CINCINNATI -- The University of Cincinnati soccer team heads back on the road to face first-place and No. 22 South Florida on Thursday at 7 p.m, a rematch of the AAC Championship last spring.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats played out a highly entertaining 3-3 draw with No. 20 SMU on Sunday at Gettler Stadium. Kendall Battle's 78th minute goal tied it at 3-3 and neither side was able to break through in extra-time. Vanessa DiNardo scored UC's first two goals, matching Han Tang (Eastern Illinois) as Bearcats with multi-goal games this season. Tang also had the last-such stat line in AAC play, doing so in 2019 against Tulsa.
ATOP THE LEADERBOARD
Vanessa DiNardo is tied for the AAC lead with South Florida's Sydny Nasello at eight goals. It can also be noted that the UC senior has taken 23 fewer shots, and it's the most by a Bearcat since Julie Gavorski in 2016.
MORE ATTACKING NOTES
Lauren Bastian and Kendall Battle have set records in assists and goals, respectively. Bastian is now up to two goals and four assists after having one and two, respectively, in her 2020 AAC All-Rookie season. Battle scored her third goal of the year against SMU after having two her previous two seasons (she was the only one with multiple goals in the short spring season). The Bearcats out-shot SMU 18-13 in the last match, matching their second-most in a game this season. Cincinnati has outshot opponents 189-138 this season and have out-shot the opposition in five out of their last six games.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Bearcats have an 11-13-5 record against the Bulls (4-6-2 in the Neil Stafford era), with the last win on the road coming back in October 2016. USF was the only team that the Bearcats faced twice in the shortened 2021 spring season. They tied 1-1 at Gettler in March and lost 4-0 in the conference title game. Overall, Cincinnati is 1-4-0 on the road against USF.
INSIDE THE RANKINGS
South Florida is Cincinnati's fourth ranked opponent this season and third in a row. The Bearcats previously fell 2-1 to No. 16 Michigan late in non-conference play before suffering an 83rd-minute loss at No. 18 Memphis and tying the No. 20 Mustangs. The last-such three-game stretch came to close the spring with South Florida (twice) and Memphis. Ranked wins within the Stafford tenure include USF and UConn in 2015 as well as Memphis in 2020.
Soccer Set for Road Test at No. 22 USF
The University of Cincinnati soccer team heads back on the road to face first-place and No. 22 South Florida on Thursday at 7 p.m, a rematch of the AAC Championship last spring.
