TicketsSept. 11, 2010
Watch coach Salmon's post-game interview
CINCINNATI - The No. 15 University of Cincinnati women's soccer team lost in non-conference action on Saturday night at Gettler Stadium to visiting Illinois, 3-0. UC (5-1-1) fell behind early to Illinois (5-1-0) and was unable to snap back.
The Bearcats came out strong as Jazmine Rhodes (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Polytechnic) nearly scored on a breakaway in the first minute of the game. UC took three corner kicks and two more shots before the Illini's Vanessa DiBernardo took a pass from Niki Read on the left side. DiBernardo was open at the left-center 18 yards out and drilled a shot into the right corner in the 24th minute.
UC continued its attack, taking two more corner kicks and having a shot by Brooke Eberly (Cincinnati, Ohio/CHCA) miss on the right side. Illinois regrouped and fired off three shots with DiBernardo scoring after two UC players tried to clear the ball out of the box unsuccessfully. DiBernardo picked up the loose ball and snapped a shot into the right into the corner of the net in the 39th minute.
Illinois scored its final goal when Megan Pawloski was led by Krystin Miller in the middle of the field. Pawloski caught up with the ball and shot a low line drive from left to right, scoring in the 52nd minute. The Bearcats had seven shots from five different players to close out the half but was unable to score, suffering its first loss of the 2010 season.
UC finished the match even with Illinois on shots, 13-13, and won the corner kick battle, 6-2. Rachel Barnette (Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh) finished with four saves in goal for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats will play next on the road in a BIG EAST contest at Louisville on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.