STILLWATER – Oklahoma State won its ninth consecutive season opener Thursday night with a 2-0 victory over Mercer at Neal Patterson Stadium.
The 22nd-ranked Cowgirls scored both goals off corner kicks in the final 10 minutes, with Reganne Morris and Xcaret Pineda each finding the back of the net.
In her first-career start, Logan Marks recorded four saves on eight shots by the Bears to earn the shutout.
Despite controlling the attack throughout, the Cowgirls did not break through until the 81st minute. Off a Pineda corner kick into the box, Jazmin Brown headed the ball forward to Morris, who lifted a header of her own over Mercer goalie Lindsay Bell and into the net.
Pineda sealed the win with just over a minute remaining in the match when she drilled a corner kick that sailed over Bell and curved into the far post to put OSU up 2-0.
OSU finished with a 26-8 advantage in shots, while posting an 11-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Cowgirls return to action Sunday when they travel to Norman to take on Bedlam rival Oklahoma in a match scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
