Tickets// THE OPENING WHISTLE
The final non-conference match of the regular season awaits the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team this week as the Bearcats will travel to Baton Rouge, La., Thursday night to face LSU at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) at the LSU Soccer Complex. The match will feature a pair of undefeated teams as the Bearcats enter at 6-0-1 while the Tigers sit 6-0-0.
// FOLLOW US
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.
// NO SHOW
The match at LSU will not be streamed online Thursday. However, fan can view the live stats that will be provided at LSU.StatBroadcast.com.
// QUICK RECAP: 2-0 LAST WEEK
• Cincinnati opened the week with a Thursday night showdown at Northern Kentucky in the 2nd Riverboat Rivalry, a match the Bearcats won, 1-0, for the second year in a row
• Freshman Sophie Gorman netted her second goal of the year with her game-winning shot coming just inside the box as she ripped the ball into the upper 90 for a 1-0 lead and eventual win
• The goal by Gorman was her second game-winner of 2017 as well (1-0 vs. Buffalo)
• Madison Less and the defense kept a clean sheet for the fourth time on the year (2nd for Less)
• Sunday, UC returned home and defeated Purdue, 2-1
• The Bearcats trailed, 1-0, in the 17' on an own goal before Gorman again beat the keeper from distance, this time bouncing her shot down and over the line off the cross bar, to tie the match
• With time in regulation winding down, Dee Picou played a ball into the box where Jaycie Brown chested the ball down to her feet and took a hard shot that the keeper deflected back to Brown, who hit the ball on a half-volley and into the net with 4 minutes remaining
• UC has only allowed four goals to be scored this year, three by opposing players
// BEST START
With those two victories last week, the Bearcats improved to 6-0-1 on the year, their best start in program history. The previous mark was 5-0-1 by the 2010 side before they lost in their seventh match of the season. The start also is another improvement for a team under the direction of Neil Stafford, who took over after the 2012 season. In his first campaign, the Bearcats opened their first seven matches of the year with a 1-6-0 record and now, after 4, 4 and 5 wins in the first seven matches each of the last three years, the Bearcats are 6-0-1 under Stafford.
// IN THE POLLS
For the second week in a row, the Bearcats moved up the rankings in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 25 as they rose to #19 this week after being ranked #24 last time. UC is also receiving votes once again this week in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 with those 13 votes positioning them at #33. The Bearcats rose two positions in the Southeast Region of the USC rankings as well, moving up to #8 this week. LSU, who is #9 in the Southeast Region, also is receiving votes (#42).
// SMALL PERCENTAGE
This year, 334 institutions sponsor women's soccer. Of those programs, only 15 remain undefeated this season with the Bearcats being one of those teams. The only team from the American Athletic Conference without a loss this year, the Bearcats are part of the 4.5% of the programs without a loss, a group that consists of seven teams that have also not tied a match (LSU, Murray State, Princeton, Radford, Tennessee, Texas and UCLA) with the other eight (UC, Maryland, Milwaukee, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Rutgers and St. Louis) having at least one tie on their undefeated record.
// MILESTONE - PROGRAM
The win over Purdue marked a pair of milestones as well. First, the win is the 375th in program history. The Bearcats now stand 375-272-59 all-time since becoming a varsity program in time for the start of the 1980 campaign. With the win, the Bearcats now have two milestone wins under Neil Stafford as they won, 3-2, at Duquesne on Sept. 13, 2015, for the program's 350th win.
// MILESTONE - STAFFORD
The second milestone hit in the win over Purdue was for Stafford, who recorded the 150th win of his coaching career. Currently in his 15th collegiate season and his fifth at Cincinnati, Stafford holds a 150-101-32 record as a collegiate women's coach and, with a 48-30-13 record, is approaching his 50th win with the Bearcats.
// LONG STREAK
The team's current streak of seven in a row without a defeat stands in a tie for the ninth-best in program history. The 1994 team posted a 14-match streak (12-0-2) from match #8 through #21 while both the 1983 (10-0-3) and 1986 (12-0-1) sides put together 13-match runs, both between match #4 and #16 of their respective seasons. This is the second seven-match or better streak a Stafford-led Bearcats squad has amassed after the team went on a nine-match run in 2015, posting a 6-0-3 record in the process.
// MORE STREAKING
For the fourth year in a row, the Bearcats have recorded a run of five or matches in which they have gone undefeated. After not posting such a streak in Stafford's first year (2013), came back in 2014 with a five-match run (3-0-2) before posting its nine-match stretch in 2015 (6-0-3). Last year, the team had a run of six matches in a row without a defeat (5-0-1) before this year's current seven-match streak. Historically, this is just the second time the program has seen four seasons in a row with a five-match or better undefeated streak. The only other instance came in the programs first four years of play, posting streaks of five in 1980, six in 1981 and seven in both 1982 and 1983.
