Tickets// THE OPENING WHISTLE
Following one week off from competition, the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team not only returns to action this week, but also returns to its home pitch as the Bearcats are set to play host to #8 Memphis Thursday night at 7 p.m. inside Gettler Stadium. The match will pit the only two remaining undefeated teams in the American Athletic Conference against one another as the Bearcats (4-5-2) enter with a 2-0-0 (6 points) mark in league play while the Tigers (12-1-0) enter with a 4-0-0 AAC record (12 points).
// GOING LIVE
Thursday's match will be streamed live and free on BearcatsTV via GoBearcats.com. Live stats for the match also will be available on GoBearcats.com.
// 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 brings a 4-5-2 overall record and 2-0-0 mark in the AAC into Thursday's match
• After dropping five in a row, the Bearcats are unbeaten in the last five, posting a 3-0-2 record
• The Bearcats are playing in their 40th varsity campaign this year, holding a 390-291-66 all-time record starting in 1980 and including Thursday's win at Temple
• Cincinnati is 8-12-5 in its first home conference game of the year and 0-1-2 in its last three
• The UC defense has not allowed a goal in 470:04, the 8th-longest streak in program history
• Madison Less now ranks #7 in all-time shutouts (13.0) and tied for #7 in goalkeeper wins (13)
• UC defeated UConn, 1-0, in overtime in its most recent match, marking the first time since the 2013 season the Bearcats have won an overtime AAC contest
• Ashley Barron was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week with Less and Camryn Hartman earning placement on the weekly Honor Roll
• The back-to-back goals scored at Temple in UC's 2-0 win came 2:08 apart, marking the third time this year the Bearcats have scored twice in under 2:30 of playing time
• Through Match Day #4 in the AAC, Memphis (4-0-0) and Cincinnati (2-0-0) are the only two teams remaining without a conference loss this season
#⃣1⃣🇺🇸❗️
— Cincinnati W-Soccer (@GoBearcatsWSOC) October 3, 2019
The #Bearcats' 3.79 GPA in 2018-19 was the BEST in the NATION for women's soccer and helped the team earn another @UnitedCoaches Team Academic Award!
Read more here: https://t.co/W8tCztKOO4#CultureofExcellence | #AmericanWSOC pic.twitter.com/OpQmQSrZyU
// MAKING THE GRADE
Last week, the United Soccer Coaches announced their Team Academic Awards for the 2018-19 season with the Bearcats program not only earning its 13th overall and fifth in a row, but also posting the highest GPA of all women's and men's four-year programs in the nation (tied with St. John's) with a 3.79 GPA. UC, who had the best GPA among all teams in the AAC last year and was named the recipient of the AAC Team Academic Excellence Award for the first time, continues to shatter records. Prior to Neil Stafford's arrival in 2013, the program had a GPA of under 3.00. Now, it continually strives to surpass its stated annual goal of a collective 3.51 team GPA.
// FEELING HONORED
Following the road sweep of Temple and UConn two weeks ago, a trio of Bearcats earned recognition from the AAC as Ashley Barron was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week and both Camryn Hartman and Madison Less were selected for the Honor Roll. Barron earned her first career weekly award from the league as the freshman defender started both matches and helped Less keep a clean sheet in both contests. Hartman scored her first career goal - the winner at Temple - to earn her first career AAC accolade while Less made the Honor Roll for the second week in a row.
// RUNNING TOTALS
So far this year, three Bearcats have combined to collect eight weekly awards from the AAC. Less has earned four awards of her own, including two goalkeeper of the week and two Honor Roll accolades while Barron earned defensive player of the week to give UC three major awards so far. Along with Less, three others have earned spots on the Honor Roll this year, including Vanessa DiNardo (8/26), Han Tang (9/16) and Hartman last week.
// KNOW THE FOE: #8 MEMPHIS
• The Tigers enter the week ranked #8 nationally with a 12-1-0 record, including a 4-0-0 AAC mark
• Memphis has been among the best nationally in several areas, including ranking fourth in scoring offense (2.85/game), fourth in goals scored (37), second in goals-against average (0.308) and third in shutout percentage (.769)
• Clarissa Larisey ranks fourth nationally with 12 goals and is 12th nationally with 25 points
• GK Elizabeth Moberg leads the defense with 10 shutouts and 0.186 goals-against average, both of which are the best in the NCAA
// NOTING THE SERIES: BEARCATS-TIGERS
• Cincinnati holds a 10-5-1 advantage in the all-time series, but is 0-4-1 in the last five meetings
• When playing in Cincinnati, the Bearcats lead the all-time series, 4-1-1, with the last meeting (October 15, 2017) ending in a scoreless draw
• Last year, the Bearcats dropped a 5-0 decision on the road to Memphis
// TOUGH COMPETITION
The match with Memphis Thursday will mark the third time this year the Bearcats have faced a nationally ranked foe and the first at home. Earlier this year, Cincinnati dropped a 2-0 score at #25 Virginia Tech before suffering a 3-1 defeat at #20 Tennessee. The match with the Tigers will mark the second year in a row the Bearcats have played a Top 10 team after play at both #8 Virginia and #10 Auburn last year. The match also will be the first in Cincinnati against at Top 10 foe since 2011 when UC dropped a 4-0 Big East contest to #10 Marquette.
