CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team launched 24 shots and collected 12 corner kicks, but was unable to find the back of the net as the Bearcats played visiting Austin Peay to a 0-0 draw Saturday night at Gettler Stadium. The Bearcats, who have now seen their past two matches end in 0-0 score lines, improved to 2-5-2 on the year while the Governors, who also have now played in back-to-back draws (2-2, 0-0), moved to 1-4-3 on the year. Madison Less continued to keep a clean sheet and collect the 11th shutout of her career as the Bearcats are now unbeaten in their last three contests.
// NOTING THE MATCH
• Cincinnati improved to 2-5-2 in 2019 while Austin Peay moved to 1-4-3
• Both teams have seen their last two matches end in draws with UC playing a pair of scoreless ties
• The match was the first in the series all-time
• After falling in five-consecutive matches, the Bearcats are now undefeated in their last three, posting a 1-0-2 record
• Since a goal conceded to Lipscomb, the Bearcats defense has not allowed a tally in the last 267:50 of play
• In the 40 years UC has played at the varsity level, tonight's match marks just the 24th time (746 matches in total through tonight) that the final was a scoreless draw
• Despite just 24 instances of scoreless draws, tonight marked the second time in program history that the Bearcats have seen back-to-back matches end tied at 0-0 with the last time coming in 1983
• Of those 24 scoreless draws, nine have been recorded in the past four and one-half seasons, including two each in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 and one in 2018
• Less stopped four shots on the night to record her 11th career shutout, tying her for seventh all-time in program history
• Of those 11 clean sheets, four have come in 0-0 draws at home, including against UCF and Memphis in 2017 and the past two matches
• Sophie Gorman fired a career-high seven shots while Morgan Jackson (2) tied her career best and Vanessa DiNardo (5) was one shy of her single-game high
• Madison Lindsay and Camryn Hartman both earned their first starts of the 2019 season
// SCORING RECAP
There was no scoring in the match.
// BRICK WALL
While not called upon to make a spectacular save as she was twice Sunday against Xavier, Less did what she needed to keep the Governors off the board, turning away four shots in total on the night to secure the tie. After back-to-back scoreless draws, Less has climbed into the program's all-time Top 10 for shutouts in a career as she brought her total to 11.0, tying for the seventh-most in program annals. She is currently tied with both Julie Williams (1982-84) and Julie McCaffrey (1994-95) for the seventh spot and joins Williams as the only two keepers in program history to post back-to-back 0-0 score lines in a career.
// ... AND COUNTING
Going back to the match at Lipscomb, UC surrendered a goal at the 32:10 mark to fall behind the Bisons, 2-1. Since that point, UC not only came back to win the match (3-2), it has gone on to not allow a goal since. To date, the running total for not allowing a goal by the defense is 267:50 (57:50 against LU, 110:00 against Xavier and 110:00 against APSU).
// FIRING SQUAD
While the team was unable to score, it was not from lack of trying as 24 shots were sent toward the goal on the night, including 13 in the second half alone. Nine different players took at least one shot on the night with Gorman leading the way with a career-high seven attempts, two of which were on frame. Jackson took two shots, including a header that just missed its mark on a corner kick, to tie a career-high that she set in the last match against XU. Also, DiNardo set five shots toward the goal, the most she has taken this year and one off her single-match high.
// NEXT MATCH
Conference play awaits the Bearcats next week as they open league action on the road in the Northeast. First, UC will venture to Philadelphia, Pa., to tangle with Temple at 7 p.m. Thursday night. The road trip closes with a 1 p.m. match in Storrs, Conn., as the Bearcats will face UConn for the final time in conference action before the Huskies leave for the Big East.
Bearcats and Governors End in Scoreless Draw
The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team launched 24 shots and collected 12 corner kicks, but was unable to find the back of the net as the Bearcats played visiting Austin Peay to a 0-0 draw Saturday night at Gettler Stadium.
