Tickets// THE OPENING WHISTLE
The final match of the 2018 season awaits the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team Friday night with the Bearcats (6-8-3, 1-5-2 AAC) traveling to Greenville, N.C., to face the ECU Pirates (8-5-2, 3-4-0 AAC) at Johnson Stadium. The Bearcats, who have been eliminated from AAC Tournament contention, will meet the host Pirates at 7 p.m.
// 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. As always, fans are encouraged to join in the conversation using the hashtag #Bearcats.
// GOING LIVE
ECUPirates.com will stream the match live Friday night with the site also providing live stats.
// QUICK SHOTS
• Cincinnati is 6-8-3 overall on the year and 1-5-2 in the American
• The Bearcats are looking for their first win in their last six matches (0-4-2)
• Jill Vetere not only leads the team in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16), but also ranks among the Top 10 in all three categories in the AAC
• UC has faced a tough schedule in 2018 as its non-conference slate currently ranks 23rd nationally while its overall slate stands 43rd in the NCAA
• ECU will be the ninth different team UC has played in 2018 that is ranked in the RPI Top 75
• In the Temple match two weeks ago, Vanessa DiNardo opened her scoring account with a goal in the 24', making her the fifth different Bearcat and third rookie to score her first goal this year
• Seniors Tiffany Huber, Kaleigh Piscioneri, Vetere and Cassie Wheldon played their final home match for the Bearcats and will be suiting up for the final time in their college careers Friday
// QUICK RECAP: FINAL HOME STAND
• The Bearcats went 0-1-1 in their final two home matches of the season
• UC played visiting Temple to a 2-2 draw after battling back from a 2-1 deficit with 22 minutes remaining in the match
• Freshman Vanessa DiNardo scored her first collegiate goal to stake UC to an early 1-0 lead before two second-half goals gave the guests the lead
• Vetere netted her team-leading sixth of the year to tie the match for UC and force overtime, their sixth OT match of the year (2-1-3)
• The weekend came to an end with a visit from UConn, who won, 4-0, on Senior Day
• The loss to the Huskies marked the first on 'Sunday Fun Day' as UC is now 23-1-4 in home Sunday matches since Neil Stafford took over the program in 2013
// FINAL MATCH DAY... ALMOST
Friday, traditionally in the American, is set up to be the last day of the regular season. With Hurricane Michael rolling through the South two weeks ago, UConn and ECU will play Sunday to make-up their missed match because of the weather. That match, along with Friday's contest, will go a long way in determining postseason participants and seeding. Friday, each school will play its travel partner with the USF vs. UCF match deciding the regular season champion. A win or tie for USF gives it the crown outright. A UCF win and a Memphis win over Tulsa would see a three-way tie for the 2018 AAC title.
// SENIOR SENDOFF
Although their final home match for the Red and Black didn't go according to plan, the Bearcats have one final match to send off the program's four seniors in style as the quartet will suit up one final time Friday at ECU. The group of seniors includes Tiffany Huber (Cincinnati), Kaleigh Piscioneri (Avon, Ohio), Jill Vetere (Cincinnati) and Cassie Wheldon (Waterloo, Ontario).
// TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER
Speaking of Vetere, the local senior is having an outstanding year. The product of Mason High School, Vetere leads the team in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16) this year, all of which are single-season career highs with her goal total doubling her previous season best of three scored last year while also accounting for one third of the team's 18 goals scored in 2018. Not only is she leading the team, she also ranks highly in the AAC. Heading into the weekend, her goal and point totals have her tied for the 10th in the American while her assist total sees her tied for seventh in the league.
// OPENING HER ACCOUNT
In the match with Temple, Vanessa DiNardo netted her first collegiate goal. The play began with Sophie Gorman moving down the right flank and whipping a pass into the box to Vetere, who volleyed the ball out of the air and back across the goal toward DiNardo. There, DiNardo ran onto the ball and hit back across the face of the goal and into the lower corner for a 1-0 lead.
// MULTI-TALENTED
With her goal against the Owls, DiNardo became the eighth different UC player this year to record at least one goal and one assist. She is the second rookie to do so, joining fellow classmate Brandi Thomsen on the list.
// MORE ON THE LIST • GOALS
DiNardo is now the fourth UC player this year and second true freshman to opening her goal scoring account in 2018. Along with classmate Thomsen, two juniors found the back of the net for the first time in their respective collegiate careers this year, including Dee Picou, who has scored twice in 2018, and Bri Costigan.
// MORE ON THE LIST • ASSISTS
While four different Bearcats scored their first goals this year, two others have tallied their first assist for UC with freshman Camryn Hartman the latest to join the list. Hartman had the helper on the Vetere goal against Temple as she used her pace to carry the ball to the end line before playing back into the area to Vetere, who redirected the pass into the goal to knot things at 2-2. Hartman joins sophomore Delaney Riester on the assist list.
