TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team is set to play host to its first preseason friendly this weekend as the Bearcats will welcome Dayton to Nippert Stadium for a 7 p.m. match Sunday evening. The match will be the first of two exhibitions the Bearcats will play this month with the second coming one week later against visiting Illinois.
// LOGISTICS
• Parking: there will be a cost of $5 per car to park in any of the lots surrounding the stadium
• Tickets: admission is complimentary to this and all home women's soccer matches in 2018 as part of the Experience UC initiative
• Seating: fans are encouraged to sit on the west side of Nippert Stadium (press box side) as the only concession stands and restrooms in the stadium that will be open during the match are located on the west side
// ABOUT THE MATCH
Although the match will not count toward each team's record for the 2018 campaign, it will give the two regional rivals a chance to play against strong competition as each recently began preseason training sessions. The match will be conducted under standard NCAA rules with two, 45 minute halves being played.
// NOT STRANGERS
Cincinnati and Dayton are no strangers as the two sides have met 20 previous times in their rivalry with the Bearcats holding a 13-6-1 all-time lead. The last time the two teams played was in the season opener for both in 2016. In that match, which was played at Gettler Stadium, the Bearcats picked-up a 2-1 win in double overtime as Julie Gavorski's long-range offering blistered the back of the net with 14 seconds remaining in the second overtime period to secure the victory for the hosts. That win snapped a two-match losing streak to the Flyers as well.
// LOOKING BACK: 2017
The Bearcats finished the 2017 season with a 12-4-3 overall record and an 5-2-2 mark in the American Athletic Conference to place third on the league table. UC also posted an 8-0-3 record at home, recording the most home wins in a single season in program history while also posting just the fourth undefeated mark in program history. The Bearcats also pieced together several impressive streaks throughout the year, including a pair of seven-match undefeated streaks (both were 6-0-1) with the first opening the season and establishing the best start in program history. Following their first loss of the year, which is where the second streak began, the Bearcats defense clamped down and did not allow a goal for 588 minutes, the fourth-longest streak in program history. Overall, UC posted 11 clean sheets with all four keepers earning at least one-half of one shutout on the year, making UC the only program in the nation to do so.
// RECENT NEWS
• Vanessa Gilles, the 2017 AAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region selection, signed her second professional contract as she inked a two-year deal with Bordeaux in the French top division. Her new side, which she joined at the end of July, plays in the second-toughest league for women in all of Europe (according to the UEFA Association Rankings). Her move comes after helping Apollon Ladies (Cyprus) capture the Pancyprian Cup earlier in the month.
• Julie Gavorski, who, like Gilles finished her UC career in 2017, played for the Houston Aces in the United Women's Soccer league where she helped her team to the UWS National title. Gavorski came up big in the title match against Inferno Rush as she netted the lone goal in a 1-0 affair, finding the back of the net in the 118' of play to secure the title. For her efforts, she was named the UWS Finals MVP.
// UP NEXT
UC will return to their home turf next Sunday (August 12) by welcoming Illinois to Gettler Stadium for the final friendly of the 2018 preseason. The match between the Bearcats and Illini will start at 1 p.m.
// LOGISTICS
• Parking: there will be a cost of $5 per car to park in any of the lots surrounding the stadium
• Tickets: admission is complimentary to this and all home women's soccer matches in 2018 as part of the Experience UC initiative
• Seating: fans are encouraged to sit on the west side of Nippert Stadium (press box side) as the only concession stands and restrooms in the stadium that will be open during the match are located on the west side
// ABOUT THE MATCH
Although the match will not count toward each team's record for the 2018 campaign, it will give the two regional rivals a chance to play against strong competition as each recently began preseason training sessions. The match will be conducted under standard NCAA rules with two, 45 minute halves being played.
// NOT STRANGERS
Cincinnati and Dayton are no strangers as the two sides have met 20 previous times in their rivalry with the Bearcats holding a 13-6-1 all-time lead. The last time the two teams played was in the season opener for both in 2016. In that match, which was played at Gettler Stadium, the Bearcats picked-up a 2-1 win in double overtime as Julie Gavorski's long-range offering blistered the back of the net with 14 seconds remaining in the second overtime period to secure the victory for the hosts. That win snapped a two-match losing streak to the Flyers as well.
// LOOKING BACK: 2017
The Bearcats finished the 2017 season with a 12-4-3 overall record and an 5-2-2 mark in the American Athletic Conference to place third on the league table. UC also posted an 8-0-3 record at home, recording the most home wins in a single season in program history while also posting just the fourth undefeated mark in program history. The Bearcats also pieced together several impressive streaks throughout the year, including a pair of seven-match undefeated streaks (both were 6-0-1) with the first opening the season and establishing the best start in program history. Following their first loss of the year, which is where the second streak began, the Bearcats defense clamped down and did not allow a goal for 588 minutes, the fourth-longest streak in program history. Overall, UC posted 11 clean sheets with all four keepers earning at least one-half of one shutout on the year, making UC the only program in the nation to do so.
// RECENT NEWS
• Vanessa Gilles, the 2017 AAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region selection, signed her second professional contract as she inked a two-year deal with Bordeaux in the French top division. Her new side, which she joined at the end of July, plays in the second-toughest league for women in all of Europe (according to the UEFA Association Rankings). Her move comes after helping Apollon Ladies (Cyprus) capture the Pancyprian Cup earlier in the month.
• Julie Gavorski, who, like Gilles finished her UC career in 2017, played for the Houston Aces in the United Women's Soccer league where she helped her team to the UWS National title. Gavorski came up big in the title match against Inferno Rush as she netted the lone goal in a 1-0 affair, finding the back of the net in the 118' of play to secure the title. For her efforts, she was named the UWS Finals MVP.
// UP NEXT
UC will return to their home turf next Sunday (August 12) by welcoming Illinois to Gettler Stadium for the final friendly of the 2018 preseason. The match between the Bearcats and Illini will start at 1 p.m.