TicketsBearcats Experience Rough Start
Cincinnati opened the campaign with a trip to the Virginia Commonwealth Tournament to play two tough matches. Despite falling 4-3 to Virginia Commonwealth, the Bearcats showed signs of an impact offense, including a two-goal performance from senior forward Myron Vaughn. UC ended the weekend with a loss to Richmond, 2-0. Envigorated from the rough start, the Bearcats returned home to face Dayton at Meyers Field. Vaughn scored his third goal and freshman Jeremiah Gallegos added one as the Bearcats fell in a heartbreaker in overtime, 4-3.
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Cincinnati Enters Conference Play Determined To Win
Cincinnati picked up its first victory of the campaign against C-USA foe Charlotte, 4-1. Gallegos and Vaughn proved to be the difference in the match, combining for three goals and two assists. After a 2-1 setback to Memphis at home, freshman John Haddad scored his first career goal minutes after checking in to the contest to give UC the victory against crosstown-rival Xavier, 1-0. Though the Bearcats dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to South Florida, Vaughn continued to pace the offense with two goals and an assist. UC took a break from the conference schedule to take a trip to the west coast, where the Bearcats topped Cal, 1-0, but fell to No. 13 Stanford, 4-0, to earn runner-up honors for the tournament. The squad reentered league play with a 3-1 victory over DePaul on the road, then returned home for a 1-0 setback against Oakland.
UC Prepares for Conference USA Tourney
Cincinnati began the stretch run of the season and the most important part of the schedule with a 1-0 victory over No. 19 Marquette, then went on to face regionally or nationally ranked opponents in the next six matches. Cincinnati registered scoreless draws against No. 11 Saint Louis and No. 18 UAB. The matches served as a coming out for freshman goalkeeper Sacha Nathu, who earned the first of his two league defensive player of the week honors after registering the shutouts. The Bearcats then travelled to the Ohio State Tourney where they fell to No. 13 Penn State, 1-0, then bounced back to upset No. 18 Ohio State, 3-1. The Bearcats returned home to wrap up the regular season with a 2-2 draw with Louisville, ranked No. 5 in the Great Lakes region, and a victory over Wisconsin, ranked No. 8 in the Great Lakes, 3-1 to wrap up the regular season.
Team Carries Momentum into C-USA Championships
After completing the league regular season 3-2-3, the Bearcats earned the fifth seed and drew fourth-seeded Memphis in the first round. Putting itself in a position to reach its goal-a Conference USA title-the Bearcats hoped to carry the momentum of the late season surge into the tournament. Cincinnati fell behind in the first half on two quick goals by the Tigers, but showed resilience throughout the first half. The Bearcat offense came out firing in the second half, with freshman midfielder Grant Stronach netting a goal in the 72nd minute. The Bearcats failed to net an equalizer, eliminating them from the tournament and ending the season with a 6-9-3 record.