// KNOW THE FOE: ECU
• ECU enters the match with an 8-5-2 overall record and a 3-4-0 mark in the AAC
• The Pirates' nine points in league play have them sitting tied for seventh and on the cusp of earning a berth into the AAC Tournament, which will involve only the Top 6 teams in the league
• Despite sitting seventh, ECU is the only team contending for a tournament berth that has two matches remaining as it also will play host to UConn Sunday in a make-up match that was postponed two weeks prior because of the effects of Hurricane Michael
• Two players have tallied double-digit points on the season with Jenna Dages leading the charge with 13 points on a team-high six goals and one assist while Courtney Cash is second with 11 points on five goals and one helper
• Defensively, Melanie Stiles has played all but 26 minutes in goal for the Pirates, posting 59 saves and allowing 20 goals for a 1.30 goals-against average and a 74.7 save percentage with four shutouts on the year
// NOTING THE SERIES: BEARCATS-PIRATES
• Cincinnati holds a 7-1-1 all-time record in the series with ECU and has won the last four meetings, all via shutout (9-0 in the four matches combined)
• The Bearcats are 2-0-1 against the Pirates in Greenville and 3-0-1 all-time in the state of North Carolina in the series after winning a 2-1 decision in the Conference USA Tournament held in Charlotte at the end of the 2002 season
• The last time the two teams played in Greenville was a 2-0 win for the Bearcats in the 2016 season with UC winning a 1-0 decision last year in Cincinnati
• In the nine matches played in the series, UC has posted six shutouts (5-0-1) and outscored ECU, 15-4, all-time, including 5-0 in the three matches played in Greenville
// FIGHT TO THE FINISH
So far this year, the Bearcats have gone to the halftime locker room trailing, 1-0, six times in 15 matches. In those six contests, however, the Bearcats hold a 4-1-1 overall record, including a 3-0-1 mark when those matches are held in Cincinnati. At home, UC trailed Eastern Kentucky, Lipscomb, LSU and Houston at the break before fighting back. The Bearcats won the first three with the wins over EKU and LSU coming in regulation and the LU victory in overtime. The match with the Cougars ended in a 1-1 draw. Away from home, UC's loss came at #8 Virginia (3-0) before the Bearcats came back to win at Tulsa, 2-1.
// IN THE RPI
In the latest RPI rankings released by the NCAA Monday, the Bearcats slipped to #91, the sixth-highest of all teams in the American. So far this year, the Bearcats have faced 10 teams currently ranked in the Top 100 with #74 ECU still to come. That list also includes four foes currently in the Top 25, including #14 Virginia, #17 Memphis, #22 USF and #24 Auburn while #30 Kansas and #38 LSU round out the foes in the Top 50.
// ONE TOUGH SCHEDULE
According to the same NCAA data, the Bearcats have played the 43rd-toughest schedule in the nation overall and the 23rd most difficult schedule during the non-conference season. In fact, of all the teams on UC's 2018 slate, the Bearcats have played the second-toughest non-conference schedule behind only Notre Dame (#12) and have played the fifth-hardest overall schedule to date with UND (#17), Auburn (#24), LSU (#28) and UConn (#33) ahead of the Bearcats.
// SEEING THE FIELD
So far this year, the coaching staff has sent a large number of players to the pitch. Including all four keepers having seen playing time this year, UC is averaging 20.9 players earning minutes each match this season, including playing 25 athletes twice (vs. Wright State, vs. Lipscomb). In fact, just under half of the matches played this year (8-of-17) have seen 22 or more Bearcats play.
// EARLY PLAY
Included in all the players being utilized are eight true freshmen, all of which have started at least one match this season with four of those players earning starting spots in four or more matches. Combined, the group is averaging just over 37 minutes played per contest in 2018 with Vanessa DiNardo and Brandi Thomsen both averaging just over 50 minutes per game.
// YOUTH MOVEMENT
When looking at the Starting XI this year, more than half of the Bearcats are freshmen and sophomores with that group making up an average of 6.0 of the starters. Included in that group are an average of 2.5 true freshmen earning starts each match and 3.5 sophomores.
// WORKING OVERTIME
The loss at UCF marked the first time in five matches this year that the Bearcats lost in overtime. Previously, UC scored a 1-0 win over NKU and a 2-1 win over Lipscomb with both coming in the first overtime period. UC also played both #16 Kansas (0-0) and Houston (1-1) to draws. The Bearcats are currently 2-1-3 in OT this year after playing Temple to a 2-2 draw.
// SUNDAY FUN DAY!
Since Stafford took over the program in time for the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played at home on Sunday 28 times and hold an impressive 23-1-4 record in those matches after falling to UConn in the latest match. In that span, the Bearcats have not only posted an impressive record, but also have outscored their foes, 54-17, while the defense has recorded 16 clean sheets.
// PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Since the start of the 2013 season and including the most recent home matches (Temple & UConn), the Bearcats have played 56 home matches, posting a 36-8-12 record in that time (.750 win percentage). Including 2018, UC has won at least five home contests each season with eight in 2017, seven wins in 2014 and 2015, six in 2016 and four in 2013. Also, in that time, UC has out-scored its guests, 94-39 (+55). In 2018, the Bearcats went 5-2-3 at home, but were out scored by their opponents, 12-13.
// FRIENDLY CONFINES
In their first five seasons, Stafford and his staff accumulated 32 home wins, the most of any UC women's soccer coach in his/her first five seasons. Meridy Glenn's teams from 1983 to 1987 won 28 matches and posted a .843 win percentage (28-4-3) in her first five years. Expanding into the first six years, Glenn's teams won 34 home matches (34-5-3) while Stafford's Bearcats now have won 36 (36-8-12) thanks to a 5-2-3 2018 home record.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// COMMON OUTCOME
For the sixth and seventh times this season, a match ended in a 2-1 score line with the Bearcats holding a 4-3-0 record in those matches. All four wins saw the Bearcats trailing, 1-0, at halftime before they bounced back to win, 2-1, while the losses at Notre Dame and UCF saw UC leading 1-0 in the match before suffering defeat.
