TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team suffered a 5-0 defeat at Memphis Thursday night as both teams opened the 2018 American Athletic Conference slate. The Bearcats slipped to 5-4-1 on the year and 0-1-0 in AAC play while the Tigers improved to 9-1-0 and 1-0-0 in the league.
// QUICK NOTES
• Cincinnati fell to 5-4-1 overall and 0-1-0 in AAC play while Memphis moved to 9-1-0 on the year and 1-0-0 in league action
• Memphis is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches rankings and is #12 in the first NCAA RPI rankings released (UC is #36)
• UC leads the all-time series, 10-5-1, but has now dropped four in a row at Memphis
• The Bearcats are now 0-4-0 on the road in 2018 with all four losses coming to teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the national polls at the time of the match
• UC slipped to 11-12-2 all-time in its first conference match of the year and suffered its first loss in its last four AAC openers
• The Bearcats also fell to 12-12-1 in their first road conference match of the season while seeing a five-match undefeated streak in such contests come to an end
• The five goals allowed is the most surrendered since 2016 when UC fell at Memphis, 5-1
• Madison Less played the first half of the match in goal and recorded five saves while Claudia Eustaquio made three saves in the second
• UC was limited to seven shots - all by different players - while UM fired 22 in the game
// STAFFORD'S STANCE
"I've been in the business long enough to know when you're in the infancy of finding your identity with a very young program, you're going to have these types of results," Head Coach Neil Stafford said. "I haven't had many of them in my career, but I've had them at every school I've coached at one point or another. It's hard to be successful at any level without the correct leadership from the players themselves. This leadership cannot come from the head coach or coaches alone; it has to come from the players themselves and, unfortunately, we are currently lacking those personalities. We've got great kids in the program but, unfortunately, that doesn't translate to someone becoming a leader. Our few upperclassmen and most experienced players lack, at times, the confidence and courage to positively influence themselves, let alone their teammates. You can't lead others until you learn to lead yourself.
"The good news is this result was ugly, uncomfortable and embarrassing, all the ingredients that promote growth. I'm not going to get too emotional with the score as I know this is a one off and not the typical behavior of a Cincinnati Bearcats women's soccer team. What I will get emotional about are the controllables that every kid has the ability to control or execute regardless of their skill levels. What we will address with the players is the fact they didn't have the courage and belief tonight to compete. Courage and belief count for a lot in our program. We never judge our players on their strengths and weaknesses; we simply ask them to be brave and not worry about the outcome. It's never about the score. It's always about giving your best effort for self, our families, the university and the city of Cincinnati. Are the players brave enough to shoulder that mentality? They certainly weren't tonight. The good news is the players will have an opportunity to make things right again with Tulsa on Sunday."
// CIN 0:1 MEM • 4'
The Tigers jumped ahead early as they scored at the 3:22 mark in the match. Elizabeth Woerner carried the ball into the area and hit a shot that rang off the cross bar and back into play. There, Samantha Murphy was able to corral the ball and punch it into the net to stake UM to a 1-0 lead.
// CIN 0:2 MEM • 23'
UM struck again, this time with 22:41 elapsed with Murphy collecting the brace with her second of the match. On the play, the Tigers carried the ball forward with Clarissa Larisey moving into the box and playing the ball back to Murphy where she fired a host into the left netting to double the hosts' advantage.
// CIN 0:3 MEM • 42'
The Tigers added their third of the contest at 41:40 following a corner kick. On the play, the ball was bounced around with no one able to clear. Then, Clarie Abrey connected on a shot, sending into the right side of the net to make it 3-0 with just over three minutes remaining before the intermission.
// CIN 0:4 MEM • 68'
UM added to its lead with a strike at 67:53 with Lisa Pechersky heading home to make it 4-0. Strasia Malin started the play by turning and crossing the ball toward the back post where Pechersky ran onto the ball and hit home just out side the six-yard box.
// CIN 0:5 MEM • 88'
The final goal of the match came in at 87:19. On the play, Marie Levasseur collected a loose ball near the top of the box and crossed a pass into the area. From there, Tanya Boychuk gathered the pass and fired a shot into the left side netting to bring about the final score.
// CHANCES
After being limited to one shot in the opening half, the Bearcats were able to fire six in the second, including Ying Zhan recording her first with the Bearcats. In the 52', Delaney Riester played the ball over the defense to Sydney Kilgore, who moved in surrounded by defenders and got off a shot, but it was smothered by UM keeper Elizabeth Moberg to end the threat. Three minutes later, Dee Picou took aim from distance, but the shot was saved once again.
In the 76', UC had two solid chances in a row off a corner kick. The ball was swung in and initially batted away, but Tiffany Huber was there to crack a shot from the top of the box, only to see Moberg slide to her right to make the save. The rebound fell to Zhan who took a shot, but Moberg was there to make another diving save and end the threat once again. Overall, seven different Bearcats had shots in the match.
