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CINCINNATI - Claudia Eustaquio posted a career-high eight saves, including five in the first half of play, but it was not enough as the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team dropped a 2-0 contest at #23 Boston College Friday night. The Bearcats, who have fallen in two-consecutive contests, stand 3-2-0 on the season while the host Eagles improved to 4-0-1 in 2016.
// FIRST HALF
Shots were tough to come by for the Bearcats in the opening half as the visitors were limited to two shots, both of which were blocked before they could reach the goal. In the 22', Vanessa Gilles took the first shot before Kyleigh Dominguez saw her offering turned away in the 36'. In that time, the Eagles had fired off five shots, three of which came on goal and were saved by Eustaquio.
With time winding down and the match looking to be heading into the halftime break in a scoreless tie, the Eagles struck as Hayley Dowd found the back of the net to put the hosts on top, 1-0, with just under two minutes remaining before the break.
// SECOND HALF
The second opened with a barrage of attacks from the Bearcats as the visitors put the pressure on with five shots in the opening five minutes of the half, including perhaps the team's best scoring attempt. The period opened with Gilles taking a shot, but it was blocked by the defense just 49 seconds into the half. Two minutes later, UC earned a corner kick with Taylor Pavlika lofting the ball into the box where Gilles headed the ball on goal, only to see it carom off the cross bar to keep the visitors trailing by one. Seconds later, Katy Couperus was near the rebound off the bar and sent in a shot that was blocked. She followed that attempt with another shot one minute later that was saved before Jordan Cotleur also saw her shot attempt saved at 49:51.
Ten minutes later, the Eagles struck again, this time with McKenzie Meehan scoring to put the hosts ahead by what would become the final score, 2-0. Throughout the remainder the match, Eustaquio turned away three more BC chances to keep the score as it was while UC looked to counter and score a goal of their own. The Bearcats fired off a few shots in the later minutes of the match with a LoPresti offering being saved by BC keeper Alexis Bryant to keep the visitors off the score sheet.
// NOTES
Claudia Eustaquio recorded eight saves on the night, a career high. Her previous best at UC came last match at Purdue when she stopped five shots, the same she turned away in the first half tonight. Her collegiate career high was seven saves recorded last year against Valparaiso while playing for Detroit.
Friday's match marked the first time in five matches played that UC had not scored a goal in the opening half of play. It also marked just the second time this season the Beacats conceded a goal to its opponent after heading to the half tied, 1-1, at Evansville.
Vanessa Gilles and Katy Couperus each posted three shots on the night to lead the offense
Dee Picou, a native of nearby Needham, played 23 minutes in her return to hometown area.
// UPCOMING
The Bearcats will play their fourth road match in a row on Monday night as they travel to Boston University for a 6 p.m. contest with the Terriers (0-5-0). The match will be streamed live by the Patriot League via CampusInsiders.com (http://campusinsiders.com/network/patriot_league).
// 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.