// WINS IN A ROW
Currently, the Bearcats have won four matches in a row, marking the 23rd time in program history that the team has won at least four matches in a row during one season. Not including the current streak, UC teams have posted win streaks of four (9 times), five (3), six (4), seven (3), nine (2) and 13 (1) since the program began in 1980.
// RECOGNIZED
For the fourth week in a row, the American selected several Bearcats for weekly honors. This week, however, four players garnered awards. Jaycie Brown, who scored the winner against Purdue, was tabbed as the AAC Offensive Player of the Week, her first award this year and the third time in her career she has been selected for that honor. Vanessa Gilles was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this year and the ninth time in her career. Freshmen Sophie Gorman and Madison Less were both named to the Honor Roll as each collected their first weekly honors. The awards didn't stop there, though, as Gilles was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for the second time this year and Brown is up for national player of the week in a vote by fans on Hero Sports.
// CLIMBING THE LADDER, AGAIN
For the third week in a row, a UC player has moved up on the program's all-time game-winning goals list. After two weeks in a row by Julie Gavorski, Jaycie Brown joins in the fun as she moved into a tie for eighth on the all-time list with her sixth career winner. The strike came in the Purdue match.
// KNOW THE FOE: LSU
• The Tigers are 6-0-0 on the year and have not played a match in the SEC yet
• LSU is 4-0-0 in home matches with their last coming Sunday in a 1-0 defeat of Liberty
• The Tigers have allowed just one goal all year (16-1)
• Tinaya Alexander leads LSU in scoring with 12 points on three goals and a team-best 6 assists
• Zoe Higgins is the top goal scorer for the Tigers with four tallied this season
• Caroline Brockmeier has played every minute of the season so far and has posted 27 saves with one goal allowed for a miniscule 0.17 goals-against average
• The Tigers are coached by Brian Lee, who is in his 12th year leading the program
// IN THE SERIES: BEARCATS vs. TIGERS
• Thursday's match will be the first between the two programs
• The last time UC faced an opponent from the SEC was August 23, 2015, when Vanderbilt came to town and the Bearcats won, 1-0
• The last time UC played an SEC opponent on the road was August 29, 2014, a 3-2 overtime loss for the Bearcats at Vanderbilt
// SECOND TIME
This week's match with LSU will mark the second time this year that the Bearcats have faced a team for the first time in program history. Previously, UC defeated Buffalo, 1-0, in the season opener.
// SUNDAY FUN DAY!
Since Stafford took over the program in time for the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played at home on Sunday 22 times and hold an impressive 20-0-2 record in those matches after posting wins over Boston University, 2-0, Miami (Fla.), 1-0, and Purdue, 2-1, already this year. During those 22 matches, the Bearcats have out scored their foes, 49-11, with the UC defense recording 13 clean sheets in that span. The next 'Sunday Fun Day' will be September 24 when the Bulls of USF come to town. The final 'SFD' looks to be a match of the season candidate as it will see Memphis (6-1-0) come to town.
// USWNT COMING TO TOWN
Earlier this summer, it was announced that the UC will play host to the U.S. Women's National Team as they will face New Zealand in an international friendly. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. and will broadcast on FS1 live from Nippert Stadium.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// IMPRESSIVE HOME START
For just the sixth time in program history, the Bearcats opened a season with two clean sheets in their first two matches and did so for the first time since the 2006 season in which UC downed Kentucky, 1-0, and tied #21 Purdue, 0-0, with both matches played in Cincinnati. The back-to-back shut outs at home to open the season also marked the first time the Bearcats have done so and won both matches in program history.
// ACCOUNT OPENED
In the season opener, the Bearcats picked up a 1-0 victory over Buffalo thanks to the scoring touch of true freshman Sophie Gorman. The local product from McNicholas High School found the back of the net in the 70' after she dribbled into the box, side stepped the keeper and pushed the ball into the goal for what would stand as the game winner. Gorman is no stranger to scoring, however. If you include the two preseason exhibitions UC played (vs. NIU and at Indiana), her strike against UB marked her third collegiate match in a row that she found the back of the net for the Red and Black.
// ROOKIE OPENERS
With Gorman's goal, the Bearcats have now seen a true freshman score the first goal of the season for UC in each of the past two seasons. Last year, Gabrielle LoPresti got things going for the Bearcats as she converted a penalty kick attempt to give UC a 1-0 lead on its way to a 2-1, double overtime victory against visiting Dayton.
