TicketsTULSA, Okla. – The University of Cincinnati soccer team got three first-half goals and controlled the second-half possession, picking up its first win of 2021, a 3-0 victory at Tulsa's Hurricane Stadium Sunday.
The Bearcats (1-1, 1-1 AAC)) got goals from Camryn Hartman, Ashley Barron and Brandi Thomsen, some strong play in net from Anna Rexford and a clean sheet from the defense. Tulsa (1-2, 1-2 AAC) faced a 16-shot barrage from the UC offense and the Bearcats did their damage on the counter-attack and off set pieces.
NOTABLE
• Hartman got things going in the 27th minute, picking up the ball at midfield, dribbling to just outside the left of the 18-yard box and slotting the ball into the lower-right corner for the opening score.
• Barron scored an absolute beauty off a corner kick from Karli Royer in the 37th minutes. Royer lofted the ball to a perfect spot and Barron headed it home and the Golden Hurricane keeper had no chance on the point-blank strike from a yard out.
• Thomsen closed out the scoring with a goal late in the first half, netting one off a combination from Kaitlyn Andrews and Alli Pestaina in the 42nd minute to give the Bearcats the cushion they would need.
• Rexford faced three shots, making two saves in the first half as Tulsa had only one shot in the second half.
IN COACH STAFFORD'S WORDS
"Today was a fantastic response to our opener vs. UCF. Right from the first-half kickoff, we had a mentality which we missed in Orlando. We challenged the players to express themselves on both sides of the ball and you could see them embrace that over the 90 minutes. Our players did a great job of creating with & without the ball. I was happy with how we knocked the ball around and I felt we made great decisions to find our outlets & stretch Tulsa out. We were equally impressive without the ball and pressed well and didn't allow them into any rhythm. We saw the player's character evolve today with them not shying away from adversity or the challenges of being on the road for their first two conference games of this season. We're happy to be at home for the next few games and are now focused on Notre Dame."
UP NEXT
After playing its first two matches on the road, UC will gear up for a five-game homestand at Gettler Stadium, kicking off with a Thursday matinee against Notre Dame at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with live stats also available.
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.
The Bearcats (1-1, 1-1 AAC)) got goals from Camryn Hartman, Ashley Barron and Brandi Thomsen, some strong play in net from Anna Rexford and a clean sheet from the defense. Tulsa (1-2, 1-2 AAC) faced a 16-shot barrage from the UC offense and the Bearcats did their damage on the counter-attack and off set pieces.
NOTABLE
• Hartman got things going in the 27th minute, picking up the ball at midfield, dribbling to just outside the left of the 18-yard box and slotting the ball into the lower-right corner for the opening score.
• Barron scored an absolute beauty off a corner kick from Karli Royer in the 37th minutes. Royer lofted the ball to a perfect spot and Barron headed it home and the Golden Hurricane keeper had no chance on the point-blank strike from a yard out.
• Thomsen closed out the scoring with a goal late in the first half, netting one off a combination from Kaitlyn Andrews and Alli Pestaina in the 42nd minute to give the Bearcats the cushion they would need.
• Rexford faced three shots, making two saves in the first half as Tulsa had only one shot in the second half.
IN COACH STAFFORD'S WORDS
"Today was a fantastic response to our opener vs. UCF. Right from the first-half kickoff, we had a mentality which we missed in Orlando. We challenged the players to express themselves on both sides of the ball and you could see them embrace that over the 90 minutes. Our players did a great job of creating with & without the ball. I was happy with how we knocked the ball around and I felt we made great decisions to find our outlets & stretch Tulsa out. We were equally impressive without the ball and pressed well and didn't allow them into any rhythm. We saw the player's character evolve today with them not shying away from adversity or the challenges of being on the road for their first two conference games of this season. We're happy to be at home for the next few games and are now focused on Notre Dame."
UP NEXT
After playing its first two matches on the road, UC will gear up for a five-game homestand at Gettler Stadium, kicking off with a Thursday matinee against Notre Dame at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with live stats also available.
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.