TicketsCINCINNATI – Kendall Battle scored her second-straight game winner to propel the University of Cincinnati soccer team to a 1-0 overtime victory over Houston in American Athletic Conference action at Gettler Stadium on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
Battle's goal in the 95th minute came after Sophie Gorman dribbled through the defense and fired a one-timer at goal which bounced of Houston goalkeeper Salma Ghazal to the right foot of a scampering Battle who slid it under two defenders for the golden goal. Battle also scored the game winner in the 83rd minute over RV Tennessee on Sunday, March 21.
Cincinnati (3-4, 2-3 AAC) turned the pressure up on both sides of the ball. On the defensive end, the back line limited Houston's (4-3-1, 1-3-1 AAC) chances as the Cougars didn't' have a shot on goal until the opening minute of overtime. It was the third consecutive UC-UH match at Gettler to go to extra time.
UC forwards Camryn Hartman, Maddy Pittman and Han Tang made themselves a general nuisance to the UH defense all day, allowing the Bearcats to possess the ball for 70 percent of the game on Houston's side of the field with four corner kicks and 17 shots taken, forcing Ghazal to make six saves.
Lauren Bastian continued her strong play, tying with Gorman for a game-high three shots taken. Battle, Pittman and Brandi Thomsen each fired a pair of shots apiece.
Ghazal kept the game scoreless in the 87th minute after Vanessa DiNardo intercepted a Houston clearance and sent a thru ball to Battle who belted one at a diving Ghazal who made her biggest save of the game.
The teams played an even first half with UC taking six shots to Houston's four. Wednesday's match was originally scheduled for Feb. 28 but postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Houston.
UP NEXT
UC will play its next two matches on the road, traveling to ECU for a noon ET kick on Saturday ahead of a Saturday, April 3 match at SMU with a 2 p.m. ET start. The ECU game marks the Bearcats seventh match in 20 days. Both road contests are set to air on ESPN+ with live stats available on BearcatStats.com.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team (@GoBearcatsWSOC) and Head Coach Neil Stafford (@UCGaffer) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.
Battle's goal in the 95th minute came after Sophie Gorman dribbled through the defense and fired a one-timer at goal which bounced of Houston goalkeeper Salma Ghazal to the right foot of a scampering Battle who slid it under two defenders for the golden goal. Battle also scored the game winner in the 83rd minute over RV Tennessee on Sunday, March 21.
Cincinnati (3-4, 2-3 AAC) turned the pressure up on both sides of the ball. On the defensive end, the back line limited Houston's (4-3-1, 1-3-1 AAC) chances as the Cougars didn't' have a shot on goal until the opening minute of overtime. It was the third consecutive UC-UH match at Gettler to go to extra time.
UC forwards Camryn Hartman, Maddy Pittman and Han Tang made themselves a general nuisance to the UH defense all day, allowing the Bearcats to possess the ball for 70 percent of the game on Houston's side of the field with four corner kicks and 17 shots taken, forcing Ghazal to make six saves.
Lauren Bastian continued her strong play, tying with Gorman for a game-high three shots taken. Battle, Pittman and Brandi Thomsen each fired a pair of shots apiece.
Ghazal kept the game scoreless in the 87th minute after Vanessa DiNardo intercepted a Houston clearance and sent a thru ball to Battle who belted one at a diving Ghazal who made her biggest save of the game.
The teams played an even first half with UC taking six shots to Houston's four. Wednesday's match was originally scheduled for Feb. 28 but postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Houston.
UP NEXT
UC will play its next two matches on the road, traveling to ECU for a noon ET kick on Saturday ahead of a Saturday, April 3 match at SMU with a 2 p.m. ET start. The ECU game marks the Bearcats seventh match in 20 days. Both road contests are set to air on ESPN+ with live stats available on BearcatStats.com.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team (@GoBearcatsWSOC) and Head Coach Neil Stafford (@UCGaffer) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.