// FRESHMEN EARN STARTING XI SPOTS
So far, five true freshmen and one redshirt saw their names added to the Starting XI this year with Kiki Lowell and Karli Royer both earning starts in each of the first two matches. Also earning their first career starts in their rookie seasons were Sophie Gorman and redshirt Madison Less against Buffalo while Jane Sensibaugh and Lexie Kolano both started against Boston University.
// MORE DEBUTS
Four other newcomers also saw their first minutes of action for the Bearcats, including three more rookies. Junior transfer Jill Vetere joined Abby Brauning and Bailey Korhorn as substitutes in the match with Buffalo while Riley Gruenbaum saw her first collegiate minutes against Boston U.
// LIFTING THE LID - SEASON
The Bearcats now hold a 25-12-1 all-time record in their season-opening matches with a 3-2-0 mark in Stafford's time leading the program following the 1-0 defeat of Buffalo last week. Additionally, when playing their first home match of the season, the Bearcats now hold a 26-10-2 overall record and are 2-1-1 in their last four home openers.
// GILLES ONCE AGAIN HONORED
For the second year in a row, Vanessa Gilles has been named the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, an honor she first earned last season. The award, which comes through a vote of the league head coaches, is just the second preseason honor earned in program history after Gilles' first honor last year. The awards didn't stop there for Gilles as she was also named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference team and the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's DI Preseason Best XI Third Team. She joined Memphis' Marie Levasseur on the third team with both being the only players selected from the American.
// GAVORSKI GRABS HONOR
Julie Gavorski also earned a preseason honor as she joined Gilles on the American's Preseason All-Conference squad. The accolade is the first preseason honor earned by Gavorski who finished the 2016 season by being selected to the American Athletic All-Conference Second Team. Gavorski led the team in goals (8), points (17) and game-winning goals (4) one year ago.
// BEARCATS SELECTED THIRD
The Bearcats have been predicted to finish third in the American Athletic Conference this season in a vote of the league coaches as UC collected 60 points and one first-place vote - a first for the Bearcats as members of the American. Memphis was picked to win the title, scoring 74 points and five first-place votes while SMU was second with 65 points and three first-place votes. USF (57 points, 1 first-place vote) and UConn (56) rounded out the Top 5. For the Bearcats, the third-place selection equals its highest predicted finish as a member of the American after they were slotted in a tie for third prior to last season.
// GAFFER BACK FOR YEAR FIVE
Head Coach Neil Stafford is set to start his fifth season at the helm of the Bearcats program. In his previous four seasons in Cincinnati, Stafford and his staff have guided UC to 42 victories, which is tied for the most wins in the first four years of leading the program with Meridy Glenn. He has led the team to an improved winning percentage in each year he has been with UC. Statistically, the team has allowed fewer goals each season, letting in 37 his first year before conceding just 21 last year. Offensively, his side has tallied at least 30 goals in all four of his seasons, a streak that had not happened since an 11-year run came to an end in the 2003 season.
// SENIOR SIX
Six seniors are set to compete in their final collegiate seasons this fall. The Class of 2017 includes Jaycie Brown, Katy Couperus, Lizzie Ehrnfelt, Julie Gavorski, Vanessa Gilles and Taylor Pavlika. The seniors will be honored during Senior Night festivities surrounding the Bearcats' match with visiting Morehead State on October 6.
// CHASING WINS - SENIORS
The 2017 seniors have won 39 matches in their time at UC, which currently ranks tied for 17th on the all-time class wins list. Having won 10, 13 and 11 matches in the last three seasons, should the Bearcats record double-digit wins again this year, the seniors would finish with at least 44 victories, which would rank them 12th all-time. To crack the Top 10, the seniors would need 13 wins this year as 47 victories is a 3-way time for 8th (1996, 1989, 1983).
// HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The program has welcomed 10 new players to the roster this year, including one transfer and nine true freshmen. The transfer comes in the form of Jill Vetere, a native of Mason, Ohio, who is returning home following two years at the University of Louisville. The nine-member freshman class includes Abby Brauning (Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame), Sophie Gorman (Cincinnati McNicholas), Riley Gruenbaum (Plain City, Ohio), Lexie Kolano (Trafford, Pa.), Bailey Korhorn (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Kiki Lowell (Kitchener, Ontario), Delaney Riester (Nobelsville, Ind.), Karli Royer (Westerville, Ohio) and Jane Sensibaugh (Solon, Ohio).
