Tickets
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team played host to Temple Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale for both sides with the Bearcats needing a victory to keep its season going. On the strength of two goals in the first 10 minutes of play, the Bearcats did just that as they held on to win, 2-1, over the Owls to earn three points and punch their ticket to the American Athletic Conference Tournament that will begin Wednesday in Storrs, Conn.
Sunday, which also was Senior Day for five Bearcats, saw the home side get on the board with goals from Alex Stubblebine and Vanessa Gilles as the Bearcats closed the regular season with a 11-5-3 overall record and 4-3-2 in the American, tying them with USF on 14 points, while Owls saw their campaign come to a close at 3-16-0 overall and 0-9-0 in the league.
Following the match, the program celebrated the careers of five players as it was Senior Day for Emma Dwenger, Taylor Jackson, Natalie Smith, Kayla Utley and Bailey Wilson. Combined, this senior class has won 43 matches, the most for a senior class since the 2002 graduates notched a program-record 62 wins in their four-year tenure.
// SCORING SUMMARY
3' - The Bearcats came out as the immediate aggressor and were rewarded for it as UC took a 1-0 lead at the 2:41 mark of the match on a goal by Stubblebine, the first of her collegiate career and the 13th-fastest scored by a Bearcat since 2001. The Bearcats looked to control the ball with Jordan Cotleur taking possession near the TU bench, shielding her defender until Bri Costigan ran over top of the ball, taking the ball down the line with her and, upon reaching the end line, sending a sharp pass into the box. In front of the TU goal, the ball made its way to the foot of Stubblebine, who deftly hit it home for the 1-0 lead.
10' - Gilles grabbed her sixth goal of the year as she headed home a cross from Taylor Pavlika. The Bearcats earned a free kick in the attacking third with Pavlika sending in an arching pass to the back post where Gilles and Julie Gavorski both looked to be in the right place to attack. With the ball in the air and the goalkeeper advancing, Gilles leaned in and headed the ball into the net to bring the Bearcats' lead to 2-0 just 9:02 into the match.
70' - After neither team was able to find the scoring touch and with the Bearcats holding possession much of the time, a turnover near the midfield stripe gave the Owls life as Gabriella McKeown took the errant pass and worked her way toward the UC goal. Smith came off her line to cut the angle, but it was not enough as McKeown slipped a low shot past Smith to pull one back for the visitors, making it 2-1 with just under 20 minutes remaining in the match.
// CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SET
With three points earned against Temple, the Bearcats finished the year with 14 points, which tied them for fourth place with USF. While the two teams tied their head-to-head meeting last Sunday (2-2), the third tie-breaker was used to settle the seedings with the Bulls taking the fourth seed and the Bearcats fifth based on overall goal differential. UConn, who won the regular season title, will be the host and top-seed while Memphis (#2), SMU (#3) and UCF (#6) round out the field. The 4-5 match will be the second match contested Wednesday in Storrs and will be aired live on the American Digital Network starting at 7 p.m.
// NOTES
The Bearcats closed the regular season campaign with an overall record of 11-5-3 and posted a 4-3-2 mark in the conference.
With the win, the Bearcats have a 65.8 winning percentage this year, which is an improvement for the fourth year in a row under Neil Stafford. His teams were 42.5 in 2013, 55.0 in 2014 and 64.6 last year
UC remained undefeated in home Sunday matches under Stafford, improving to 16-0-2 in those matches while outscoring its foes, 42-11.
Alex Stubblebine scored her first goal of the season, making her the 12th different Bearcat player to score this year (12-of-24 players). Stubblebine is the fifth different true freshman to record at least one goal this season.
With her assist on Stubblebine's goal, Bri Costigan became the 19th different Bearcat to record at least one point this year and the seventh different rookie to record at least one point in 2016.
Along with the 11 starters, 13 different substitutes saw action in the match
// UPCOMING
The American Athletic Conference Tournament awaits UC in Storrs, Conn., Wednesday evening as the fifth-seeded Bearcats will take on the fourth-seeded Bulls of USF in a quarterfinal match slated for a 7 p.m. start. The match will be streamed live on the American Digital Network.
// 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.