CINCINNATI -- The University of Cincinnati soccer team fell in a hard-fought, 1-0 battle against cross-town rival Xavier on Thursday night. UC moves to 1-1-1 on the new season while Xavier improves to 3-0-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half was a tight, physical battle as both sides tallied 12 fouls in the first half. Xavier had five shots to Cincinnati's one, from Vanessa DiNardo, in the opening period. Both sides came out of the break with a bit more energy and a great save from Xavier's Olivia Jenkins on the ground kept it scoreless in the 56th minutes after Maddy Pittman's shot. The Musketeers broke through in the 81st minute on a goal from Chloe Netzel. The Bearcats were unable to clear a cross from the Musketeers, and Netzel settled the ball and slotted it home in the bottom-right corner from the edge of the penalty area.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH NEIL STAFFORD
"I thought it was a real hard-fought game between two talented teams. It's a game of inches, and we didn't do well enough on second balls tonight, which specifically hurt us on their goal. I'm disappointed for the players that we didn't take our chances tonight, particularly the two chances at the goal when their keeper made a great save. I was also proud of the way our team played. We were gritty and had good energy."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Five of the Bearcats' six shots came in the second half, while Xavier finished with 12. The visitors' best chance came in the 56th minute when DiNardo's point-blank attempt was blocked, and Pittman's try was saved off the bounce-back. The Musketeers also tallied nine corners to maintain the pressure.
NOTABLE
-UC falls to 6-2-2 against Xavier since 2007, and it was Xavier's seventh win in the previous 35 meetings.
-It was also UC's first loss to an Ohio team dating back to the start of the 2014 season.
-Pittman, Lauren Bastian, and Karli Royer each had a shot on target.
-DiNardo had three shots and played all 90 minutes.
-Alli Pestaina, a Second-Team All-AAC honoree in the spring, made her season debut and went the distance.
UP NEXT
The Bearcats host Virginia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m on ESPN+.
Soccer Falls to Xavier After Late Goal
The University of Cincinnati soccer team fell in a hard-fought, 1-0 battle against cross-town rival Xavier on Thursday night. UC moves to 1-1-1 on the new season while Xavier improves to 3-0-0.