// BIG AWARDS
Looking back at their high school careers, two newcomers on the 2017 roster bring with them USC (formerly NSCAA) All-America accolades earned during their prep careers. Vetere earned All-America honors in 2014 as a senior while also being named the Ohio Division I Player of the Year. Gorman was a two-time All-American, being selected for the honor in both 2014 and 2016.
// MAC IS BACK
Players were not the only new addition to the program this offseason as Gavin MacLeod, a former volunteer assistant with the staff in 2014, has returned to the Bearcats. MacLeod will serve as an assistant coach and director of player performance. Prior to his arrival, MacLeod served as the director of coaching for girls at AFC Lightning in Peachtree City, Ga. His coaching experience also includes time in the Cincinnati area working with Kings Hammer Academy as an assistant coach with its USL PDL side and also was the head coach of the Dayton Dutch Lions (USL W-League), Unite Premier (CUP) and Ohio South ODP.
// STAFFORD RECEIVES HALL CALL
At the end of June, it was announced that Jacquie Stafford, the Bearcats' Director of Operations and wife to head coach Neil Stafford, will be one of six former Central Michigan University student-athletes enshrined in the CMU Marcy Weston Hall of Fame. The former Jacquie Lacek, had standout career for the Chippewas as she still holds program records for single-match goals scored (3) and points in a match (7) while also holding the school record for career assists (19). An NSCAA Scholar-Athlete Second Team honoree and three-time All-MAC selection, Jacquie will be enshrined in a ceremony in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Friday, September 22.
// CLEAN SHEETS
Last year, the Bearcats shut out nine opponents on its way to allowing just 21 goals, which was just over one goal allowed per match. During the season, UC went on a streak of not allowing a goal scored for a span of 311:40, a streak that ranks as the seventh-longest since the start of the 2001 season and spanned three full matches and parts of two others. Once Memphis scored at the 86:35 mark of the match, the Bearcats came out and shut out their next three foes, including a 0-0, double overtime draw with Houston (110:00 minutes). The streak came to an end at the 18:15 mark when USF tallied a goal to tie that match a 1-1. Since Stafford and his staff have taken over the program, UC has recorded stretches of 250 minutes or more of holding a foe scoreless six different times.
// QUICK TO SCORE
Last year, three goals were scored by UC in the opening seven minutes of play with Jaycie Brown finding the back of the net in 1:54 in a match at Memphis. That strike from Brown ranks as the 11th-fastest in program history (dating back to 2001) and the third-fastest goal scored during Stafford's tenure at UC. During the four years Stafford has guided the program, the Bearcats have found the back of the net 17 times in the opening 15 minutes of play with five such goals last year.
// HANGING ON AT THE END
On the opposite end of the time spectrum, the Bearcats also have had a propensity for scoring late in matches. Since the start of the 2001 season, UC has scored 25 goals with 88:03 or later showing on the clock, including 14 in overtime/double-overtime. Three late goals last year made noise, including Gavorski's goal with 14 seconds remaining in double overtime (109:46) to defeat Dayton, 2-1, as goal that ranks as the second latest, surpassed only by Laura Rose's winner at 109:58 (just two seconds from the end of the match) in 2012. An own goal by BU at 89:52 ranks as the 16th latest for UC while Brown's goal at 89:09 at USF pulled the Bearcats level and helped earn a point with a 2-2 draw, a point that was needed to reach the postseason conference tournament.
// ACADEMICALLY SOUND
Last year, the Bearcats collectively sported a 3.51 grade-point average for the year and earned a College Team Academic Award from the NSCAA, an award the program has collected each of the past two years and nine times in total. Individually, 25 of the 30 women on the roster recorded a 3.00 GPA or better during the 2016-17 academic year and were named American Athletic Conference All-Academic. Staying the conference, Vanessa Gilles was one of three UC student-athletes to also be named a 2016-17 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award recipient by the AAC, an award that is give annually to one student-athlete that carries a 3.00 GPA, has strong academic and athletic credentials and serves in the community. Gilles, who was chosen by the Faculty Representatives from around the conference, was the winner for women's soccer, joining Adrian Valles (outdoor track & field, men) and Connor Davis (swimming & diving, men) as award winners.
// UP NEXT
The conference season gets underway next week with a pair of American Athletic matches taking place at Gettler Stadium. First, UC will play host to UCF in a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday, September 21, with the match airing live on the American Digital Network. Then, on Sunday, September 24, at noon (not the usual 1 p.m.), the Bearcats will welcome the USF Bulls to town to close out a two-match home stand.