// FEELING HONORED
Following the trip to Florida, the AAC announced its weekly award winners with Madison Less being named to the Honor Roll following her career-high 10 saves at USF. It is her first Honor Roll selection this season and gives UC an Honor Roll award in each of the last five weeks: Less (Oct. 8), Jill Vetere (Oct. 1), Dee Picou (Sept. 24), Julia Abbott (Sept. 17) and Kiki Lowell (Sept. 10). All told (including Less' honor), the Bearcats have accumulated 10 awards in the 2018 season.
// OPENING HER ACCOUNT
Late in the match at USF, Bri Costigan was called upon to take a spot kick and converted the penalty with precision as she knocked the ball into the lower corner to cut the USF lead in half at 2-1. The goal, which was set up by rookie Vanessa DiNardo being brought down in the box, was the first of Costigan's career. The junior, who picked up an assist earlier this year, is one of six Bearcats in 2018 to record at least one goal and one assist. Ahead of this season, Costigan had recorded just one point as she recorded an assist in her freshman campaign of 2016.
// ADDED TO THE LIST
With her goal against the Bulls, Costigan also became the third different UC player to record her first career goal this season, joining rookie Brandi Thomsen and fellow junior Dee Picou. Thomsen recorded her score in the season-opener, netting the game-winner over Eastern Kentucky. Picou, who has two goals to her credit in 2018, scored her first against Lipscomb before adding her second at Tulsa. Her goal at TU also was the game-winner, the first of her career as well. Two other Bearcats scored their first goals since their freshmen years with senior Cassie Wheldon scoring for the first time since 2015 and Sydney Kilgore netting a goal for the first time since her rookie season at IU.
// ALMOST OVER THE HILL
The 2018 season marks the 39th varsity campaign for the Bearcats program. Through the match with UCF, Cincinnati's all-time record stands at 387-284-64 (.568), including a mark of 197-102-31 at home, leaving the team just three wins away from the 200-victory milestone.
// ON THE SPOT
Bri Costigan's spot kick conversion against USF last week marked the second penalty scored by the Bearcats this year after Cassie Wheldon scored at Auburn earlier this season. The first goal of Costigan's career also marked the first PK converted by UC in a conference match in nearly two years. The last time it happened was October 16, 2016, when Julie Gavorski scored against SMU in a 2-0 victory.
// BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
With four seconds remaining in regulation against Houston, UC was awarded a spot kick that Jill Vetere took and saw saved by the UH keeper with the rebound coming directly back to Vetere, who hammered home the follow up to tie the game with two seconds remaining. Historically, Vetere's goal ties her with Lisa Huth for the second-latest goal scored in regulation in program history after Huth tallied her goal against Loyola at 89:58 on October 10, 1992. The record is held by Paulette Angilecchia, who scored with one second remaining in a September 9, 1994, match with Wright State.
// MORE ON THE LATE GOAL
Vetere's goal at 89:58 marked the 12th goal scored in the 90' of play in program history and the third in the last three years. Included on the last minute list was an own goal from Boston University on September 5, 2016, that gave UC a 2-1 win and, most recently, a goal at 89:09 from Jaycie Brown, whose goal came on October 23, 2016, and tied the match at 2-2 the last time UC played at USF. Additionally, Vetere's goal is now the latest scored in regulation under Neil Stafford since he took over in 2013 and stands as the seventh-latest overall in his tenure when including six overtime-winning scores. Two of those OT winners were scored this year, including Vetere's tally at 98:46 to defeat Northern Kentucky (1-0) and Sophie Gorman's goal at 98:12 against Lipscomb (2-1).
// BUNCH SCORING
In the four matches won, 2-1, after trailing, 1-0, not only did the Bearcats come back to win, they did so three times by scoring in bunches. The goals in the LSU match came just 3:17 apart while the two goals against EKU were spaced by 4:38. The win at Tulsa came in a 5:48 spread, giving the Bearcats three groupings of back-to-back goals in under six minutes.
// IN-TEN-T ON POINTS
Including the 1-1 draw with Houston, the Bearcats were undefeated in their last 10 OT contests, posting a 1-0-9 record when playing past 90 minutes since dropping a 2-1 decision at Purdue in 2016. That streak came to an end at UCF, a 2-1 loss in double overtime. It marks the second time under Neil Stafford that the Bearcats have not lost in overtime in nine-consecutive matches with the first starting in the 2014 season with a 2-2 tie to visiting UC Santa Barbara and finished with a 2-1 win against visiting Dayton to start the 2016 season. The match that ended that streak? The 2-1 setback to Purdue in 2016. The 10-match streak is the longest in school history, breaking the tie with Stafford's first streak and another nine-match streak from 1996-98 also joining in (5-0-4).
// HOME OVERTIME
When playing in home overtime matches, the Bearcats have been tough to beat recently as they are undefeated in their last 12, holding a 2-0-10 record (including the 2-2 draw with Temple). The last time UC lost in overtime at home came in 2013 in a 5-4 loss to Louisville. Prior to the current streak, the longest stretch of undefeated home overtime matches was six and came two times, first from 1996-98 (3-0-3) and then from 1999-03 (5-0-1). All told, the Bearcats are 18-19-29 all-time in home overtime contests.
