CINCINNATI - Sydney Goins headed home the game-winning goal on a pass from Ying Zhan and the University of Cincinnati defense once again kept a clean sheet to send the Bearcats to a 1-0 overtime victory over host UConn Sunday afternoon in Hartford, Conn. The Bearcats, who are unbeaten in their last five matches with three wins and two draws, improved to 4-5-2 overall and 2-0-0 in the American Athletic Conference while the Huskies fell to 4-5-1 overall and 0-2-0 in the AAC.
// NOTING THE MATCH
• Cincinnati moved to 4-5-2 overall and remained undefeated in league action at 2-0-0 (6 points) while UConn fell to 4-5-1 overall and 0-2-0 in its final season win the American Athletic Conference
• The Huskies still lead the all-time series, 6-5-2, and stand 3-2-1 when the matches are played at UConn, although the Bearcats have won the last two in a row at UConn as well
• After falling in five-consecutive matches, the Bearcats are now undefeated in their last five posting a 3-0-2 record
• UC played its third overtime match in its last four and stands 1-0-2 in those contests
• Today's win is the first overtime win in a conference match for UC since a 3-2 OT victory over Memphis at home six years ago to the day (9/29/13) and the first overtime win on the road against a conference foe since winning 1-0 in double overtime at DePaul in 2011 (9/26) when UC played in the Big East
• With the win, UC posted only its second AAC weekend road sweep in program history with the first coming two years against UConn (1-0 on Sept. 28) and Temple (3-0 on Oct. 1)
• The Bearcats are 2-0-0 (6 points) through two matches in the AAC this year, which already surpasses both their wins and points total from 2018 when UC finished 1-6-2 in the league and accumulated five points
• Goins' game-winning goal gave the senior her first score of the year, her third career goal and her first since tallying against Tulsa at home in 2017, which also was her first career game-winner
• Ying collected her second assist of the season, the most of anyone on the team as seven others have one helper to their credits
• Since a goal conceded to Lipscomb and through today's action, the Bearcats have not allowed a goal scored in 470:04 of play, the eighth-longest shutout streak in program history and the 10th all-time that has reached 400 minutes or more
• Madison Less made three saves - including a diving stop late in the match - to record her fifth shutout of the year and fourth in a row, bringing her career total to 13.0, the seventh-most in program history, while collecting career win #13, which ties her for seventh
• With victory and taking into account the other three matches played today, both UC and Memphis are 2-0-0 (6) and share the top spot on the league table while UCF, USF, ECU and Temple all have 1-1-0 records (3) to sit in four-way tie for third
// SCORING RECAP
94' • At the opening of the overtime period, both sides looked to control play with the Bearcats finally regaining control and pushing forward. In the attacking third, UC moved forward with Camryn Hartman trying to cross into the box, but the ball was deflected out over the end line for a UC corner kick. On the ensuing play, Zhan sent a pass into the area that was low and deflected by the defense back toward its original starting point. Zhan collected the ball and played it right back into the box where Goins ran under the pass and headed it inside the far post and into the goal to give the Bearcats the victory.
// GOINS GETS GOLDEN
The goal for Goins is her first of the year and the third of her collegiate career. The last time Goins scored also was in a conference match as she tallied against Tulsa at home. That goal, along with today's, stand as game-winning shots. With a timestamp of 93:14, her goal also ranks as the seventh-latest scored in a match under Neil Stafford as well.
// HAPPY TO HELP
Zhan was credited with the assist, which is her second of the year. She is currently the only player on the team with more than one assist on the year (two) and sits tied for third on the team in points with four (one goal, two assists).
// .. AND COUNTING
Thanks to strong play in the back and great goal keeping by Less, the Bearcats defense recorded its fifth clean sheet of the year and its fourth in a row. With those four-straight shutouts, which included scoreless home draws with both Xavier and Austin Peay, along with the final 57:50 of scoreless soccer by Lipscomb and back-to-back wins on the road in the AAC this weekend, the Bearcats have now not allowed an opponent goal in 470:04 of playing time, the eighth-longest streak in program history. The streak, which also is just the 10th to reach 400 or more minutes in program history, is the second-longest under Stafford, trailing the 588:19 the team accumulated in 2017, a run in which Less, who moved up to seventh all-time in career shutouts at UC with 13.0, was part of as a redshirt freshman.
// AROUND THE LEAGUE
Four AAC matches were played today with two road teams winning and to home teams winning. Along with Cincinnati's win, Memphis took a 2-1 decision over USF in Tampa while home sides UCF (3-0) and Temple (1-0) captured wins over Tulsa and ECU, respectively. With the weekend results, both UC and UM are tied a top the league table with six points while the quartet of USF, UCF, ECU and Temple all are tied for third on three points with identical 1-1-0 records. UConn and Tulsa have zero points (0-2-0 in AAC play) while SMU and Houston have yet to play a league match.
// NEXT MATCH
Cincinnati will have one week off from competition this upcoming week and will return to action Thursday, October 10, at 7 p.m. when #11 Memphis comes to town for the Bearcats' home AAC opener.
Goins’ Goal Gives Bearcats 1-0 OT Win at UConn
Sydney Goins headed home the game-winning goal on a pass from Ying Zhan and the University of Cincinnati defense once again kept a clean sheet to send the Bearcats to a 1-0 overtime victory over host UConn Sunday afternoon in Hartford, Conn.