The final non-conference match of the regular season awaits the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team this week as the Bearcats will travel to Baton Rouge, La., Thursday night to face LSU at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) at the LSU Soccer Complex. The match will feature a pair of undefeated teams as the Bearcats enter at 6-0-1 while the Tigers sit 6-0-0.
// FOLLOW US
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.
// NO SHOW
The match at LSU will not be streamed online Thursday. However, fan can view the live stats that will be provided at LSU.StatBroadcast.com.
// QUICK RECAP: 2-0 LAST WEEK
• Cincinnati opened the week with a Thursday night showdown at Northern Kentucky in the 2nd Riverboat Rivalry, a match the Bearcats won, 1-0, for the second year in a row
• Freshman Sophie Gorman netted her second goal of the year with her game-winning shot coming just inside the box as she ripped the ball into the upper 90 for a 1-0 lead and eventual win
• The goal by Gorman was her second game-winner of 2017 as well (1-0 vs. Buffalo)
• Madison Less and the defense kept a clean sheet for the fourth time on the year (2nd for Less)
• Sunday, UC returned home and defeated Purdue, 2-1
• The Bearcats trailed, 1-0, in the 17' on an own goal before Gorman again beat the keeper from distance, this time bouncing her shot down and over the line off the cross bar, to tie the match
• With time in regulation winding down, Dee Picou played a ball into the box where Jaycie Brown chested the ball down to her feet and took a hard shot that the keeper deflected back to Brown, who hit the ball on a half-volley and into the net with 4 minutes remaining
• UC has only allowed four goals to be scored this year, three by opposing players
// BEST START
With those two victories last week, the Bearcats improved to 6-0-1 on the year, their best start in program history. The previous mark was 5-0-1 by the 2010 side before they lost in their seventh match of the season. The start also is another improvement for a team under the direction of Neil Stafford, who took over after the 2012 season. In his first campaign, the Bearcats opened their first seven matches of the year with a 1-6-0 record and now, after 4, 4 and 5 wins in the first seven matches each of the last three years, the Bearcats are 6-0-1 under Stafford.
// IN THE POLLS
For the second week in a row, the Bearcats moved up the rankings in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 25 as they rose to #19 this week after being ranked #24 last time. UC is also receiving votes once again this week in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 with those 13 votes positioning them at #33. The Bearcats rose two positions in the Southeast Region of the USC rankings as well, moving up to #8 this week. LSU, who is #9 in the Southeast Region, also is receiving votes (#42).
// SMALL PERCENTAGE
This year, 334 institutions sponsor women's soccer. Of those programs, only 15 remain undefeated this season with the Bearcats being one of those teams. The only team from the American Athletic Conference without a loss this year, the Bearcats are part of the 4.5% of the programs without a loss, a group that consists of seven teams that have also not tied a match (LSU, Murray State, Princeton, Radford, Tennessee, Texas and UCLA) with the other eight (UC, Maryland, Milwaukee, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Rutgers and St. Louis) having at least one tie on their undefeated record.
// MILESTONE - PROGRAM
The win over Purdue marked a pair of milestones as well. First, the win is the 375th in program history. The Bearcats now stand 375-272-59 all-time since becoming a varsity program in time for the start of the 1980 campaign. With the win, the Bearcats now have two milestone wins under Neil Stafford as they won, 3-2, at Duquesne on Sept. 13, 2015, for the program's 350th win.
// MILESTONE - STAFFORD
The second milestone hit in the win over Purdue was for Stafford, who recorded the 150th win of his coaching career. Currently in his 15th collegiate season and his fifth at Cincinnati, Stafford holds a 150-101-32 record as a collegiate women's coach and, with a 48-30-13 record, is approaching his 50th win with the Bearcats.
// LONG STREAK
The team's current streak of seven in a row without a defeat stands in a tie for the ninth-best in program history. The 1994 team posted a 14-match streak (12-0-2) from match #8 through #21 while both the 1983 (10-0-3) and 1986 (12-0-1) sides put together 13-match runs, both between match #4 and #16 of their respective seasons. This is the second seven-match or better streak a Stafford-led Bearcats squad has amassed after the team went on a nine-match run in 2015, posting a 6-0-3 record in the process.
// MORE STREAKING
For the fourth year in a row, the Bearcats have recorded a run of five or matches in which they have gone undefeated. After not posting such a streak in Stafford's first year (2013), came back in 2014 with a five-match run (3-0-2) before posting its nine-match stretch in 2015 (6-0-3). Last year, the team had a run of six matches in a row without a defeat (5-0-1) before this year's current seven-match streak. Historically, this is just the second time the program has seen four seasons in a row with a five-match or better undefeated streak. The only other instance came in the programs first four years of play, posting streaks of five in 1980, six in 1981 and seven in both 1982 and 1983.
