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CINCINNATI - Vanessa Gilles deftly netted her second goal of the season and rookie Syndey Goins added an insurance goal later in the match to open her account as the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team tallied a 2-0 home victory Friday night over visiting Colorado College. The win, UC's second in a row, pushed the Bearcats to a 5-2-0 mark on the season, which equals the fifth-best start to a season in program history, while the visiting Tigers fell to 2-3-0.
// FIRST HALF
Despite a scoreless first half of play, the opening 45 minutes provided lots of action for the fans in the stands. From the opening whistle, the Bearcats dictated the pace of play and spent a hefty amount of time in the offensive third. In the 17', UC had a stellar chance as Jordan Cotleur drove down the right side, cut into the area and sent a low shot toward the opposite post that slid just past the bar and out of play.
Several minutes later, after CC had a go at the Bearcats defense, UC again peppered the Tigers goal, opening with a high shot from Julie Gavorski. The pressure stayed on as Cassie Wheldon also let a shot go that was saved by CC's keeper, Molly Hiniker, before Gavorski tested Hiniker with a header of her own.
// SECOND HALF
The second half was more of the same from the Bearcats as they pressed for the opening score, but CC nearly beat them to the punch. After a pair of corner kicks for UC, the Tigers drove the length of the pitch and took aim at Natalie Smith. The senior keeper punched one ball out of the area before saving the next offering. Then, in the 55', Ali Basom hit a solid shot that rose just enough to click off the cross bar and out of play.
Following several back-and-forths, the Bearcats were finally able to snap the deadlock with a goal from Gilles in the 68'. UC drove into the offensive third and pushed for an angle in before the ball went out for a corner. Taylor Pavlika put the set piece into play as the ball came to the near post with Kyleigh Dominguez trying the redirect the pass, only to see if deflect off the keeper and land at Gilles' feet, who calmly put the ball in the back of the net for her second of the year.
With the Bearcats in the lead, CC tried to push for the equalizer, but UC outshot the visitors, 3-1, before tallying the second score of the night, this time in the 88'. UC continued to move forward with Cotleur using her speed to bring the ball deep. This time, she moved into the box and slipped a perfect pass across the mouth of the goal where Goins was charging in and one-timed the ball into the open net for her first collegiate goal.
Overall, the defense, backed by two saves from Smith, picked-up their second clean sheet of 2016. The shutout is the 13th over Smith's career - the sixth-most in program history - while her 23rd career win moved her to fifth on the all-time list, one shy of fourth.
// NOTES
• The win pushed the Bearcats to 5-2-0 on the season and 3-0-0 at home
• The 5-2-0 record ties for the fifth-best start (first 7 matches of a season) in program history behind a pair of teams that opened at 6-1-0 (1980, 2002) and a pair of teams that went 5-1-1 (1983, 2010)
// UPCOMING
The Bearcats will be back in action at home on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest against visiting Duquesne. Fans are encouraged to Wear White to the match and stick around afterwards for autographs with the players.
// 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.