The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team, seeded 12th, is set to face No. 5 Oklahoma State in the opening round of the 2024 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship. The match will take place on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Cincinnati and Oklahoma State previously met during the regular season in Stillwater, where Oklahoma State secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Cincinnati. This year's tournament presents an opportunity for Cincinnati to advance to the second round for the second consecutive year after defeating Baylor in last year's first-round matchup.

Under head coach Erica Demers, now in her second year, Cincinnati improved their performance from last season with six wins compared to four. In a recent match against Houston, Cincinnati had four different players score goals for the first time this season. Notably, freshman Rylee Felton leads the team with six goals while fifth-year Ellie Flower follows closely with five.

Goalkeeper Anna Rexford has been a key player for Cincinnati throughout the season. She recently made her 80th consecutive start and ranks eighth nationally for minutes played by a goalkeeper with over 7,322 minutes logged. Rexford achieved her 18th career shutout against Colorado and recorded her first penalty kick save against Iowa State.

In their final regular-season game against UCF, Cincinnati drew 2-2 but secured their spot as the 12th seed due to other tournament results. Ellie Flower and Lauren Bastian scored early goals for Cincinnati before UCF equalized later in the match.

A win against Oklahoma State would see Cincinnati progress to face No. 4 BYU in the next round of the championship.