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The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team neared the conclusion its spring exhibition slate over the past week, falling 1-0 to a veteran Kentucky team before playing NAIA powerhouse Rio Grande to a 1-1 draw. The Bearcats have one match remaining this spring, with Dayton visiting Gettler Stadium for an 8 p.m. game on Thursday, April 16.
// KENTUCKY RECAP
The Bearcats traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, to face a UK team which returns 10 starters from a squad which made the NCAA Tournament last fall. The teams played scoreless in the first half, with possession even, before the Wildcats netted the lone goal of the match midway through the second period. UK completed a slotted finish from roughly 15 yards out on the right side and put it into the side netting. Cincinnati pushed forward well in the final 15 minutes, with its best chance for the equalizer coming on a free kick from Alejandro Garcia (Coral Springs, Fla./Taravella/Darton State) which hit the crossbar.
"I thought the first half was fairly even, but in the second half UK pressured us a bit more and we had a spell of about 15 minutes where we did not handle their pressure well," said head coach Hylton Dayes. "I liked the way we pushed forward the last 15 minutes to try and get the goal back. Overall, this was a positive experience for our guys. Playing on the road against a quality team such as UK allowed us to reinforce the improvements we have made this spring and identify the areas that still need work."
// RIO GRANDE RECAP
Cincinnati returned home to host NAIA power Rio Grande on Friday, April 10. The Red Storm out of Rio Grande, Ohio, have made 14 consecutive NAIA Tournaments and finished 2014 ranked seventh nationally. Rio Grande jumped to a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute on a through ball which was played into the upper right corner of the goal. The Bearcats responded in the 56th minute when Jack Clark (Mason, Ohio/Mason) slipped a ball to John Manga (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) down the flank. Manga cut the ball back on the ground to Garcia who finished into the upper left corner.
"This was a good test for us," Dayes said. "Rio Grande is a well-organized, experienced team which made it difficult for us, especially in the first half. We did not possess the ball well in the first half because of their pressure and defensive shape. Going down a goal motivated us and we came out a different team in the second half. Our ball movement was much better and we were able to get Alejandro (Garcia) and Emmanuel Appiah on the ball more."
Dayes was pleased the Bearcats responded to the 1-0 deficit, as well as with their final push to try and win the match.
"Our goal resulted from a very good build-up ending with John Manga crossing to Alejandro for the finish," Dayes added. "We had a number of chances later in the game to get another goal but it was not to be. It was good to see us come from behind to tie the game, then push for the winner late. Overall, our consistency and quality of play continues to improve as we play more matches this spring."