Tickets
CINCINNATI - Jordan Cotleur and Taylor Jackson each recorded their first goals of the season to help the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team overwhelm visiting Youngstown State, 3-0, Sunday afternoon at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati. The Bearcats, who out-shot the Penguins, 26-2, on the day, improved to 7-2-1 on the year while the Penguins dropped to 2-6-1 in 2016.
Cotleur and Jackson both used their speed to get in behind the defense and net their first scores of the season to set the Bearcats up for a 2-0 halftime lead before Julie Gavorski netted her team-leading fourth goal on a penalty kick in the second half to secure the win. UC's defense rarely let the visitors control the ball which was evident in YSU not logging a shot until the 52' of play. In all, the Bearcats dominated every category, including shots and corner kicks (9-0), en route to their second win in a row and their fifth-consecutive match without a defeat (4-0-1). The win also kept head coach Neil Stafford's Sunday record nearly spotless as UC is now 15-0-2 in home Sunday contests since Stafford took over in 2013.
// FIRST HALF
The Bearcats wasted little time in establishing the pace of play, taking control of the ball and firing their first shot on goal in the 4' as Alex Stubblebine was turned away by keeper Katie Montgomery, who, with a slew of shots sent her way, ended up with 11 saves on the day. Several minutes later, the Bearcats attack produced its first goal as Cotleur tallied her first score of the season in the 7'. In the run of play, Tiffany Huber took control of the ball and carried it down the left side. She then sent an arching pass to Cotleur, who trapped the ball down, turned and sent the ball past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Not only was it Cotleur's first goal of 2016, it also marked the first point of the season for Huber and just the fourth of her career, all of which have come on assists.
Five minutes later, Cotleur nearly doubled her scoring as she collected a loose ball, went in on a breakaway and tried to chip the ball past the sliding keeper, only to see Montgomery tip the ball away at the last second and denying Cotleur the brace.
Another five minutes passed and, this time, the ball did find the back of the net, courtesy of Jackson. In the 17', Jackson broke through the defense with Gavorski playing her through. Jackson, on her run toward the goal, perfectly timed her volley of Gavorski's offering to put the ball past the on-coming keeper and stake the Bearcats to a 2-0 lead. It was nearly a 3-0 lead after the 25' when Stubblebine collected the ball, turned and fired, but Montgomery knocked the shot down to keep the UC advantage at two goals.
// SECOND HALF
Following the intermission, UC went back to work and saw their first big opportunity come in the 50'. Taylor Pavlika was in the match and took the corner kick, swinging the ball into the area where Katy Couperus jumped and headed the ball toward the goal, only to see it miss just wide of the right post. One minute later, the Penguins finally were able to counter and reach the UC penalty area, launching two shots, both of which were well wide of the mark.
In the 54', the Bearcats grabbed their third goal of the match. Gavorski was in the box, looking to make a play on a loose ball. A YSU defender was whistled for a foul on Gavorski, which awarded the hosts a penalty kick. On the ensuing spot kick, Gavorski went low with her shot and Montgomery getting a hand on the offering, only to see it deflect off the post and into the netting for a 3-0 score.
UC nearly added its fourth goal two minutes later as Kyleigh Dominguez was in on a breakaway in the 56' and was dragged down from behind, bringing about a booking on the Penguins. Following the yellow card, Couperus lined up a shot from 25-yards out and sent the ball toward the lower corner of the goal where Montgomery dove and made the save to keep UC off the board once again.
The Bearcats had several more scoring chances throughout, none better than a 20 second stretch in the 71'. First, Rachel Holloway was able to get a foot on a restart following a UC offsides call and sent a shot on goal that Montgomery stopped. The YSU keeper put the ball back into play where UC stole it and sent it into Jaycie Brown, who was making her home debut for the 2016 season. The junior took one touch and ripped a shot, only to see it hit off the cross bar, denying her a goal in just her second match of the season.
// CLEAN SHEET
For the fourth time this season and the second match in a row, goalkeeper Natalie Smith and the defense prevented an opponent from scoring, this time limiting the Penguins to just two shots total, neither of which came on goal. Smith now has 15.3 career shut outs, moving her up fifth all-time in UC history. Although she was not pressed into needing to record a save in the match, her 25th career win moved her into fourth on the program's all-time victories list.
// FOR STARTERS
A pair of starters for the Bearcats on Sunday posted a little history. First, rookie Sydney Goins was tabbed for the first start of her career. Also, Kayla Utley picked up her 73rd career start (in 74 matches), the 10th-most starts in program history.
// NOTES
The win pushed the Bearcats to 7-2-1 on the season and 4-0-1 at home
With 7 wins in their first 10 matches, the Bearcats recorded the eighth-highest win total in program history, surpassed only by the 1980 team that opened 9-1-0 and six other squads (1981, 1982, 1989, 1997, 2001, 2002) that each opened with eight wins.
For the third season in a row under Neil Stafford, the Bearcats posted seven or more goals in one weekend (two matches), this time netting four at Lipscomb and three today against YSU. Last year, UC tallied three against East Carolina and four against Evansville in back-to-back home matches with the 2014 team posting 14 goals in two matches with a 9-0 defeat of Eastern Kentucky and a 5-0 defeat of St. Francis in back-to-back home matches.
With the victory, Stafford's side remains undefeated in home Sunday matches, moving to 15-0-2 all-time since he took over in 2013.
With the penalty kick scored in the 54' by Gavorski, the Bearcats are now 4-for-4 from the spot this year. Going back through the past 10 seasons (including 2016), the four conversions are a single-season high, behind the 2014 squad that went 3-for-4 during the entire year.
Prior to Thursday's match at Lipscomb, the Bearcats had scored one goal in the first half of five matches and were held scoreless in the other three matches played. At LU, UC exploded for three goals and followed that up today with two more, marking the only matches so far this year that UC has scored multiple goals in the opening half of play.
// UPCOMING
With the non-conference season wrapped up, the Bearcats will now have 12 days off from competition to prepare for the conference opener as UC will next play at East Carolina in a 7 p.m. contest on Friday, September 30, in Greenville, N.C. From there, the Bearcats will play the following Thursday and Sunday on the road with matches at Tulsa and Memphis, respectively. UC is not home again until Thursday, October 13, when the Houston Cougars come to Gettler Stadium for a 7 p.m. contest.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
GoBearcats.com is your one-stop destination for all things UC Athletics. Socially, the team can be followed on Facebook (GoBearcatsWSOC), Twitter (@GoBearcatsWSOC) and Instagram (GoBearcatsWSOC). Head Coach Neil Stafford (@UCGaffer) also can be followed on Twitter.
// EXPERIENCE UC
The University of Cincinnati department of athletics announced an initiative entitled Experience UC, geared toward inviting the community to campus to see firsthand the great things about and surrounding the university. Experience UC includes complimentary admission for patrons attending women's basketball, lacrosse, volleyball, women's tennis, men's and women's soccer, swimming and diving and track and field home events.