Bearcats Welcome Northwestern Thursday

// THE OPENING WHISTLE
The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team returns to action at home Thursday night as the Bearcats will welcome the Northwestern Wildcats to Gettler Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Bearcats (1-3-0) will be playing their second of two-consecutive home matches before venturing to the Volunteer State for two on the road.

// GOING LIVE
Thursday's match with Northwestern 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.

// QUICK SHOTS
• Cincinnati is 1-3-0 on the year after dropping both of its matches last week
• The Bearcats are playing in their 40th varsity campaign this year, holding a 388-289-64 all-time record starting in 1980 and including Sunday's loss to Western Michigan
• The Bearcats have dropped three in a row for only the fourth time in Neil Stafford's tenure and the first time since the 2014 season
• Under Stafford (since 2013 season), UC has posted a 37-9-12 home record and has not lost back-to-back home tilts in that time
• Han Tang and Ying Zhan opened their scoring accounts with UC at Missouri last week with Zhan assisting on Tang's first collegiate goal
• Youth and depth are both on display with the Bearcats this year as the team is averaging 21 players per match with four freshmen and seven sophomores seeing minutes
• After two matches on the road in Tennessee next week (Sunday and Thursday), the Bearcats will return home September 15 to play host to Xavier in the Queen City Derby inside Nippert Stadium at 7 p.m. The teams will be looking to break the attendance record for a women's collegiate soccer match in the state of Ohio set by UC in 2016 with 4,722 fans (vs. NKU).

// KNOW THE FOE: NORTHWESTERN
• After opening the year 0-2-0 with losses to SMU (0-1) and Notre Dame (0-4), the Wildcats stand 1-2-1 after tying Central Michigan (1-1) and defeating William & Mary (2-1)
• The Bearcats will be the second team from the American the Wildcats have faced after dropping their season opener at home to SMU
• Three players lead NU in scoring on two points with Aurea Martin, Rowan Lapi and Mikayla Hampton each having recorded one goal this season
• Mackenzie Wood has started all four matches in goal and played all by 11 minutes, recording six saves and allowing seven goals in 2019

// NOTING THE SERIES: BEARCATS-WILDCATS
• The all-time series between Cincinnati and Northwestern is tied 2-2-1 with the Bearcats winning the last two meetings overall
• Thursday's match will be just the second in the series played in Cincinnati with the first coming September 11, 1998, a 2-0 victory for the visitors
• UC lost the first two matches in the series (1-2 & 0-2) before a scoreless draw was recorded in 2010, followed by back-to-back wins of 2-1 scores for UC
• The last time the two sides met was September 3, 2017, a 2-1 win for UC in Evanston, the Wildcats' first home loss in nearly three years

// FACING THE BIG TEN
Since Stafford took over the program in time for the 2013 season, the Bearcats have faced a Big Ten foe four times previously and stand 2-2-0. UC dropped a 4-1 decision at Nebraska in 2013 and a 2-1 overtime score at Purdue in 2016. Since then, the Bearcats have won two in a row, including a 2-1 score at Northwestern in 2017 and a 2-1 decision over visiting Purdue two weeks later.

// PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Since the start of the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played 58 home matches, posting a 37-9-12 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, 94-40 (+54).

// NO MULTIPLES
Of those nine losses at home since the start of the 2013 season, none have come in back-to-back fashion. The last time the Bearcats dropped back-to-back home contests came in 2012 when UC fell to #11 Georgetown and Villanova, both by 1-0 scores.

// 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.

// GET READY FOR SEPTEMBER 15
After Thursday's match and two on the road, it will be time to renew a rivalry as Xavier will come to Nippert Stadium for the Queen City Derby. The match will kick at 7 p.m. Sunday, September 15, and is free to all fans. Both teams are looking to break the attendance record for a women's collegiate soccer match in the state of Ohio, a record that belongs to UC after 4,722 fans came to Nippert in 2016 to see the Bearcats defeat Northern Kentucky in the inaugural Riverboat Rivalry.

// TAKING ON RANKINGS
Already this season, the Bearcats have played a pair of teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, including #25 Virginia Tech (L, 0-2) and Missouri (L, 1-2), who was receiving votes. After Thursday's match with Northwestern, the Bearcats will face their third such foe and the match will again be on the road as UC will travel Sunday to face #11 Tennessee. According to this week's rankings, two other teams later on UC's schedule were listed in the polls with Memphis (October 10) receiving votes and USF (October 24) ranking 17th.

// 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.

// WAIT RIGHT THERE!
Four 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.

// MANY MINUTES
Through the first four matches of the year, the Bearcats average 21 players seeing minutes each match, including 11 freshmen (four) and sophomores (seven). In fact, if you include all underclassmen (non-seniors), the Bearcats have featured an average of 14 players seeing playing time that are not seniors in 2019.