// HOME STREAK ENDS
Speaking of the success the Bearcats have enjoyed at home, the team recently saw an 18-match home undefeated streak come to an end with a 3-0 loss to SMU. The last time UC lost at home came in October 27, 2016, in a 2-0 set back to #18 UConn. Between those two losses, the Bearcats posted a 1-0-0 record the rest of the way in 2016, an 8-0-3 mark last year and were 5-0-1 this year prior to SMU's visit. Combined, the Bearcats 18-match streak saw them go 14-0-4 to build the second-longest home undefeated streak in program history behind a 23-match streak that ran from 1983-86.
// MORE FIRSTS
Speaking of firsts, when UC scored a 2-1 win at Tulsa (Sept. 23), it marked a pair of firsts, including the first win for the program at Tulsa in three tries and the first points the Bearcats have secured on that road trip. Since joining the AAC in 2013, the Bearcats have made the Memphis-Tulsa road trip three times (including 2018) and, in that time, had not recorded a point in any of the matches before the win over TU. Heading into that match, UC was 0-5-0.
// AT THE HALF-WAY MARK
Nine matches into an 18-match regular season (end of the non-conference slate), the Bearcats posted a 5-3-1 record. With those five wins, the team has now won five or more nonconference matches for five years in a row now to break the record for consecutive seasons of four when the 1994-97 teams also accomplished the feat.
// SPOT ON
At the 11:38 mark at Auburn, Jill Vetere played the ball into the box and Brandi Thomsen was pulled down to earn a penalty kick for the Bearcats. Cassie Wheldon stepped up to the spot and coolly slotted her shot low and into the netting for a 1-0 lead. It was the first PK conversion for the Bearcats in over one year after Julie Gavorski scored from the spot on August 27, 2017, to secure a 1-0 win over visiting Miami (Fla.).
// BACK IN THE SCORING COLUMN
Wheldon's goal was the third of her career, but her first since 2015, her freshman campaign for the Bearcats. That year, she scored twice with the last coming October 18, 2015, when she knocked in the fourth and final goal of a 4-0 victory over visiting Evansville.
// RARE FINISH
The match at Auburn was the 725th in program history. In the 731 matches UC has played in its history, including the two last week, a match has only ended in a scoreless draw 22 times (0.03 percent). Of those 22 matches, seven have come in the last four seasons with two each in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons and once this year.
// PACKING THEM IN
The 1,194 fans that attended the Riverboat Rivalry match with Northern Kentucky (Aug. 26) ranks highly in program history attendance figures. That total stands as the sixth-largest home crowd in Bearcats history while also ranking as the 11th-largest UC has played before in its history. That attendance also means two of the Top 6 home crowds in UC history have come when the Norse have visited after the inaugural Riverboat Rivalry in 2016 drew 4,722 fans, a record for a women's college soccer game played in the state of Ohio.
// PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Two of the newcomers earned high honors ahead of joining the Bearcats. Brandi Thomsen twice earned player of the year honors in the state of Wisconsin, including being named the 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2017 Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year. Vanessa DiNardo also earned a state honor as she was tabbed as the 2017 Ohio Division I State Player of the Year.
// SAME SCHOOL
While local players joining the program often hail from the same high schools as upperclassmen is nothing new for a collegiate program or, like this year, two sets of two teammates joining the program at the same time (DiNardo/Sidloski from Strongsville and Carlo/Lindsay from Lebanon), the addition of Alli Pestaina to the team brings with it another connection. Before coming to UC, Pestaina, a native of Brimfield, Mass., attended Worcester Academy, the same academy head coach Stafford attended during his prep days.
// WELCOME TO AMERICA!
Throughout the history of the program, the roster has featured several Canadian players with this year's team featuring a trio from north of the border in Claudia Eustaquio, Michelle Travassos and Cassie Wheldon. This year, though, a new country was added to the list with the arrival of Ying Zhan from Shenzhen, China. Along with the American and Canadian players that have appeared, only three other nations have been represented in program history, including Ana Farmer of Scotland (2004-06), Alana McShane of Northern Ireland (2013) and now Zhan.
// DOUBLE DIGIT WINS
Last year, UC won 12 matches, marking the fourth year in a row the team has won 10+ in a single season under Head Coach Neil Stafford. That streak ties for the second-best in program history and leaves the Bearcats one shy of equalling the all-time best. Currently, the four-year streak equals the 1980-83 and 1986-89 squads for second while the 1994-97 teams hold the mark with five in a row.
// CONTINUING TO IMPROVE
Before Stafford took over the program, UC had improved its season win percentage in two-consecutive seasons four times, with the most recent coming in 2000 (.727 from .447) and 2001 (.834 from .727). After the program finished with a win percentage of .250 in 2012 and Stafford came in, the team has raised its win percentage in all five seasons, posting marks of .425 (2013), .550 (2014), .646 (2015), .650 (2016) and .711 (2017).
// IN THE RPI
During the 2017 season, the Bearcats rose as high as #11 in the RPI data released by the NCAA, the highest ranking they have attained in program history. What is more impressive is where the program had come from. At the end of the 2012 season, Cincinnati's final RPI ranking was #227, meaning that, in the five years Stafford and his staff have guided the program, the Bearcats have clawed their way up 216 positions since the start of the 2013 season.
// ACADEMICALLY SOUND
Last year, the Bearcats collectively sported a 3.50 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, 28 of the 31 women on the roster recorded a 3.00 GPA or better during the 2017-18 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 2017-18 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.
// UP NEXT
The match at ECU marks the season finale for the Bearcats and ends the 2018 season. The Bearcats will return to the pitch in August 2019 for their 40th varsity season.
