TicketsCINCINNATI - Three members of the University of Cincinnati women's soccer program were selected for weekly awards by the American Athletic Conference this week, including Jill Vetere being named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week and Madison Less being named the AAC Goalkeeper of the Week. Julia Abbott earned a spot on the Honor Roll as the trio helped the Bearcats to a 2-0-0 weekend with a pair of come-from-behind 2-1 wins over both Lipscomb and LSU.
// VETERE ON THE ATTACK
Vetere scored one goal and added an assist to help the offensive effort. Against the Lady Bisons, Vetere's corner kick led to the game-tying goal late in regulation before her cross to Sophie Gorman in overtime set-up the winning score. Then, in Sunday's match with the Tigers, Vetere picked-up her second goal of the season as she chipped in a pass from Bri Costigan to bring UC level with its SEC foe before helping start the attack that would win the match as she played Sydney Kilgore wide before Kilgore crossed into the box and Abbott cleaned-up the loose ball by hitting into the net for the eventual game-winner.
Vetere now leads the team with three assists and seven points while tying for the lead in goals with two. That score line through nine matches ties her previous season-best which she recorded in 2016, her last season with Louisville before she transferred home to UC. The offensive award is the first of Vetere's career and the first of the season for the Bearcats. She is now the fifth different UC woman to earn the offensive accolade as she collected the seventh all-time honor since UC joined the AAC in 2013. The last time the Bearcats had a player selected for the award came over one year ago when Jaycie Brown was selected on September 11, 2017.
// LESS STOPS MORE
Less had a stellar weekend between the posts for the Bearcats, recording 12 saves in two matches while allowing just one goal. Less subbed into the Lipscomb match at halftime and held the visitors scoreless over the final 53:12 played, helping the Bearcats to a 2-1 overtime victory after trailing, 1-0, at intermission. Sunday, she was called upon to start against LSU and allowed a first-half goal while stopping two other shots. In the second half, she prevented LSU from scoring again, stopping six shots to bring her match total to eight, tying her career high that she set last year against visiting Memphis in a 0-0 overtime match.
The award is the second of Less' career as she was honored on October 30, 2017. This week's accolade is the seventh earned in the goalkeeper category for UC and marks the first time two Bearcats have earned the honor in the same season after Claudia Eustaquio was honored one week ago. Additionally, the two honors earned ties for a season-high after Natalie Smith was honored twice in the 2015 season (Aug. 31 and Oct. 5).
// ABBOTT HONORED
Abbott scored the game-winning goal against LSU, helping the Bearcats come back from a 1-0 deficit to eventually take a 2-1 victory. The goal is her third career score at UC and her first since she tallied against visiting Morehead State last year (Oct. 6). The score also marked the first time in her Bearcats career that she was credited with a game-winning strike.
Abbott's first weekly honor from the AAC makes her the 16th different player to earn a spot on the Honor Roll at UC since joining the league in 2013 and marks the second week in a row that UC has earned an Honor Roll selection after Kiki Lowell was named last week. All told, Abbott's accolade marks the 37th time a Bearcats player has been named to the AAC Honor Roll.
// ADDING TO THE HAUL
This year, the Bearcats have now collected seven awards, including four major and three Honor Rolls. Along with the two major awards earned this week, UC has also had Eustaquio (Sept. 10) selected for the goalkeeper award while Brandi Thomsen (Aug. 20) was selected for the rookie accolade. Abbott is the third individual to be selected to the Honor Roll, joining Vetere (Aug. 27) Kiki Lowell (9/10).
// NEXT MATCH
The Bearcats, who closed out the non-conference portion of their season with a 5-3-1 record over the weekend, will now turn their focus to the start of the AAC slate that starts this weekend. UC will open at Memphis in an 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local) match on Thursday night before closing out the road trip with a 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local) tilt with Tulsa on Sunday afternoon.
// 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 lacrosse, volleyball, women's tennis, men's and women's soccer, swimming & diving and track & field home events.
