Queen City Derby Comes to Nippert Sunday

// THE OPENING WHISTLE
Coming off a big road win Thursday night, the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team will look for another at home Sunday as the Bearcats will welcome Xavier to Nippert Stadium at 6 p.m. for the renewal of the Queen City Derby. The Bearcats (2-5-0) and Musketeers (5-1-1) have not met on the pitch since the 2015 season, a scoreless draw at Xavier.

// GOING LIVE
Sunday's crosstown derby will be streamed live on GoBearcats.com with Matt Noonan of BearcatsTV once again on the call. Visit the women's soccer schedule page and click on WATCH to take in all the action from your computer or other electronic device.

// EXPERIENCE UC
All home matches in 2019 will once again be part of the Experience UC initiative, which is 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, tennis, soccer, swimming & diving and track & field home events.

// NIPPERT NOTES
The match is free to all fans and no tickets are required to entrance. Fans are encouraged to sit on the west side of the stadium (press box side) as the only restrooms and concession stands available Sunday night will also be located on the west side.

// QUICK SHOTS
• Cincinnati is 2-5-0 on the year after scoring a 3-2, come-from-behind victory at Lipscomb
• The Bearcats are playing in their 40th varsity campaign this year, holding a 389-291-64 all-time record starting in 1980 and including Thursday's match with the Bisons
• Under Stafford (since 2013 season), UC has posted a 37-10-12 home record
• Both teams will be looking for a large fanbase in the stands as they try to break the all-time attendance record for a women's collegiate soccer match in the state of Ohio that was set in 2016 (UC vs. NKU) at 4,722
• UC and XU are meeting for the 33rd time overall, but the first time since 2015
• The Bearcats hold an all-time advantage of 25-6-1 and stand 13-3-0 when playing in Clifton
• UC is coming off its highest scoring output of the season and its best showing since 2017 when it blanked visiting Morehead State, 4-0
• Han Tang scored twice at Lipscomb to become the second UC player with a brace this year after not having one all last year
• The Bearcats have continued to utilize its depth this year as an average of 21 players see minutes each match, including more than half being freshmen and sophomores

// LAYERS
Just like ogres (and onions), Sunday's derby has lots of additional layers than a standard match:
• 19 players combined from both teams (12 for UC, 7 for XU) hail from the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area
• Three sets of former high school teammates will now be foes, including players from Mason, Mount Notre Dame and Loveland
• Many of the local players also were once teammates on various clubs as well
• Neil Stafford will face one of his former assistant coaches for the first time as Nate Lie brings his Musketeers to Nippert Stadium
• This year alone, Nippert has played host to MLS matches, UC vs. Xavier men's derby and the U.S. Men's National Team ahead of Sunday's women's derby

// KNOW THE FOE: XAVIER
• Xavier enters the match with a 5-1-1 record after defeating NKU at home Thursday, 4-0
• The Musketeers have won three in a row following a 3-2 (2ot) loss at Missouri
• Through seven matches, XU has played in double-overtime three times already, going 1-1-1
• Samantha Dewey is pacing the offense with 17 points on seven goals and three assists while Jackie Richards has chipped in a trio of goals as well
• Toni Bizzarro (4) and Olivia Jenkins (3) have split starts in goal for the Musketeers with Bizzarro making 17 saves and allowing just three goals for a 3-0-1 record on the year while Jenkins has stopped and allowed four each for a 2-1-0 mark

// NOTING THE SERIES: BEARCATS-MUSKETEERS
• Cincinnati leads the all-time series in the Queen City Derby, 25-6-1, and 13-3-0 when UC plays host to the match on campus
• The last time the two sides met was September 20, 2015, the only tie in the 32 matches that have been played (0-0 at Xavier)
• UC has won four in a row in Clifton and took the last meeting, 2-0, on September 14, 2014
• Cincinnati has outscored Xavier, 70-20, all-time and 38-12 in Clifton

// QUICK CAP • CINCINNATI AT LIPSCOMB
• Han Tang scored a brace and Sophie Gorman added three points as the Bearcats came from behind to score a 3-2 win on the road at Lipscomb Thursday night.
• Tang scored the eighth-fastest goal in the Stafford Era with a strike a 2:44 into the match and added her second on a PK in the 66' that would be the game-winner, her first
• After being up 1-0 and then down 2-1 at halftime, UC came out in the second and saw Gorman score in the 64' on a rocket from the top of the box to level the match at 2-2
• Bri Costigan assisted on Gorman's goal for her first point of the year

// FIRST THINGS: TANG
• Entering the match, Tang had two points to her credit coming on her first collegiate goal score at Missouri two weeks prior. She exited the match with two more goals to take the points lead for UC.
• Her first goal came at 2:44 into the match off a well-weight pass from Gorman. That goal time is the eighth-fastest in the Stafford Era (since 2013).
• Her second came on a spot kick, her first attempt as a collegiate player and the first for a member of the team all season.
• The PK goal eventually gave UC the win and gave Tang her first collegiate game-winning shot.
• With two goals, it also marked Tang's first multiple-goal match of her collegiate career.

