TicketsCINCINNATI - The light and sometimes constant rain that fell on Gettler Stadium Sunday did nothing to dampen the spirits of the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team as the Bearcats scored a 4-0 victory over visiting Northern Illinois in both sides' exhibition openers. The match, which was played in three, 30-minute periods, saw the hosts score twice each in the opening and closing periods with two freshmen and two sophomores accounting for the scores on the night.
// FIRST PERIOD SUMMARY
Just as they have done 15 times in the previous four seasons under head coach Neil Stafford, the Bearcats were able to find the back of the net early into the contest as sophomore Julia Abbott tallied at the 12:20 mark in the opening stanza. The eventual game-winning strike unfolded as Karli Royer placed a well played ball into the box with Abbott on the receiving end of the pass as she rushed toward the net. In her move on goal, Abbott was able to get her foot on the ball and redirect the pass into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Nearly 10 minutes later, the Bearcats doubled their lead as rookie Lexie Kolano opened her account with a well played shot off a rebound. Jordan Cotleur got things going as she drove toward the goal and let fly a shot that NIU keeper Amy Annala saved, blocking the ball out toward the top of the box. Then, Kolano was in the right spot at the right time as she calmly placed a shot into the lower corner of the goal for a 2-0 score line. In the period, the Bearcats out-shot the Huskies, 8-0.
// SECOND PERIOD SUMMARY
With a 2-0 lead in hand, more Bearcats saw action in the second grouping of 30 minutes, but were unable to find another goal. For the period, UC again out-shot their guests, adding four more to the tally for a 12-0 advantage in the statistical category. Of those four shots, three were on target with NIU's Annala stopping one attempt and Megan Donnally turning away two more.
// THIRD PERIOD SUMMARY
The third and final period saw the Bearcats score nearly three minutes into the stanza as well as just under three minutes from full time. At 62:37, freshman Sophie Gorman got in on the scoring as she extended the hosts' lead to 3-0 with her beautifully placed shot. The scoring play began with Jill Vetere motoring her way into the box and ripped a shot that Donnally turned away, only to see the ball roll out toward Gorman, who one-timed the ball into the lower corner of the goal for her first collegiate strike.
With the match winding down, the Bearcats added one final score as Gabrielle LoPresti scored at 87:11. UC worked the ball down the sideline with Cassie Wheldon lifting a pass into the box. From there, LoPresti rushed on goal, stuck her foot up and was able to redirect the ball into the net past a diving Huskies keeper to close the scoring and give the hosts a 4-0 victory.
UC out-shot NIU, 18-1, on the night with the one shot by the visitors being saved by Kaleigh Piscioneri in the third period during her 30 minutes of work. NIU held the advantage in saves at 8-1 while the Bearcats held the edge in corner kicks, 5-3.
// NEXT MATCH
The second and final exhibition match of the 2017 season will take place Friday at Indiana with the Bearcats and Hoosiers squaring off in a 7:00 p.m. ET friendly at Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium on the IU campus.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
GoBearcats.com is your one-stop destination for all things UC Athletics. Socially, the team can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with all using the handle 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.
// FIRST PERIOD SUMMARY
Just as they have done 15 times in the previous four seasons under head coach Neil Stafford, the Bearcats were able to find the back of the net early into the contest as sophomore Julia Abbott tallied at the 12:20 mark in the opening stanza. The eventual game-winning strike unfolded as Karli Royer placed a well played ball into the box with Abbott on the receiving end of the pass as she rushed toward the net. In her move on goal, Abbott was able to get her foot on the ball and redirect the pass into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Nearly 10 minutes later, the Bearcats doubled their lead as rookie Lexie Kolano opened her account with a well played shot off a rebound. Jordan Cotleur got things going as she drove toward the goal and let fly a shot that NIU keeper Amy Annala saved, blocking the ball out toward the top of the box. Then, Kolano was in the right spot at the right time as she calmly placed a shot into the lower corner of the goal for a 2-0 score line. In the period, the Bearcats out-shot the Huskies, 8-0.
// SECOND PERIOD SUMMARY
With a 2-0 lead in hand, more Bearcats saw action in the second grouping of 30 minutes, but were unable to find another goal. For the period, UC again out-shot their guests, adding four more to the tally for a 12-0 advantage in the statistical category. Of those four shots, three were on target with NIU's Annala stopping one attempt and Megan Donnally turning away two more.
// THIRD PERIOD SUMMARY
The third and final period saw the Bearcats score nearly three minutes into the stanza as well as just under three minutes from full time. At 62:37, freshman Sophie Gorman got in on the scoring as she extended the hosts' lead to 3-0 with her beautifully placed shot. The scoring play began with Jill Vetere motoring her way into the box and ripped a shot that Donnally turned away, only to see the ball roll out toward Gorman, who one-timed the ball into the lower corner of the goal for her first collegiate strike.
With the match winding down, the Bearcats added one final score as Gabrielle LoPresti scored at 87:11. UC worked the ball down the sideline with Cassie Wheldon lifting a pass into the box. From there, LoPresti rushed on goal, stuck her foot up and was able to redirect the ball into the net past a diving Huskies keeper to close the scoring and give the hosts a 4-0 victory.
UC out-shot NIU, 18-1, on the night with the one shot by the visitors being saved by Kaleigh Piscioneri in the third period during her 30 minutes of work. NIU held the advantage in saves at 8-1 while the Bearcats held the edge in corner kicks, 5-3.
// NEXT MATCH
The second and final exhibition match of the 2017 season will take place Friday at Indiana with the Bearcats and Hoosiers squaring off in a 7:00 p.m. ET friendly at Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium on the IU campus.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
GoBearcats.com is your one-stop destination for all things UC Athletics. Socially, the team can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with all using the handle 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.