The final match of the 2018 season awaits the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team Friday night with the Bearcats (6-8-3, 1-5-2 AAC) traveling to Greenville, N.C., to face the ECU Pirates (8-5-2, 3-4-0 AAC) at Johnson Stadium. The Bearcats, who have been eliminated from AAC Tournament contention, will meet the host Pirates at 7 p.m.
// 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. As always, fans are encouraged to join in the conversation using the hashtag #Bearcats.
// GOING LIVE
ECUPirates.com will stream the match live Friday night with the site also providing live stats.
// QUICK SHOTS
• Cincinnati is 6-8-3 overall on the year and 1-5-2 in the American
• The Bearcats are looking for their first win in their last six matches (0-4-2)
• Jill Vetere not only leads the team in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16), but also ranks among the Top 10 in all three categories in the AAC
• UC has faced a tough schedule in 2018 as its non-conference slate currently ranks 23rd nationally while its overall slate stands 43rd in the NCAA
• ECU will be the ninth different team UC has played in 2018 that is ranked in the RPI Top 75
• In the Temple match two weeks ago, Vanessa DiNardo opened her scoring account with a goal in the 24', making her the fifth different Bearcat and third rookie to score her first goal this year
• Seniors Tiffany Huber, Kaleigh Piscioneri, Vetere and Cassie Wheldon played their final home match for the Bearcats and will be suiting up for the final time in their college careers Friday
// QUICK RECAP: FINAL HOME STAND
• The Bearcats went 0-1-1 in their final two home matches of the season
• UC played visiting Temple to a 2-2 draw after battling back from a 2-1 deficit with 22 minutes remaining in the match
• Freshman Vanessa DiNardo scored her first collegiate goal to stake UC to an early 1-0 lead before two second-half goals gave the guests the lead
• Vetere netted her team-leading sixth of the year to tie the match for UC and force overtime, their sixth OT match of the year (2-1-3)
• The weekend came to an end with a visit from UConn, who won, 4-0, on Senior Day
• The loss to the Huskies marked the first on 'Sunday Fun Day' as UC is now 23-1-4 in home Sunday matches since Neil Stafford took over the program in 2013
// FINAL MATCH DAY... ALMOST
Friday, traditionally in the American, is set up to be the last day of the regular season. With Hurricane Michael rolling through the South two weeks ago, UConn and ECU will play Sunday to make-up their missed match because of the weather. That match, along with Friday's contest, will go a long way in determining postseason participants and seeding. Friday, each school will play its travel partner with the USF vs. UCF match deciding the regular season champion. A win or tie for USF gives it the crown outright. A UCF win and a Memphis win over Tulsa would see a three-way tie for the 2018 AAC title.
// SENIOR SENDOFF
Although their final home match for the Red and Black didn't go according to plan, the Bearcats have one final match to send off the program's four seniors in style as the quartet will suit up one final time Friday at ECU. The group of seniors includes Tiffany Huber (Cincinnati), Kaleigh Piscioneri (Avon, Ohio), Jill Vetere (Cincinnati) and Cassie Wheldon (Waterloo, Ontario).
// TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER
Speaking of Vetere, the local senior is having an outstanding year. The product of Mason High School, Vetere leads the team in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16) this year, all of which are single-season career highs with her goal total doubling her previous season best of three scored last year while also accounting for one third of the team's 18 goals scored in 2018. Not only is she leading the team, she also ranks highly in the AAC. Heading into the weekend, her goal and point totals have her tied for the 10th in the American while her assist total sees her tied for seventh in the league.
// OPENING HER ACCOUNT
In the match with Temple, Vanessa DiNardo netted her first collegiate goal. The play began with Sophie Gorman moving down the right flank and whipping a pass into the box to Vetere, who volleyed the ball out of the air and back across the goal toward DiNardo. There, DiNardo ran onto the ball and hit back across the face of the goal and into the lower corner for a 1-0 lead.
// MULTI-TALENTED
With her goal against the Owls, DiNardo became the eighth different UC player this year to record at least one goal and one assist. She is the second rookie to do so, joining fellow classmate Brandi Thomsen on the list.
// MORE ON THE LIST • GOALS
DiNardo is now the fourth UC player this year and second true freshman to opening her goal scoring account in 2018. Along with classmate Thomsen, two juniors found the back of the net for the first time in their respective collegiate careers this year, including Dee Picou, who has scored twice in 2018, and Bri Costigan.
// MORE ON THE LIST • ASSISTS
While four different Bearcats scored their first goals this year, two others have tallied their first assist for UC with freshman Camryn Hartman the latest to join the list. Hartman had the helper on the Vetere goal against Temple as she used her pace to carry the ball to the end line before playing back into the area to Vetere, who redirected the pass into the goal to knot things at 2-2. Hartman joins sophomore Delaney Riester on the assist list.