// FIRST THINGS: GORMAN
• Gorman opened her points account in a big way Thursday night as she entered the match with zero points on the year and exited with a career-high-tying three points on one goal and one assist.
• Her first point came on an assist of the opening goal. It was her first point since assisting on a score October 11, 2018, at home to Temple.
• In the second half, she ripped a shot into the netting for her first goal of the season and her first since September 13, 2018, when she scored at home against... Lipscomb.
• With three points, she tied her career-high that was set her freshman year when she scored one goal and added an assist at home against Tulsa (10/12/17).

// MORE FIRSTS
• Costigan assisted on Gorman's goal, marking her first point of the year and her third career assist
• Michelle Travassos earned her first start of the 2019 season
• The win was UC's first on the road this season (1-3-0)

// BACK IN THE DAY...
• Tang's brace was the second recorded this year after Vanessa DiNardo accomplished the feat in the season-opening win over St. John's. Prior to that, UC had not seen a player score more than one goal in a match since September 3, 2017, when Julie Gavorski scored two at #21 Northwestern
• The last time UC converted a spot kick came October 4, 2018, when Costigan scored a PK at USF
• The last time the Bearcats scored more than two goals in a match was October 16, 2017, in a 4-0 defeat of visiting Morehead State
• The last time UC won a non-conference road match ahead of Thursday's win was more than two years prior in a 1-0 Riverboat Rivalry victory at NKU on September 7, 2017

// MANY MINUTES
Through their first six matches, the Bearcats average 21 players seeing minutes each match, including 12 freshmen (four) and sophomores (eight). In fact, if you include all underclassmen (non-seniors), the Bearcats have featured an average of 15 players seeing playing time that are not seniors.

// YOUTHFUL LOOK
Not only are the younger players logging minutes, they also are earning starts. So far in 2019, six different players have earned their first collegiate starts. That list includes a trio of freshmen in Kendall Battle (3 starts), Ashley Barron (4) and Han Tang (4), and a trio of sophomores, including Morgan Jackson (4), Taylor Nuncio (1) and Ying Zhan (4). Jackson and Nuncio played at Louisville last year and did not record a start while Zhan appeared in 16 matches for UC as a freshman with no starts.

// PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Since the start of the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played 59 home matches, posting a 37-10-12 record in that time. Through last season, 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, 94-42 (+52).

// SUNDAY FUN DAY!
Since Stafford took over the program in time for the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played at home on Sunday 29 times and hold an impressive 23-2-4 record in those matches. In that span, the Bearcats have not only posted an impressive record, but also have outscored their foes, 54-18, while the defense has recorded 16 clean sheets.

// 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 won 37 (37-9-12) thanks to a 5-2-3 home record in 2018.

PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// LONG-RANGE SCORING
Ying Zhan not only scored her first collegiate goal (at #20 Tennessee last Sunday), but did so in stunning fashion. After Camryn Hartman carried the ball through traffic, she sent a pass to Julia Abbott, who dropped it a cutting Zhan. From there, the sophomore ripped a shot from 25-yards out and blasted the ball toward the upper 90 with the keeper's dive not coming in time.

// ON THE LIST
Since Neil Stafford took over the program in 2013, the Bearcats have had a habit of scoring late in matches. Zhan's goal is the 29th scored in the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime under Stafford and the 23rd in just the final 10 minutes of regulation. To put in perspective, UC has scored a goal in the final 10 minutes and overtime in 23 percent of the 127 matches played under Stafford through Sunday's match at Tennessee.

// HAPPY HELPERS
Setting up Zhan's goal was the work of two of her teammates, Julia Abbott and Camryn Hartman. With their assists, the duo each picked up their first points of the season with Abbott securing the first assist of her collegiate career. Hartman recorded the second assist of her career.

// MAKING SAVES
In the match with UT, Madison Less halted seven shots. That total marked the second time this year and seventh time in her career that she has saved at least seven shots in a single match during her time with UC. The previous instance came at #25 Virginia Tech earlier this year when she tied a career-high with 10. So far in 2019, Less is third in the AAC with 24 saves and second in minutes played with 540.

