Tickets
Despite playing one-man down for over 90 minutes, the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team recorded a 2-2 draw against SMU on Thursday night to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches.
If playing on the road wasn't enough adversity for the Bearcats (5-2-4), UC played a player down after just 21 minutes of action when Laura Rose earned a red card.
It wasn't until the 60th minute that SMU was able to take advantage of being one player up with Paige Jacobs dribbling in a goal. But Cincinnati responded abruptly in the 62nd minute with a goal from sophomore Jaycie Brown.
The Mustangs again snatched a one-goal lead in the 72nd, but the Bearcats' relentless grind continued until the final minutes when Brown slipped in another goal in the 89th minute to force overtime.
// GOAL SCORING SUMMARY
60' - SMU - The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead as Paige Jacobs rebounded her own blocked shot an dribbled the ball inside the near post and by a diving Sam Pavlika.
62' - CIN - Brown beat the SMU goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation and tapped the ball into an open net to even the score at 1-1.
72' - SMU - Vanessa Valadez scored on a penalty kick.
89' - CIN - Brown slipped a shot under the goalkeeper from three yards out to equalize the match with under one minute to play in regulation.
// STAFFORD'S STANCE
"I am incredibly proud of the resilience, drive and character the players showed tonight. To comeback from a goal down, twice, while playing a man down for almost 90 minutes is nothing short of extraordinary. We showed our relentless grind for sure versus SMU. With Laura getting a red card, we really had to change our tactics on both sides of the ball. We had to absorb a lot of pressure and then pick our moments to get forward and attack. Our players took on our tactics and executed them quite well."
// MATCH NOTES
- Cincinnati extends its unbeaten streak to six matches, which is the longest since 2010 when UC started the season 5-0-1.
- UC has never tied three consecutive matches in its 36-year history.
- The Bearcats have only recorded four draws in a season two other times (2011 and 2005).
- Jaycie Brown scored two goals in a match for the second time in her career (Sept. 5, 2014 vs. Eastern Kentucky).
// NEXT MATCH
The Bearcats closeout their tour of Texas with a trip to Houston to take on the Cougars on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.