda Odenyo said, “After that game I put up a poster from the NCAA Tournament in my room and I’ve been looking at it since.

“All I can think about is how we’re going to win the tournament.

The Cowgirls will need to rely on last year’s experience as a foothold to the new season.

“We’re setting the bar high this season,” coach Colin Carmichael said. “We just want to keep improving each day and go as far as we can this season.”

The three captains for the upcoming season are Odenyo, senior midfielder Adriane Radtke, and senior defender Niccole Grimaldi. Radtke said the returning players aren’t viewing last season as a victory.

“We have a lot of returners, and we aren’t satisfied with last season,” Radtke said. “As long as we combine together and play quickly, we’ll be fine,” she said.

Carmichael knows captains are very important to any team’s success; he said he had no doubts about who his would be.

“Captains need to exhibit leadership on and off the field,” he said. “All three of these girls are vocal and quick to praise when need be.”

The three girls prepare for games differently, but they all hope it leads to the same result: a victory.

“On game nights, I try to get a good meal and listen to music to calm me down,” Grimaldi said. “I try not to get too pumped.”

Radtke said she likes to listen to music and talked to people about the game before it starts.

Grimaldi was last season’s Big XII leader in assists and assists per game. She said she hopes this season will be more of the same.

“I want to set a record for assists,” she said. “I also want to be a good defender, the type of defender no forward wants to face,”

Radtke has set goals for herself this season as well. She wants to break the all-time scoring record, she added she feels it’s within her reach.

OSU will scrimmage Texas Christian University saturday. Until then, improvements must be made, Odenyo said

“We need to take it practice by practice and get better every day,” Odenyo said.