TicketsSept. 9, 2008
DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team lost a hard-fought contest, 1-0, to the University of Dayton on Tuesday night at Baujan Field. The Bearcats fell to 3-3-0 overall while Dayton improved to 4-1-0 with the win.
"I thought we did a good job at halftime regrouping in the second half," said UC head coach Michelle Salmon. "We had one mental breakdown and Dayton's a good team, so they capitalized on that breakdown. Despite that, I thought the second half, especially the last 40, that we really dictated the tone and play."
The two teams played aggressively in the first half, combining for 12 shots and 16 fouls. Dayton led the way with eight shots, two by Kelly Blumenschein and two from Mandi Back. The Bearcats were led by Julie Morrissey (Abington, Mass./Tabor Academy), who notched two of the Bearcats' four shots in the first period.
In the second half, Dayton took a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute when Kelsey Owen took a pass from Mandi Back and Tori Oelschlarger and launched a 20-yard line drive into the top right corner of the net. Cincinnati had an opportunity in the 60th minute with a direct kick 25-yards out by Melissa Bigg (Limehouse, Ont./Acton), but was denied by Dayton's keeper, Lisa Rodgers. The Flyer's Jerica DeWolfe threatened to add to UD's lead in the 78th minute when she broke free and had an open shot on goal, but UC's Andrea Kaminski (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) made the save. The Bearcats continued its intensity as Kristin May (Hudson, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) found Erin MacDonald (St. Catharine's, Ont./West Park Secondary) who lofted a cross from the right side to Morrissey, who headed it just over the goal in the 87th minute.
The Flyers outshot UC, 12-9 and each team finished with 13 fouls.
"I'm proud of the effort today but I'm a bit disappointed in the result because it really was one mental breakdown. Part of the process of preparing us for the BIG EAST is us understanding that we can't take five minutes off and expect to be in a game against a team that rightfully should be in the Top 25," said Salmon.
UC continues its road swing with a 7 p.m. match at Xavier on Friday, Sept. 12.