CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team has not played its crosstown foe Xavier since 2015. When the two sides renew their rivalry five days shy of four years since the previous meeting, they will do so inside historic Nippert Stadium, Head Coach Neil Stafford announced today. With the change in venue from Gettler Stadium to Nippert Stadium, he Bearcats and Musketeers will meet in the Queen City Derby at 6 p.m. Sunday, September 15, with both teams looking to make history as well.
"Renewing the Queen City Derby with Xavier will be special for everyone involved," Stafford said. "The players, coaches, staff and of course the fans love these moments. A local derby brings massive energy and passion and hopefully a bit of quality also. The players from both schools are excellent role-models for the local younger generation who will get a chance to see their teams play in a great environment and dream about being in their boots some day."
The last time the derby was played was September 20, 2015, with the two sides playing to a scoreless draw. Overall, Cincinnati holds a 25-6-1 record against Xavier, dating back to the 1982 season, a 3-0 home win for the Bearcats.
// GOING FOR HISTORY
The last time the Bearcats played inside Nippert Stadium came August 22, 2016. That night, Cincinnati scored a 1-0 defeat of Northern Kentucky in the inaugural Riverboat Rivalry. While that was the first time both teams had played one another, that was not the most historic part of the evening.
"When we play the derby, we will be trying to make history again and break the attendance record," Stafford said. "In 2016, we had just under 5,000 for the Riverboat Rivalry with NKU and it was a fantastic atmosphere. With Cincinnati and Xavier playing once again, we hope that atmosphere and the attendance will be even higher."
The Riverboat Rivalry match saw 4,722 fans file into Nippert Stadium for the UC victory. The attendance not only blew away UC's previous record of 1,467 which was set three days earlier against Dayton, it also broke the all-time record for a women's collegiate soccer match played in the state of Ohio.
// WEAR RED!
Fans are encouraged to join the Bearcats in wearing red to the match.
// SCARF GIVEAWAY
The first 500 students at the match that check in on the rUCkus Rewards app will receive a free Cincinnati Bearcats soccer scarf.
Women’s Soccer to Play Xavier inside Nippert
The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team has not played its crosstown foe Xavier since 2015. When the two sides renew their rivalry five days shy of four years since the previous meeting, they will do so inside historic Nippert Stadium, Head Coach Neil Stafford announced today.