// WINS IN A ROW
Currently, the Bearcats have won four matches in a row, marking the 23rd time in program history that the team has won at least four matches in a row during one season. Not including the current streak, UC teams have posted win streaks of four (9 times), five (3), six (4), seven (3), nine (2) and 13 (1) since the program began in 1980.
// RECOGNIZED
For the fourth week in a row, the American selected several Bearcats for weekly honors. This week, however, four players garnered awards. Jaycie Brown, who scored the winner against Purdue, was tabbed as the AAC Offensive Player of the Week, her first award this year and the third time in her career she has been selected for that honor. Vanessa Gilles was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this year and the ninth time in her career. Freshmen Sophie Gorman and Madison Less were both named to the Honor Roll as each collected their first weekly honors. The awards didn't stop there, though, as Gilles was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for the second time this year and Brown is up for national player of the week in a vote by fans on Hero Sports.
// CLIMBING THE LADDER, AGAIN
For the third week in a row, a UC player has moved up on the program's all-time game-winning goals list. After two weeks in a row by Julie Gavorski, Jaycie Brown joins in the fun as she moved into a tie for eighth on the all-time list with her sixth career winner. The strike came in the Purdue match.
// KNOW THE FOE: LSU
• The Tigers are 6-0-0 on the year and have not played a match in the SEC yet
• LSU is 4-0-0 in home matches with their last coming Sunday in a 1-0 defeat of Liberty
• The Tigers have allowed just one goal all year (16-1)
• Tinaya Alexander leads LSU in scoring with 12 points on three goals and a team-best 6 assists
• Zoe Higgins is the top goal scorer for the Tigers with four tallied this season
• Caroline Brockmeier has played every minute of the season so far and has posted 27 saves with one goal allowed for a miniscule 0.17 goals-against average
• The Tigers are coached by Brian Lee, who is in his 12th year leading the program
// IN THE SERIES: BEARCATS vs. TIGERS
• Thursday's match will be the first between the two programs
• The last time UC faced an opponent from the SEC was August 23, 2015, when Vanderbilt came to town and the Bearcats won, 1-0
• The last time UC played an SEC opponent on the road was August 29, 2014, a 3-2 overtime loss for the Bearcats at Vanderbilt
// SECOND TIME
This week's match with LSU will mark the second time this year that the Bearcats have faced a team for the first time in program history. Previously, UC defeated Buffalo, 1-0, in the season opener.
// SUNDAY FUN DAY!
Since Stafford took over the program in time for the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played at home on Sunday 22 times and hold an impressive 20-0-2 record in those matches after posting wins over Boston University, 2-0, Miami (Fla.), 1-0, and Purdue, 2-1, already this year. During those 22 matches, the Bearcats have out scored their foes, 49-11, with the UC defense recording 13 clean sheets in that span. The next 'Sunday Fun Day' will be September 24 when the Bulls of USF come to town. The final 'SFD' looks to be a match of the season candidate as it will see Memphis (6-1-0) come to town.
// USWNT COMING TO TOWN
Earlier this summer, it was announced that the UC will play host to the U.S. Women's National Team as they will face New Zealand in an international friendly. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. and will broadcast on FS1 live from Nippert Stadium.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// IMPRESSIVE HOME START
For just the sixth time in program history, the Bearcats opened a season with two clean sheets in their first two matches and did so for the first time since the 2006 season in which UC downed Kentucky, 1-0, and tied #21 Purdue, 0-0, with both matches played in Cincinnati. The back-to-back shut outs at home to open the season also marked the first time the Bearcats have done so and won both matches in program history.
// ACCOUNT OPENED
In the season opener, the Bearcats picked up a 1-0 victory over Buffalo thanks to the scoring touch of true freshman Sophie Gorman. The local product from McNicholas High School found the back of the net in the 70' after she dribbled into the box, side stepped the keeper and pushed the ball into the goal for what would stand as the game winner. Gorman is no stranger to scoring, however. If you include the two preseason exhibitions UC played (vs. NIU and at Indiana), her strike against UB marked her third collegiate match in a row that she found the back of the net for the Red and Black.
// ROOKIE OPENERS
With Gorman's goal, the Bearcats have now seen a true freshman score the first goal of the season for UC in each of the past two seasons. Last year, Gabrielle LoPresti got things going for the Bearcats as she converted a penalty kick attempt to give UC a 1-0 lead on its way to a 2-1, double overtime victory against visiting Dayton.