// KNOW THE FOE: ECU
• ECU enters the match with an 8-5-2 overall record and a 3-4-0 mark in the AAC
• The Pirates' nine points in league play have them sitting tied for seventh and on the cusp of earning a berth into the AAC Tournament, which will involve only the Top 6 teams in the league
• Despite sitting seventh, ECU is the only team contending for a tournament berth that has two matches remaining as it also will play host to UConn Sunday in a make-up match that was postponed two weeks prior because of the effects of Hurricane Michael
• Two players have tallied double-digit points on the season with Jenna Dages leading the charge with 13 points on a team-high six goals and one assist while Courtney Cash is second with 11 points on five goals and one helper
• Defensively, Melanie Stiles has played all but 26 minutes in goal for the Pirates, posting 59 saves and allowing 20 goals for a 1.30 goals-against average and a 74.7 save percentage with four shutouts on the year
// NOTING THE SERIES: BEARCATS-PIRATES
• Cincinnati holds a 7-1-1 all-time record in the series with ECU and has won the last four meetings, all via shutout (9-0 in the four matches combined)
• The Bearcats are 2-0-1 against the Pirates in Greenville and 3-0-1 all-time in the state of North Carolina in the series after winning a 2-1 decision in the Conference USA Tournament held in Charlotte at the end of the 2002 season
• The last time the two teams played in Greenville was a 2-0 win for the Bearcats in the 2016 season with UC winning a 1-0 decision last year in Cincinnati
• In the nine matches played in the series, UC has posted six shutouts (5-0-1) and outscored ECU, 15-4, all-time, including 5-0 in the three matches played in Greenville
// FIGHT TO THE FINISH
So far this year, the Bearcats have gone to the halftime locker room trailing, 1-0, six times in 15 matches. In those six contests, however, the Bearcats hold a 4-1-1 overall record, including a 3-0-1 mark when those matches are held in Cincinnati. At home, UC trailed Eastern Kentucky, Lipscomb, LSU and Houston at the break before fighting back. The Bearcats won the first three with the wins over EKU and LSU coming in regulation and the LU victory in overtime. The match with the Cougars ended in a 1-1 draw. Away from home, UC's loss came at #8 Virginia (3-0) before the Bearcats came back to win at Tulsa, 2-1.
// IN THE RPI
In the latest RPI rankings released by the NCAA Monday, the Bearcats slipped to #91, the sixth-highest of all teams in the American. So far this year, the Bearcats have faced 10 teams currently ranked in the Top 100 with #74 ECU still to come. That list also includes four foes currently in the Top 25, including #14 Virginia, #17 Memphis, #22 USF and #24 Auburn while #30 Kansas and #38 LSU round out the foes in the Top 50.
// ONE TOUGH SCHEDULE
According to the same NCAA data, the Bearcats have played the 43rd-toughest schedule in the nation overall and the 23rd most difficult schedule during the non-conference season. In fact, of all the teams on UC's 2018 slate, the Bearcats have played the second-toughest non-conference schedule behind only Notre Dame (#12) and have played the fifth-hardest overall schedule to date with UND (#17), Auburn (#24), LSU (#28) and UConn (#33) ahead of the Bearcats.
// SEEING THE FIELD
So far this year, the coaching staff has sent a large number of players to the pitch. Including all four keepers having seen playing time this year, UC is averaging 20.9 players earning minutes each match this season, including playing 25 athletes twice (vs. Wright State, vs. Lipscomb). In fact, just under half of the matches played this year (8-of-17) have seen 22 or more Bearcats play.
// EARLY PLAY
Included in all the players being utilized are eight true freshmen, all of which have started at least one match this season with four of those players earning starting spots in four or more matches. Combined, the group is averaging just over 37 minutes played per contest in 2018 with Vanessa DiNardo and Brandi Thomsen both averaging just over 50 minutes per game.
// YOUTH MOVEMENT
When looking at the Starting XI this year, more than half of the Bearcats are freshmen and sophomores with that group making up an average of 6.0 of the starters. Included in that group are an average of 2.5 true freshmen earning starts each match and 3.5 sophomores.
// WORKING OVERTIME
The loss at UCF marked the first time in five matches this year that the Bearcats lost in overtime. Previously, UC scored a 1-0 win over NKU and a 2-1 win over Lipscomb with both coming in the first overtime period. UC also played both #16 Kansas (0-0) and Houston (1-1) to draws. The Bearcats are currently 2-1-3 in OT this year after playing Temple to a 2-2 draw.
// SUNDAY FUN DAY!
Since Stafford took over the program in time for the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played at home on Sunday 28 times and hold an impressive 23-1-4 record in those matches after falling to UConn in the latest match. In that span, the Bearcats have not only posted an impressive record, but also have outscored their foes, 54-17, while the defense has recorded 16 clean sheets.
// PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Since the start of the 2013 season and including the most recent home matches (Temple & UConn), the Bearcats have played 56 home matches, posting a 36-8-12 record in that time (.750 win percentage). Including 2018, UC has won at least five home contests each season with eight in 2017, seven wins in 2014 and 2015, six in 2016 and four in 2013. Also, in that time, UC has out-scored its guests, 94-39 (+55). In 2018, the Bearcats went 5-2-3 at home, but were out scored by their opponents, 12-13.
// FRIENDLY CONFINES
In their first five seasons, Stafford and his staff accumulated 32 home wins, the most of any UC women's soccer coach in his/her first five seasons. Meridy Glenn's teams from 1983 to 1987 won 28 matches and posted a .843 win percentage (28-4-3) in her first five years. Expanding into the first six years, Glenn's teams won 34 home matches (34-5-3) while Stafford's Bearcats now have won 36 (36-8-12) thanks to a 5-2-3 2018 home record.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// COMMON OUTCOME
For the sixth and seventh times this season, a match ended in a 2-1 score line with the Bearcats holding a 4-3-0 record in those matches. All four wins saw the Bearcats trailing, 1-0, at halftime before they bounced back to win, 2-1, while the losses at Notre Dame and UCF saw UC leading 1-0 in the match before suffering defeat.