// RANKED TEAMS
The Tennessee match marked the sixth of the 2019 season for the Bearcats and also the third in which UC's foe has been included in the latest rankings released by the United Soccer Coaches. So far this year, the Bearcats have faced #20 Tennessee, #25 Virginia Tech and Missouri, who was receiving votes, all on the road. According to the latest rankings release, four conference foes are currently being recognized, including #14 Memphis (home, October 10), #25 USF (home, October 24), rv SMU (away, October 17) and rv UCF (home, October 27).

// FIRST MULTIPLE
With the loss to Northwestern, the Bearcats dropped back-to-back home contests for the first time since Neil Stafford took over coaching duties in 2013. Previously, the last time UC feel twice in a row came in 2012 when UC fell to #11 Georgetown and Villanova, both by 1-0 scores.

// WAIT RIGHT THERE!
Five matches into the season, the Bearcats have played a total of 360 minutes. Four matches into the season, the Bearcats also have endured 265 minutes of lightning delays. On opening day, UC played 16:09 against St. John's before a 95 minute delay hit the books. After no delays at Virginia Tech, the Bearcats had to wait 124 minutes to start their match at Missouri. Then, Sunday, a pop-up storm pushed back the start of UC's home match with Western Michigan by 46 minutes.

// ACCOUNTS OPENED
In the match at Missouri, both of UC's Chinese players found their ways on to the scoresheet as Han Tang and Ying Zhan combined for the Bearcats' lone goal of the night. In the 34', UC was awarded a free kick with Zhan set to take it from the right flank. Zhan slid a pass toward the top of the box where an unmarked Tang met the pass and fired a shot by the keeper for the 1-0 lead. The goal and two points for Tang and the assist and one point for Zhan are all the first of their collegiate careers.

// FEELING HONORED
Following the opening weekend of the season, two Bearcats were selected for weekly awards from the American Athletic Conference as Madison Less was tabbed the AAC Goalkeeper of the Week and Vanessa DiNardo was selected to the Honor Roll. Less was honored after recording one clean sheet and then stopping a career-high-tying 10 shots at #25 Virginia Tech. DiNardo earned her award after bagging a brace in 21 seconds to lead UC to its 2-0 win over St. John's.

// AWARD HISTORY
Historically, the Bearcats collected their 34th player of the week accolade and 41st Honor Roll selection since joining the American Athletic Conference in time for the 2013 season. Less, who earned her third career keeper award, is one of three players that have combined for eight total award with Natalie Smith earning four and Claudia Eustaquio one. DiNardo is now the 18th different Bearcats player to be named to the weekly Honor Roll after collecting the team's 41st award.

// BRACE YOURSELF!
After playing 16:09 in the opener against, ironically, the Red Storm, a lightning storm forced the teams off the pitch for 95 minutes. Once the storm moved on and play resumed, more lightning was seen, this time not from the sky, but from the quick scoring of the Bearcats. The lightning came early in the second half, starting with Vanessa DiNardo, a preseason AAC all-conference selection in 2019, finding the back of the net at 51:39 off a long pass from Sydney Goins. Then, 21 seconds later, at 52:00, DiNardo hit the back of the net again, this time after UC stole the ball and saw Pittman fire a shot that hit the post and deflected to DiNardo, who made it 2-0. Not only did that spark UC to a 2-0 win, it also gave DiNardo her first career game-winning goal and saw her double her college goal scoring output after she scored once last year.

// HISTORICAL HITS
Sifting through the archives dating back to the start of the 2001 season, the quick brace for DiNardo is the fastest found. As it stands, the next closest brace scored came from Danielle Rotheram in 2014 against St. Francis when she scored her brace 2:11 apart with goals at 66:18 and 68:29. In fact, prior to DiNardo's double, the quickest back-to-back goals scored by the Bearcats (since 2001) came in 2001 against USF when Ann Thomas (59:28) and Tasha Wagner (59:51) scored 37 seconds apart. Overall, since 2001, DiNardo's brace is the 10th time UC has scored back-to-back goals in under two minutes.

// QUICK ON THE DRAW
Three other instances since 2001 have seen both teams score quickly in a UC match, twice with the Bearcats pulling one back right away. Those instances include Mackenzie Grause scoring 8 seconds after Nebraska tallied in 2012 and Katy Couperus finding the back of the net 17 seconds after DePaul scored in 2014. UC has been on the other side of that once as well with Jae Atkinson scoring against UMass-Lowell in 2013 before they struck 9 seconds later.

// HAPPY TO HELP!
Both of DiNardo's goal were assisted with both helpers being the first for each Bearcats player. Sydney Goins' pass led to the first goal of the night and the first career assist for the senior while Maddy Pittman collected her first collegiate point by being credited with the assist on the second goal.