// FRESHMEN EARN STARTING XI SPOTS
So far, five true freshmen and one redshirt saw their names added to the Starting XI this year with Kiki Lowell and Karli Royer both earning starts in each of the first two matches. Also earning their first career starts in their rookie seasons were Sophie Gorman and redshirt Madison Less against Buffalo while Jane Sensibaugh and Lexie Kolano both started against Boston University.
// MORE DEBUTS
Four other newcomers also saw their first minutes of action for the Bearcats, including three more rookies. Junior transfer Jill Vetere joined Abby Brauning and Bailey Korhorn as substitutes in the match with Buffalo while Riley Gruenbaum saw her first collegiate minutes against Boston U.
// LIFTING THE LID - SEASON
The Bearcats now hold a 25-12-1 all-time record in their season-opening matches with a 3-2-0 mark in Stafford's time leading the program following the 1-0 defeat of Buffalo last week. Additionally, when playing their first home match of the season, the Bearcats now hold a 26-10-2 overall record and are 2-1-1 in their last four home openers.
// GILLES ONCE AGAIN HONORED
For the second year in a row, Vanessa Gilles has been named the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, an honor she first earned last season. The award, which comes through a vote of the league head coaches, is just the second preseason honor earned in program history after Gilles' first honor last year. The awards didn't stop there for Gilles as she was also named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference team and the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's DI Preseason Best XI Third Team. She joined Memphis' Marie Levasseur on the third team with both being the only players selected from the American.
// GAVORSKI GRABS HONOR
Julie Gavorski also earned a preseason honor as she joined Gilles on the American's Preseason All-Conference squad. The accolade is the first preseason honor earned by Gavorski who finished the 2016 season by being selected to the American Athletic All-Conference Second Team. Gavorski led the team in goals (8), points (17) and game-winning goals (4) one year ago.
// BEARCATS SELECTED THIRD
The Bearcats have been predicted to finish third in the American Athletic Conference this season in a vote of the league coaches as UC collected 60 points and one first-place vote - a first for the Bearcats as members of the American. Memphis was picked to win the title, scoring 74 points and five first-place votes while SMU was second with 65 points and three first-place votes. USF (57 points, 1 first-place vote) and UConn (56) rounded out the Top 5. For the Bearcats, the third-place selection equals its highest predicted finish as a member of the American after they were slotted in a tie for third prior to last season.
// GAFFER BACK FOR YEAR FIVE
Head Coach Neil Stafford is set to start his fifth season at the helm of the Bearcats program. In his previous four seasons in Cincinnati, Stafford and his staff have guided UC to 42 victories, which is tied for the most wins in the first four years of leading the program with Meridy Glenn. He has led the team to an improved winning percentage in each year he has been with UC. Statistically, the team has allowed fewer goals each season, letting in 37 his first year before conceding just 21 last year. Offensively, his side has tallied at least 30 goals in all four of his seasons, a streak that had not happened since an 11-year run came to an end in the 2003 season.
// SENIOR SIX
Six seniors are set to compete in their final collegiate seasons this fall. The Class of 2017 includes Jaycie Brown, Katy Couperus, Lizzie Ehrnfelt, Julie Gavorski, Vanessa Gilles and Taylor Pavlika. The seniors will be honored during Senior Night festivities surrounding the Bearcats' match with visiting Morehead State on October 6.
// CHASING WINS - SENIORS
The 2017 seniors have won 39 matches in their time at UC, which currently ranks tied for 17th on the all-time class wins list. Having won 10, 13 and 11 matches in the last three seasons, should the Bearcats record double-digit wins again this year, the seniors would finish with at least 44 victories, which would rank them 12th all-time. To crack the Top 10, the seniors would need 13 wins this year as 47 victories is a 3-way time for 8th (1996, 1989, 1983).
// HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The program has welcomed 10 new players to the roster this year, including one transfer and nine true freshmen. The transfer comes in the form of Jill Vetere, a native of Mason, Ohio, who is returning home following two years at the University of Louisville. The nine-member freshman class includes Abby Brauning (Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame), Sophie Gorman (Cincinnati McNicholas), Riley Gruenbaum (Plain City, Ohio), Lexie Kolano (Trafford, Pa.), Bailey Korhorn (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Kiki Lowell (Kitchener, Ontario), Delaney Riester (Nobelsville, Ind.), Karli Royer (Westerville, Ohio) and Jane Sensibaugh (Solon, Ohio).