// FEELING HONORED
Following the trip to Florida, the AAC announced its weekly award winners with Madison Less being named to the Honor Roll following her career-high 10 saves at USF. It is her first Honor Roll selection this season and gives UC an Honor Roll award in each of the last five weeks: Less (Oct. 8), Jill Vetere (Oct. 1), Dee Picou (Sept. 24), Julia Abbott (Sept. 17) and Kiki Lowell (Sept. 10). All told (including Less' honor), the Bearcats have accumulated 10 awards in the 2018 season.
// OPENING HER ACCOUNT
Late in the match at USF, Bri Costigan was called upon to take a spot kick and converted the penalty with precision as she knocked the ball into the lower corner to cut the USF lead in half at 2-1. The goal, which was set up by rookie Vanessa DiNardo being brought down in the box, was the first of Costigan's career. The junior, who picked up an assist earlier this year, is one of six Bearcats in 2018 to record at least one goal and one assist. Ahead of this season, Costigan had recorded just one point as she recorded an assist in her freshman campaign of 2016.
// ADDED TO THE LIST
With her goal against the Bulls, Costigan also became the third different UC player to record her first career goal this season, joining rookie Brandi Thomsen and fellow junior Dee Picou. Thomsen recorded her score in the season-opener, netting the game-winner over Eastern Kentucky. Picou, who has two goals to her credit in 2018, scored her first against Lipscomb before adding her second at Tulsa. Her goal at TU also was the game-winner, the first of her career as well. Two other Bearcats scored their first goals since their freshmen years with senior Cassie Wheldon scoring for the first time since 2015 and Sydney Kilgore netting a goal for the first time since her rookie season at IU.
// ALMOST OVER THE HILL
The 2018 season marks the 39th varsity campaign for the Bearcats program. Through the match with UCF, Cincinnati's all-time record stands at 387-284-64 (.568), including a mark of 197-102-31 at home, leaving the team just three wins away from the 200-victory milestone.
// ON THE SPOT
Bri Costigan's spot kick conversion against USF last week marked the second penalty scored by the Bearcats this year after Cassie Wheldon scored at Auburn earlier this season. The first goal of Costigan's career also marked the first PK converted by UC in a conference match in nearly two years. The last time it happened was October 16, 2016, when Julie Gavorski scored against SMU in a 2-0 victory.
// BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
With four seconds remaining in regulation against Houston, UC was awarded a spot kick that Jill Vetere took and saw saved by the UH keeper with the rebound coming directly back to Vetere, who hammered home the follow up to tie the game with two seconds remaining. Historically, Vetere's goal ties her with Lisa Huth for the second-latest goal scored in regulation in program history after Huth tallied her goal against Loyola at 89:58 on October 10, 1992. The record is held by Paulette Angilecchia, who scored with one second remaining in a September 9, 1994, match with Wright State.
// MORE ON THE LATE GOAL
Vetere's goal at 89:58 marked the 12th goal scored in the 90' of play in program history and the third in the last three years. Included on the last minute list was an own goal from Boston University on September 5, 2016, that gave UC a 2-1 win and, most recently, a goal at 89:09 from Jaycie Brown, whose goal came on October 23, 2016, and tied the match at 2-2 the last time UC played at USF. Additionally, Vetere's goal is now the latest scored in regulation under Neil Stafford since he took over in 2013 and stands as the seventh-latest overall in his tenure when including six overtime-winning scores. Two of those OT winners were scored this year, including Vetere's tally at 98:46 to defeat Northern Kentucky (1-0) and Sophie Gorman's goal at 98:12 against Lipscomb (2-1).
// BUNCH SCORING
In the four matches won, 2-1, after trailing, 1-0, not only did the Bearcats come back to win, they did so three times by scoring in bunches. The goals in the LSU match came just 3:17 apart while the two goals against EKU were spaced by 4:38. The win at Tulsa came in a 5:48 spread, giving the Bearcats three groupings of back-to-back goals in under six minutes.
// IN-TEN-T ON POINTS
Including the 1-1 draw with Houston, the Bearcats were undefeated in their last 10 OT contests, posting a 1-0-9 record when playing past 90 minutes since dropping a 2-1 decision at Purdue in 2016. That streak came to an end at UCF, a 2-1 loss in double overtime. It marks the second time under Neil Stafford that the Bearcats have not lost in overtime in nine-consecutive matches with the first starting in the 2014 season with a 2-2 tie to visiting UC Santa Barbara and finished with a 2-1 win against visiting Dayton to start the 2016 season. The match that ended that streak? The 2-1 setback to Purdue in 2016. The 10-match streak is the longest in school history, breaking the tie with Stafford's first streak and another nine-match streak from 1996-98 also joining in (5-0-4).
// HOME OVERTIME
When playing in home overtime matches, the Bearcats have been tough to beat recently as they are undefeated in their last 12, holding a 2-0-10 record (including the 2-2 draw with Temple). The last time UC lost in overtime at home came in 2013 in a 5-4 loss to Louisville. Prior to the current streak, the longest stretch of undefeated home overtime matches was six and came two times, first from 1996-98 (3-0-3) and then from 1999-03 (5-0-1). All told, the Bearcats are 18-19-29 all-time in home overtime contests.