// 2018 AAC Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Jill Vetere • Sept. 17
Goalkeeper of the Week
Claudia Eustaquio • Sept. 10
Madison Less • Sept. 17
Rookie of the Week
Brandi Thomsen • Aug. 20
Honor Roll
Julia Abbott • Sept. 17
Kiki Lowell • Sept. 10
Jill Vetere • Aug. 27
// VETERE ON THE ATTACK
Vetere scored one goal and added an assist to help the offensive effort. Against the Lady Bisons, Vetere's corner kick led to the game-tying goal late in regulation before her cross to Sophie Gorman in overtime set-up the winning score. Then, in Sunday's match with the Tigers, Vetere picked-up her second goal of the season as she chipped in a pass from Bri Costigan to bring UC level with its SEC foe before helping start the attack that would win the match as she played Sydney Kilgore wide before Kilgore crossed into the box and Abbott cleaned-up the loose ball by hitting into the net for the eventual game-winner.
Vetere now leads the team with three assists and seven points while tying for the lead in goals with two. That score line through nine matches ties her previous season-best which she recorded in 2016, her last season with Louisville before she transferred home to UC. The offensive award is the first of Vetere's career and the first of the season for the Bearcats. She is now the fifth different UC woman to earn the offensive accolade as she collected the seventh all-time honor since UC joined the AAC in 2013. The last time the Bearcats had a player selected for the award came over one year ago when Jaycie Brown was selected on September 11, 2017.
// LESS STOPS MORE
Less had a stellar weekend between the posts for the Bearcats, recording 12 saves in two matches while allowing just one goal. Less subbed into the Lipscomb match at halftime and held the visitors scoreless over the final 53:12 played, helping the Bearcats to a 2-1 overtime victory after trailing, 1-0, at intermission. Sunday, she was called upon to start against LSU and allowed a first-half goal while stopping two other shots. In the second half, she prevented LSU from scoring again, stopping six shots to bring her match total to eight, tying her career high that she set last year against visiting Memphis in a 0-0 overtime match.
The award is the second of Less' career as she was honored on October 30, 2017. This week's accolade is the seventh earned in the goalkeeper category for UC and marks the first time two Bearcats have earned the honor in the same season after Claudia Eustaquio was honored one week ago. Additionally, the two honors earned ties for a season-high after Natalie Smith was honored twice in the 2015 season (Aug. 31 and Oct. 5).
// ABBOTT HONORED
Abbott scored the game-winning goal against LSU, helping the Bearcats come back from a 1-0 deficit to eventually take a 2-1 victory. The goal is her third career score at UC and her first since she tallied against visiting Morehead State last year (Oct. 6). The score also marked the first time in her Bearcats career that she was credited with a game-winning strike.
Abbott's first weekly honor from the AAC makes her the 16th different player to earn a spot on the Honor Roll at UC since joining the league in 2013 and marks the second week in a row that UC has earned an Honor Roll selection after Kiki Lowell was named last week. All told, Abbott's accolade marks the 37th time a Bearcats player has been named to the AAC Honor Roll.
// ADDING TO THE HAUL
This year, the Bearcats have now collected seven awards, including four major and three Honor Rolls. Along with the two major awards earned this week, UC has also had Eustaquio (Sept. 10) selected for the goalkeeper award while Brandi Thomsen (Aug. 20) was selected for the rookie accolade. Abbott is the third individual to be selected to the Honor Roll, joining Vetere (Aug. 27) Kiki Lowell (9/10).
// NEXT MATCH
The Bearcats, who closed out the non-conference portion of their season with a 5-3-1 record over the weekend, will now turn their focus to the start of the AAC slate that starts this weekend. UC will open at Memphis in an 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local) match on Thursday night before closing out the road trip with a 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local) tilt with Tulsa on Sunday afternoon.
// 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 lacrosse, volleyball, women's tennis, men's and women's soccer, swimming & diving and track & field home events.
// 2018 AAC Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Jill Vetere • Sept. 17
Goalkeeper of the Week
Claudia Eustaquio • Sept. 10
Madison Less • Sept. 17
Rookie of the Week
Brandi Thomsen • Aug. 20
Honor Roll
Julia Abbott • Sept. 17
Kiki Lowell • Sept. 10
Jill Vetere • Aug. 27