// BIG AWARDS
Looking back at their high school careers, two newcomers on the 2017 roster bring with them USC (formerly NSCAA) All-America accolades earned during their prep careers. Vetere earned All-America honors in 2014 as a senior while also being named the Ohio Division I Player of the Year. Gorman was a two-time All-American, being selected for the honor in both 2014 and 2016.
// MAC IS BACK
Players were not the only new addition to the program this offseason as Gavin MacLeod, a former volunteer assistant with the staff in 2014, has returned to the Bearcats. MacLeod will serve as an assistant coach and director of player performance. Prior to his arrival, MacLeod served as the director of coaching for girls at AFC Lightning in Peachtree City, Ga. His coaching experience also includes time in the Cincinnati area working with Kings Hammer Academy as an assistant coach with its USL PDL side and also was the head coach of the Dayton Dutch Lions (USL W-League), Unite Premier (CUP) and Ohio South ODP.
// STAFFORD RECEIVES HALL CALL
At the end of June, it was announced that Jacquie Stafford, the Bearcats' Director of Operations and wife to head coach Neil Stafford, will be one of six former Central Michigan University student-athletes enshrined in the CMU Marcy Weston Hall of Fame. The former Jacquie Lacek, had standout career for the Chippewas as she still holds program records for single-match goals scored (3) and points in a match (7) while also holding the school record for career assists (19). An NSCAA Scholar-Athlete Second Team honoree and three-time All-MAC selection, Jacquie will be enshrined in a ceremony in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Friday, September 22.
// CLEAN SHEETS
Last year, the Bearcats shut out nine opponents on its way to allowing just 21 goals, which was just over one goal allowed per match. During the season, UC went on a streak of not allowing a goal scored for a span of 311:40, a streak that ranks as the seventh-longest since the start of the 2001 season and spanned three full matches and parts of two others. Once Memphis scored at the 86:35 mark of the match, the Bearcats came out and shut out their next three foes, including a 0-0, double overtime draw with Houston (110:00 minutes). The streak came to an end at the 18:15 mark when USF tallied a goal to tie that match a 1-1. Since Stafford and his staff have taken over the program, UC has recorded stretches of 250 minutes or more of holding a foe scoreless six different times.
// QUICK TO SCORE
Last year, three goals were scored by UC in the opening seven minutes of play with Jaycie Brown finding the back of the net in 1:54 in a match at Memphis. That strike from Brown ranks as the 11th-fastest in program history (dating back to 2001) and the third-fastest goal scored during Stafford's tenure at UC. During the four years Stafford has guided the program, the Bearcats have found the back of the net 17 times in the opening 15 minutes of play with five such goals last year.
// HANGING ON AT THE END
On the opposite end of the time spectrum, the Bearcats also have had a propensity for scoring late in matches. Since the start of the 2001 season, UC has scored 25 goals with 88:03 or later showing on the clock, including 14 in overtime/double-overtime. Three late goals last year made noise, including Gavorski's goal with 14 seconds remaining in double overtime (109:46) to defeat Dayton, 2-1, as goal that ranks as the second latest, surpassed only by Laura Rose's winner at 109:58 (just two seconds from the end of the match) in 2012. An own goal by BU at 89:52 ranks as the 16th latest for UC while Brown's goal at 89:09 at USF pulled the Bearcats level and helped earn a point with a 2-2 draw, a point that was needed to reach the postseason conference tournament.
// ACADEMICALLY SOUND
Last year, the Bearcats collectively sported a 3.51 grade-point average for the year and earned a College Team Academic Award from the NSCAA, an award the program has collected each of the past two years and nine times in total. Individually, 25 of the 30 women on the roster recorded a 3.00 GPA or better during the 2016-17 academic year and were named American Athletic Conference All-Academic. Staying the conference, Vanessa Gilles was one of three UC student-athletes to also be named a 2016-17 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award recipient by the AAC, an award that is give annually to one student-athlete that carries a 3.00 GPA, has strong academic and athletic credentials and serves in the community. Gilles, who was chosen by the Faculty Representatives from around the conference, was the winner for women's soccer, joining Adrian Valles (outdoor track & field, men) and Connor Davis (swimming & diving, men) as award winners.
// UP NEXT
The conference season gets underway next week with a pair of American Athletic matches taking place at Gettler Stadium. First, UC will play host to UCF in a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday, September 21, with the match airing live on the American Digital Network. Then, on Sunday, September 24, at noon (not the usual 1 p.m.), the Bearcats will welcome the USF Bulls to town to close out a two-match home stand.