// NEXT MATCH
The Bearcats will look to bounce back Sunday afternoon as their two-match road trip to open conference play comes to a close at Tulsa. The match is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local) at Hurricane Stadium in Tulsa, Okla.
// 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.
// QUICK NOTES
• Cincinnati fell to 5-4-1 overall and 0-1-0 in AAC play while Memphis moved to 9-1-0 on the year and 1-0-0 in league action
• Memphis is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches rankings and is #12 in the first NCAA RPI rankings released (UC is #36)
• UC leads the all-time series, 10-5-1, but has now dropped four in a row at Memphis
• The Bearcats are now 0-4-0 on the road in 2018 with all four losses coming to teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the national polls at the time of the match
• UC slipped to 11-12-2 all-time in its first conference match of the year and suffered its first loss in its last four AAC openers
• The Bearcats also fell to 12-12-1 in their first road conference match of the season while seeing a five-match undefeated streak in such contests come to an end
• The five goals allowed is the most surrendered since 2016 when UC fell at Memphis, 5-1
• Madison Less played the first half of the match in goal and recorded five saves while Claudia Eustaquio made three saves in the second
• UC was limited to seven shots - all by different players - while UM fired 22 in the game
// STAFFORD'S STANCE
"I've been in the business long enough to know when you're in the infancy of finding your identity with a very young program, you're going to have these types of results," Head Coach Neil Stafford said. "I haven't had many of them in my career, but I've had them at every school I've coached at one point or another. It's hard to be successful at any level without the correct leadership from the players themselves. This leadership cannot come from the head coach or coaches alone; it has to come from the players themselves and, unfortunately, we are currently lacking those personalities. We've got great kids in the program but, unfortunately, that doesn't translate to someone becoming a leader. Our few upperclassmen and most experienced players lack, at times, the confidence and courage to positively influence themselves, let alone their teammates. You can't lead others until you learn to lead yourself.
"The good news is this result was ugly, uncomfortable and embarrassing, all the ingredients that promote growth. I'm not going to get too emotional with the score as I know this is a one off and not the typical behavior of a Cincinnati Bearcats women's soccer team. What I will get emotional about are the controllables that every kid has the ability to control or execute regardless of their skill levels. What we will address with the players is the fact they didn't have the courage and belief tonight to compete. Courage and belief count for a lot in our program. We never judge our players on their strengths and weaknesses; we simply ask them to be brave and not worry about the outcome. It's never about the score. It's always about giving your best effort for self, our families, the university and the city of Cincinnati. Are the players brave enough to shoulder that mentality? They certainly weren't tonight. The good news is the players will have an opportunity to make things right again with Tulsa on Sunday."
// CIN 0:1 MEM • 4'
The Tigers jumped ahead early as they scored at the 3:22 mark in the match. Elizabeth Woerner carried the ball into the area and hit a shot that rang off the cross bar and back into play. There, Samantha Murphy was able to corral the ball and punch it into the net to stake UM to a 1-0 lead.
// CIN 0:2 MEM • 23'
UM struck again, this time with 22:41 elapsed with Murphy collecting the brace with her second of the match. On the play, the Tigers carried the ball forward with Clarissa Larisey moving into the box and playing the ball back to Murphy where she fired a host into the left netting to double the hosts' advantage.
// CIN 0:3 MEM • 42'
The Tigers added their third of the contest at 41:40 following a corner kick. On the play, the ball was bounced around with no one able to clear. Then, Clarie Abrey connected on a shot, sending into the right side of the net to make it 3-0 with just over three minutes remaining before the intermission.
// CIN 0:4 MEM • 68'
UM added to its lead with a strike at 67:53 with Lisa Pechersky heading home to make it 4-0. Strasia Malin started the play by turning and crossing the ball toward the back post where Pechersky ran onto the ball and hit home just out side the six-yard box.
// CIN 0:5 MEM • 88'
The final goal of the match came in at 87:19. On the play, Marie Levasseur collected a loose ball near the top of the box and crossed a pass into the area. From there, Tanya Boychuk gathered the pass and fired a shot into the left side netting to bring about the final score.
// CHANCES
After being limited to one shot in the opening half, the Bearcats were able to fire six in the second, including Ying Zhan recording her first with the Bearcats. In the 52', Delaney Riester played the ball over the defense to Sydney Kilgore, who moved in surrounded by defenders and got off a shot, but it was smothered by UM keeper Elizabeth Moberg to end the threat. Three minutes later, Dee Picou took aim from distance, but the shot was saved once again.
In the 76', UC had two solid chances in a row off a corner kick. The ball was swung in and initially batted away, but Tiffany Huber was there to crack a shot from the top of the box, only to see Moberg slide to her right to make the save. The rebound fell to Zhan who took a shot, but Moberg was there to make another diving save and end the threat once again. Overall, seven different Bearcats had shots in the match.
// NEXT MATCH
The Bearcats will look to bounce back Sunday afternoon as their two-match road trip to open conference play comes to a close at Tulsa. The match is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local) at Hurricane Stadium in Tulsa, Okla.
// 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.