// DOING LAUNDRY
Madison Less anchored the defense to a clean sheet, marking the eighth shutout of her career. Less, who stopped both shots she faced Thursday, now has 9.0 shutouts in her UC career, placing her 10th on the program's all-time Top 10 ledger.

// PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
Ahead of the season, the coaches of the American Athletic Conference voted on several things, including how they think each team will finish in the regular-season standings. In that poll, the Bearcats were voted to place sixth and earn the final spot in the 2019 AAC Tournament. USF (76 points) and Memphis (74) both received four first-place votes in what the coaches feel will be a tight race for the top of the table. UCF, SMU and ECU were picked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, with UConn, Houston, Temple and Tulsa all placed behind UC.

// FEELING HONORED
As part of their voting, the coaches also selected preseason all-conference players with UC's Vanessa DiNardo, a unanimous selection to last year's AAC All-Rookie Team, earning a spot on the 2019 list. With her selection, DiNardo gave UC a preseason honoree for the fourth year in a row after not having a representative on the lists in the first three years of the league.

// LORDY, LORDY... LOOK WHO'S 40!
The 2019 season will mark the 40th season of play for the Bearcats as a varsity program. Begun in 1980, the Bearcats have compiled an overall record of 387-286-64 in the first 39 years on campus and have captured seven conference tournament crowns and two regular season titles to go along with seven NCAA appearances.

// ANOTHER BIRTHDAY
With an overall record of 197-102-31 in home matches in the history of the program, this year's team is three home wins away from 200. Reaching 200 home wins would be very fitting for this year as 2019 marks the University's bicentennial after being founded in 1819.

// LOOKING BACK: PROGRAM HISTORY
• UC's first varsity season came in 1980 with Janet Lines' first-year program posting a 12-2-0 record
• The Bearcats also won the inaugural Midwest Intercollegiate Women's Soccer League (MIWSL) tournament that was in Oxford, Ohio
• In 1981, the team competed in the AIAW National Tournament, posting a 1-2-0 record
• 1983 saw Meridy Glenn take the reigns and lead the team for the next 25 years, starting things off with the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1983 (L at California)
• In 1994, the Bearcats captured the Great Midwest Conference crown for the first time - and the first of four years in a row - and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they fell at Vanderbilt, 2-3 (3ot)
• In 1997, the Bearcats not only won Conference USA and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, they earned the right to host the first round and defeated Georgia State, 2-1, in Cincinnati
• 2001 saw UC's best season as the Bearcats went 20-4-0, won 13 in a row and won two NCAA matches, including 3-2 over Oakland and 3-2 over #6 Notre Dame, to reach the Sweet 16, the deepest tournament run in program history
• 2008 saw Michelle Salmon take over the program after Glenn's retirement, a five-year span that saw the Bearcats complete their time in the Big East before moving to the American
• In 2013, Neil Stafford took over at UC and, in his third year (2015), helped the Bearcats to the AAC Tournament title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002

// BRANCHING OUT
Last year, Matt Cosinuke was on staff at UC before being named the new head coach for women's soccer at Eastern Kentucky in the offseason. With his hiring, Cosinuke is now the seventh different assistant coach under Neil Stafford to take over his/her own program and the fourth to currently manage a Division I program with the others including Nate Lie (Xavier), Ian Carry (Kentucky) and Matt Kagan (Oregon State).

// BACK FOR MORE
Neil Stafford is entering his seventh year as the gaffer at UC and his 17th overall in the collegiate ranks as well. In his first six years in Clifton, the Bearcats have compiled a 60-44-18 mark. For his career, Stafford holds a record of 162-115-37 overall. Stafford, just the fifth head coach in the program's 40-year history, ranks second all-time in wins at UC with Meridy Glenn having recorded 256 in her 25-year stay.

// ACADEMICALLY SOUND
Annually, the program has a goal of reaching a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.51 or better. Last year, they blew that mark away as the team broke its program record with a 3.813 GPA for the year. Not only did the team have the best GPA in program history, it had the best of any women's soccer program in the American Athletic, which earned them the AAC's Team Excellence Award. In the Spring semester alone, 29 Bearcats posted a 3.0 or better GPA while 28 maintained a 3.4 or better GPA. Additionally, 10 players, the most of any team on campus (football had seven) posted perfect 4.0 GPAs for the semester to be named TopCats.

// 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.

// UP NEXT
The Bearcats return to the pitch Saturday, September 21, with Austin Peay paying a visit to Gettler Stadium for a 7 p.m. contest. The match will be the final non-conference match of the 2019 regular season before jumping into AAC play the following week with matches at Temple and UConn.