// HOME STREAK ENDS
Speaking of the success the Bearcats have enjoyed at home, the team recently saw an 18-match home undefeated streak come to an end with a 3-0 loss to SMU. The last time UC lost at home came in October 27, 2016, in a 2-0 set back to #18 UConn. Between those two losses, the Bearcats posted a 1-0-0 record the rest of the way in 2016, an 8-0-3 mark last year and were 5-0-1 this year prior to SMU's visit. Combined, the Bearcats 18-match streak saw them go 14-0-4 to build the second-longest home undefeated streak in program history behind a 23-match streak that ran from 1983-86.
// MORE FIRSTS
Speaking of firsts, when UC scored a 2-1 win at Tulsa (Sept. 23), it marked a pair of firsts, including the first win for the program at Tulsa in three tries and the first points the Bearcats have secured on that road trip. Since joining the AAC in 2013, the Bearcats have made the Memphis-Tulsa road trip three times (including 2018) and, in that time, had not recorded a point in any of the matches before the win over TU. Heading into that match, UC was 0-5-0.
// AT THE HALF-WAY MARK
Nine matches into an 18-match regular season (end of the non-conference slate), the Bearcats posted a 5-3-1 record. With those five wins, the team has now won five or more nonconference matches for five years in a row now to break the record for consecutive seasons of four when the 1994-97 teams also accomplished the feat.
// SPOT ON
At the 11:38 mark at Auburn, Jill Vetere played the ball into the box and Brandi Thomsen was pulled down to earn a penalty kick for the Bearcats. Cassie Wheldon stepped up to the spot and coolly slotted her shot low and into the netting for a 1-0 lead. It was the first PK conversion for the Bearcats in over one year after Julie Gavorski scored from the spot on August 27, 2017, to secure a 1-0 win over visiting Miami (Fla.).
// BACK IN THE SCORING COLUMN
Wheldon's goal was the third of her career, but her first since 2015, her freshman campaign for the Bearcats. That year, she scored twice with the last coming October 18, 2015, when she knocked in the fourth and final goal of a 4-0 victory over visiting Evansville.
// RARE FINISH
The match at Auburn was the 725th in program history. In the 731 matches UC has played in its history, including the two last week, a match has only ended in a scoreless draw 22 times (0.03 percent). Of those 22 matches, seven have come in the last four seasons with two each in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons and once this year.
// PACKING THEM IN
The 1,194 fans that attended the Riverboat Rivalry match with Northern Kentucky (Aug. 26) ranks highly in program history attendance figures. That total stands as the sixth-largest home crowd in Bearcats history while also ranking as the 11th-largest UC has played before in its history. That attendance also means two of the Top 6 home crowds in UC history have come when the Norse have visited after the inaugural Riverboat Rivalry in 2016 drew 4,722 fans, a record for a women's college soccer game played in the state of Ohio.
// PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Two of the newcomers earned high honors ahead of joining the Bearcats. Brandi Thomsen twice earned player of the year honors in the state of Wisconsin, including being named the 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2017 Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year. Vanessa DiNardo also earned a state honor as she was tabbed as the 2017 Ohio Division I State Player of the Year.
// SAME SCHOOL
While local players joining the program often hail from the same high schools as upperclassmen is nothing new for a collegiate program or, like this year, two sets of two teammates joining the program at the same time (DiNardo/Sidloski from Strongsville and Carlo/Lindsay from Lebanon), the addition of Alli Pestaina to the team brings with it another connection. Before coming to UC, Pestaina, a native of Brimfield, Mass., attended Worcester Academy, the same academy head coach Stafford attended during his prep days.
// WELCOME TO AMERICA!
Throughout the history of the program, the roster has featured several Canadian players with this year's team featuring a trio from north of the border in Claudia Eustaquio, Michelle Travassos and Cassie Wheldon. This year, though, a new country was added to the list with the arrival of Ying Zhan from Shenzhen, China. Along with the American and Canadian players that have appeared, only three other nations have been represented in program history, including Ana Farmer of Scotland (2004-06), Alana McShane of Northern Ireland (2013) and now Zhan.
// DOUBLE DIGIT WINS
Last year, UC won 12 matches, marking the fourth year in a row the team has won 10+ in a single season under Head Coach Neil Stafford. That streak ties for the second-best in program history and leaves the Bearcats one shy of equalling the all-time best. Currently, the four-year streak equals the 1980-83 and 1986-89 squads for second while the 1994-97 teams hold the mark with five in a row.
// CONTINUING TO IMPROVE
Before Stafford took over the program, UC had improved its season win percentage in two-consecutive seasons four times, with the most recent coming in 2000 (.727 from .447) and 2001 (.834 from .727). After the program finished with a win percentage of .250 in 2012 and Stafford came in, the team has raised its win percentage in all five seasons, posting marks of .425 (2013), .550 (2014), .646 (2015), .650 (2016) and .711 (2017).
// IN THE RPI
During the 2017 season, the Bearcats rose as high as #11 in the RPI data released by the NCAA, the highest ranking they have attained in program history. What is more impressive is where the program had come from. At the end of the 2012 season, Cincinnati's final RPI ranking was #227, meaning that, in the five years Stafford and his staff have guided the program, the Bearcats have clawed their way up 216 positions since the start of the 2013 season.
// ACADEMICALLY SOUND
Last year, the Bearcats collectively sported a 3.50 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, 28 of the 31 women on the roster recorded a 3.00 GPA or better during the 2017-18 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 2017-18 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.
// UP NEXT
The match at ECU marks the season finale for the Bearcats and ends the 2018 season. The Bearcats will return to the pitch in August 2019 for their 40th varsity season.