// IN LEAGUE HOME OPENERS
The Bearcats are 8-12-5 all-time in their first home conference match of the season and saw a three-match undefeated streak snapped last year with a 3-0 setback to visiting SMU (Sept. 27). Prior to that, the Bearcats defeated #18 USF, 1-0, in 2015 before playing back-to-back scoreless draws with Houston (2016) and #14 UCF (2017). As members of the AAC, UC is 1-3-2 in its home AAC lid lifter.
// QUICK CAP • ROAD SWEEP
• Cincinnati posted a pair of wins last time out, downing Temple (2-0) and UConn (1-0, ot) on the road
• Against the Owls, Camryn Hartman and Sophie Gorman scored 2:08 apart for the only goals
• Then, against the Huskies, Sydney Goins netted the winner 3:14 into overtime
• The defense posted a pair of shutouts making it four matches in a row UC has not conceded
// SWEEP IT UP
With those wins at Temple and UConn, the Bearcats collected six points in league play. The points sweep is the first the Bearcats since 2017 when they downed UConn (1-0) and Temple (3-0) on the road September 28 and October 1, respectively. In fact, of the 19 weekend sweeps the Bearcats have captured in program history, the wins over the Owls and Huskies two weeks ago gives UC four as members of the AAC with the other two coming at home, including a sweep of the Florida schools in 2015 (1-0 over #18 USF and 2-0 over UCF) and the Texas schools in 2014 (1-0 over both SMU and Houston). Prior to the Texas sweep, the last time UC had accomplished the feat was in 2002.
// EARLY STANDINGS
Through two weeks of AAC play, the Bearcats (2-0-0 AAC) are currently tied for fourth place on six points with Tulsa (2-2-0) while Memphis (4-0-0) leads on 12 points and both UCF (3-1-0) and USF (3-1-0) share second on nine points. Once again this year, the Top 6 teams on the final table will earn berths into the AAC Tournament with the #3 and #4 finishers playing host to the #6 and #5 teams, respectively. The winners of those two matches will play in the semifinals against the #2 and #1 teams with the regular-season champion playing host to those matches (semifinals and final).
// STRONG START
The 2-0-0 start in league play marks just the fourth time the Bearcats have accomplished that feat in program history and the first since 2001. The three previous instances saw the 2001 team finish 10-0-0 in Conference USA; the 1998 team lost its next match on its way to a 7-4-0 CUSA record; and the 1995 side won its first four in a row before finishing 4-1-0 in CUSA play.
// MORE QUICKNESS
At Temple, Hartman bagged her first career goal when she netted a shot at 58:29 to put UC up, 1-0. That goal, which would eventually become the game-winner, was followed by a score from Gorman at 60:37. With just 2:08 between the two goals, it marked the third time this season the Bearcats have scored back-to-back goals in under 2:10. Previously, Vanessa DiNardo scored a brace in the season-opening 2-0 win over St. John's with her two goals coming 21 seconds apart. Two weeks before the goals at Temple, Gorman (63:20) and Han Tang (PK at 65:16) combined to scored two goals in a span of 1:47. All told, those three sets of goals this year rank as the #1 (0:21), #10 (1:47) and #12 (2:08) spans since electronic stats began in 2001 and brings the total in that time 22 back-to-back goals scored in under four minutes for UC, 10 of which have come under Neil Stafford (2013+).
// LATE WINNER
Goins' overtime winner at UConn (93:14) stands as the seventh-latest goal scored in the Stafford Era (2013+) and the seventh overtime winner in that span. With the addition of Goins' time, the 'Cardiac Cats' have now scored 26 goals in the 85' or later under Stafford, including 19 in the final five minutes of regulation. With Ying Zhan's goal at Tennessee earlier this year (82:36), the Bearcats have now scored 30 goals in the 83' or later under Stafford as well.
// BEEN A WHILE
With the win at UConn, the Bearcats snapped a streak of 12 matches in a row in which UC played into overtime of a regular season conference match and did not win. In those 12 matches, the Bearcats were 4-8-0 with the last victory in an overtime AAC contest going all the way back to the inaugural season of 2013, a 3-2 win in double overtime at home against Memphis. During that time, UC did defeat a league opponent in overtime when it downed #10 UConn, 3-2, in the first overtime, but that doesn't count toward this mark as it came in the semifinals of the 2016 AAC Tournament.
// WE'RE GOING STREAKING!
There are several streaks the Bearcats are looking to maintain right now and one is their current five-match unbeaten streak. UC opened the year with a win and then lost five in a row. Since then, however, the young Bearcats have begun to turn things around as they have posted a 3-0-2 record in their last five matches with wins on the road at Lipscomb (3-2), Temple (2-0) and UConn (1-0, ot) along with a pair of home draws with Xavier and Austin Peay.
// NO GOALS ALLOWED!