// 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.

PREVIOUSLY NOTED...
// 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.

// BEEN A WHILE
The last time the Bearcats saw one of its players score twice in a match came in 2017 when Julie Gavorski bagged a brace against Northwestern. Gavorski scored twice against the host #21 Wildcats on September 3, snapping NU's 16-match home winning streak in the 2-1 defeat.

// 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 the Bearcats have 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 the visitors 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.

// LESS WITH MORE
The junior keeper wasn't done there, however, as she stood on her head at #25 Virginia Tech to make six saves in the first half and another four in the second. Those 10 stops tied her career-high and gave her six games with seven or more saves to her credit in her 2+ years with the Bearcats.

// REVIEWING OPENERS
• Following Thursday's victory over St. John's, Cincinnati is now 27-12-1 all-time in its first match of the season and has won four in a row
• The match with St. John's also marked just the second time in 40 years the season opener was at a neutral site with the first coming in 2004, a 0-2 setback to New Mexico at Purdue
• With the win over the SJU, UC is now 15-11-6 all-time in its first neutral-site contest of the year
• Following the loss at Virginia Tech, the Bearcats no hold an all-time record of 21-16-3 in their first road match of the season and have dropped two in a row - both to ranked foes - after a 3-0 setback last year at #8 Virginia

// 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

// QUEEN CITY DERBY
Crosstown rival Xavier is back on the schedule for the first time since 2015 with former UC assistant coach Nate Lie set to bring his Musketeers to Nippert Stadium on Sunday, September 15. The match was moved to the historic stadium and current home park of MLS side FC Cincinnati as both schools will look to not only renew their rivalry, but do so in front of a record crowd. In 2016, the Bearcats played host to neighbor Northern Kentucky in what was dubbed the Riverboat Rivalry. That Sunday night, 4,722 fans flocked to Nippert Stadium to set the all-time attendance record for a UC match as well as a collegiate women's soccer match in the state of Ohio. This year, both teams are hoping the Queen City Derby will bring out strong fan bases from both sides of town and add to the growing soccer legacy building inside Nippert Stadium that not has seen MLS matches this year, but visits from both the US Women's National Team (2018) and US Men's National Team (2019).

// WELCOME BACK!
The 2019 roster will feature 33 players, 24 of which are returning from last year's team. That list included eight seniors, seven juniors, eight sophomores and one redshirt freshman.

// HELLO! MY NAME IS...
Nine players on the roster this year are newcomers, including seven freshmen and two sophomore transfers (see below). The rookies include Ashley Barron (Toledo, Ohio), Kendall Battle (St. Louis, Mo.), Abby Delprincipe (Avon, Ohio), Julia Flake (Sparta, N.J.), Rachael Lutter (Sugar Grove, Ill.), Maddy Pittman (Harrison, Ohio) and Han Tang (Chengdu, China).

// GOING GLOBAL
Tang is the second Chinese player to join the Bearcats in the past two seasons, following Ying Zhan, who played for UC last year. Tang brings a wealth of experience as she has played in the Chinese Youth National system for the past five years.

// WELCOME HOME!
Two of the newcomers are transfers with both Morgan Jackson and Taylor Nuncio returning home after one year at Louisville. Both players are from Cincinnati with Jackson, the younger sister of former Bearcats player Taylor Jackson, playing her high school soccer at Indian Hills while Nuncio played at Loveland. Both players will have three years of eligibility with the Bearcats.

// DOB ON THEM
The players are not the only newcomers to the program this year as Maddie Dobyns joined the coaching staff. Dobyns, a former goalkeeper for Kansas, played for the Jayhawks from 2013-17 and appeared in 60 matches during her time. A recipient of two degrees from KU, Dobyns served as the team's director of operations last year before coming to Cincinnati to continue her coaching career.

// 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.

// PRO POWER
Three former players under Stafford are currently playing professionally overseas. Here is some of the latest on those three:
• Katy Couperus: Capalaba FC (Brisbane, Australia), Australian Second Division... season started in February and will finish with the playoffs in September... currently sits third on the table after being near the bottom of the league last year (12 teams)
• Julie Gavorski: Fjarðab/Höttur/Leiknir (East Coast Iceland), Icelandic Second Division... season started in May... currently leads the league in scoring and goals... team is in the Top 3 currently after finishing at the bottom of the table each of the last two
years
• Vanessa Gilles: Girondins de Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France), French Top Division... season just started... team finished fourth last year behind powerhouse Lyon among others... was called into Canada's national team camp and rostered twice but did not see action... also played for the France B team, but still can play for her native Canada as well

// 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
Another tough road test awaits the Bearcats as they will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., Sunday for a 1 p.m. contest with the #11 Volunteers of Tennessee. The match will be the first of two in a row in the Volunteer State as UC will play at Lipscomb Thursday.