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CINCINNATI - Julie Gavorski netted a pair of goals and Natalie Smith made two saves as the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team put another mark in the win column, this time dropping the visiting Mustangs of SMU, 2-0, on a sunny day at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati Sunday afternoon. The win improved the Bearcats to 9-4-2 on the year with a 2-2-1 record in the American Athletic Conference while the Mustangs slipped to 10-4-1 overall and 4-1-1 in league play.
For the second match in a row, the Bearcats controlled much of the action and again held a large advantage in shots, this time posting 21 shots to SMU's five. Combined with Thursday's 44-5 difference against Houston, the Bearcats have limited the Texas schools to five shots each while firing off 65 of their own. Sunday, however, the Bearcats were able to score twice with Gavorski finding the back of the net once in each half of play to secure the win.
Gavorski's double pushed her team-leading point total to 15 while also boosting her squad-best goal total of seven. While Gavorski had the scoring touch, Natalie Smith and the defense prevented SMU from finding its own scores as the senior keeper saved a pair of shots to post her seventh shutout of the season - tied for the most in the conference - while the defense not only kept SMU off the board, but also played in balls to help facilitate offensive chances in the attacking third.
// FIRST HALF
Similar to Thursday night, the Bearcats came out on the attack to open the match and pushed into the attacking third much of the following the opening whistle. After holding a 5-1 advantage in shots, UC saw its first solid scoring chance emerge in the 17' as Jordan Cotleur used her speed to get behind the defense and looked to take the ball toward goal for a shot. But, before she could shoot, she was pulled down from behind in the box, sending Gavorski to the spot. From there, the junior forward calmly fired a shot home and put the hosts up, 1-0.
Kyleigh Dominguez nearly doubled the lead twice in the first half as the substitute came in and made an immediate impact on the match. In the 37', Dominguez tipped a ball to herself and chased it down, breaking in on goal. The rookie fired a shot at the opposite post, sending SMU keeper Catie Brown diving to her right and forcing the Mustang to push the ball out of bounds to prevent a goal.
Two minutes later, Dominguez was on the attack again as she carried the ball past the defense and slotted a pass across the front of the goal toward Taylor Jackson. Just as Jackson was set to tip the ball, Brown slid off her line and snagged the ball away, preventing a solid scoring chance from taking place.
// SECOND HALF
The Bearcats turned up the pressure in the second stanza and nearly grabbed a second goal in the 51' as Gavorski stole the ball at the top of the box, turned and ripped a shot at the left post, only to see Brown dive and make the save. One minute later, Gavorski had nearly the identical shot, but it missed just left of the post.
In the 67', freshman Julia Abbott tried to get in on the scoring as she saw a bouncing pass come in from Katy Couperus as she pushed down the right side. Abbott played the ball out of the air, sending a volley toward the opposite post that clicked off the cross bar and back into play. That led to SMU gaining the ball and driving down the field for their best chance of the day. In the 70', SMU broke into the UC box with Vanessa Valadez collecting a pass from Allie Thronton and sending it on goal, only to see Smith dive to her right and punch away the shot to preserve the 1-0 lead.
Cotleur had several attempts on goal over the next several minutes, first taking aim in the 75' and she broke into the right side of the defense and played a well weighted pass to Abbott, who sent her shot just wide of frame. Two minutes later, Cotleur intercepted a clearing attempt and sent a shot in immediately after from 35 yards out, also missing to the right.
In the 80', Cotleur's play led to the final goal of the match as she fought for possession and was brought down just outside the are. With a wall in place, Gavorski stepped up from 25 yards out and bent a shot over the wall and into the lower left corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead that would stand as the final score. All told, Gavorski ended the match with seven shots, giving her 19 for the past two matches.
// NOTES
• The Bearcats improved to 9-4-2 overall on the season and 2-2-1 in the American Athletic Conference. With seven points, the Bearcats are tied for fifth place on the conference table with UConn (16), SMU (13), Memphis (12) and Tulsa (9) ahead of a trio of teams in UC, USF and UCF.
• UC is now 5-0-2 on the year at home, recorded five shutouts (4-0-1) and outscored its opponents, 11-2, at home in 2016
• Under Neil Stafford, the Bearcats are now 15-0-2 in Sunday home matches and hold a 40-10 scoring edge in those 17 matches since he took over at the start of the 2013 season
• The Bearcats are now 3-2-2 all-time against the Mustangs and hold a 2-0-1 mark in those matches played in Cincinnati
• With her penalty conversion in the 18', Julie Gavorski not only scored her second PK of the season, but tallied the fifth spot kick for the Bearcats in 2016, keeping them perfect at 5-for-5 this season.
• With the clean sheet kept, Natalie Smith improved to 7-2-2 on the year with her seventh shutout and second in a row. Her shutout total is the sixth-best in single season history at UC and is currently tied for the most in the league this season.
// UPCOMING
It is back to the road one last time this regular season for the Bearcats as a trip to Florida is on the books next week. First up, UC will face UCF in Orlando for a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday, October 20, before closing out the road swing in Tampa on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. showdown with USF.
// 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.