Another streak the Bearcats are currently working comes in the way of not allowing goals. After allowing Lipscomb to take a 2-1 lead in the 33', the Bearcats defense has not conceded a goal since, a span of 470:04, the second-longest streak in the AAC this year. After the game at LU, UC posted back-to-back scoreless draws with Xavier (110:00) and Austin Peay (110:00). Adding those times to the 57:50 of the Lipscomb match and then the 90:00 of shutout play at Temple and the 93:14 at UConn, UC's 470:04 ranks as the eighth-longest streak in program history and the second-longest under Neil Stafford. The longest came in 2017 when Stafford's Bearcats shutout five foes to accumulate 588:19 of scoreless play.
// LESS MOVING UP
With the strong play of the defense ahead of her, Less was called up on to make just three saves at UConn on her way to her fourth-consecutive shutout and her fifth of the year. With the shutout and victory, Less now has 13 each to her credit, which ranks her highly in program history. For shutouts, she is now seventh all-time at UC while her 13 victories tie her with Lisa Griffin (1992-93) for the seventh-most for a Bearcats keeper.
// THAT'S A FIRST!
With the score tied a 0-0 in the 59' at Temple, Camryn Hartman made a move in the box and fired low toward the back post and into the net for a 1-0 UC lead. That goal, which halted a 303:13 scoreless streak for UC, also opened Hartman's scoring account with the Bearcats as the sophomore collected her first career goal. Additionally, her goal stood as the eventual game-winner, also the first of her career. One match later, Sydney Goins headed home the winner in overtime, marking her first goal of the season and her first since the 2017 campaign when she scored the winner in a 3-2 victory over Tulsa.
// BALANCING IT OUT
Gorman's goal that made it 2-0 was her second of the year and the second time she was part of a quick back-to-back scoring run by the Bearcats (more below). With her goal at Temple, Gorman now has two on the, joining both Han Tang (3) and Vanessa DiNardo (2) as multiple-goal scorers for UC in 2019. DiNardo, who assisted on Gorman's goal, shares the second position with Gorman in points on the year with five as both have one assist with two goals while Tang has six points on three goals.
// RAPID FIRE AGAIN
Earlier this year, DiNardo scored a brace in the opener against St. John's with her two goals coming just 21 seconds apart, the fastest two goals scored back-to-back in program history (at least through 2001 when electronic stats were first used). The Hartman and Gorman back-to-back scores at Temple were just 2:08 a part, which ranks as the 12th-fastest at UC and one of just 22 times the Bearcats have scored twice in a less than four minute span. Additionally, Gorman and Tang (PK) scored 1:47 a part at Lipscomb to give this year's team three instances of quick scoring.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// SCORELESS DRAWS
The Bearcats are in the midst of their 40th varsity season after opening their program's history in 1980. Including last Saturday's 0-0 draw with visiting APSU, UC has played 746 matches all-time. Of those 746 contests, only 24 have ended in a scoreless draw with eight coming since 2015. In fact, UC has played at least one scoreless draw in each of the last five years (2015-19) with the first two in that span coming at home to LU and then at Xavier in 2015.
// EVEN MORE RARE
Additionally, in regards to scoreless draws, the Bearcats' current two-match streak ties for the longest in program history with the 1983 squad (Year 3 of the program). That season, UC traveled to the Tournament of Champions in Courtland, N.Y., and drew with both Springfield and UConn on successive days for the only other back-to-back 0-0 score lines in program history.
// HOME OVERTIME
When playing in home overtime matches, the Bearcats have been tough to beat recently as they are undefeated in their last 13, holding a 2-0-11 record. The last time UC lost in overtime at home came in 2013 in a 5-4 loss to Louisville. Prior to the current streak, the longest stretch of undefeated home overtime matches was six and came two times, first from 1996-98 (3-0-3) and then from 1999-03 (5-0-1). All told, the Bearcats are 18-19-30 all-time in home overtime contests.
// PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Since the start of the 2013 season, the Bearcats have played 61 home matches, posting a 37-10-14 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).
// 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.
// 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.
// MANY MINUTES
Through their first nine matches, the Bearcats have averaged 20 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.
// BACK IN THE DAY...
• Han Tang's brace (at Lipscomb) 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 Sept. 3, 2017, when Julie Gavorski scored two at Northwestern
• The last time UC converted a spot kick came October 4, 2018, when Bri 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
// LONG-RANGE SCORING
Ying Zhan not only scored her first collegiate goal (at #20 Tennessee), but she 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 the 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.
// 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.
// 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.
// 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.
// NEXT UP
Sunday, the Bearcats will play host to Tulsa at 1 p.m. at Gettler Stadium. The match will be presented by UC Health and will be the program's annual Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness match. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match with the first 200 fans in attendance receiving a free pink shirt from UC Health. Following the match, the Bearcats will recognize eight of its own in Senior Day festivities. The Class of 2019 includes Julia Abbott, Holyn Alf, Bri Costigan, Sydney Goins, Libby Greenwell, Sydney Kilgore, Dee Picou and Michelle Travassos.