TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team aims to secure its second straight win on Sunday when it hosts Michigan State at Gettler Stadium. Kickoff is set from 1 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Admission is free and open to the public.
LAST TIME OUT
Vyviene Spaulding and Brandi Thomsen recorded goals to lift the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Northern Kentucky in the season opener on Thursday night at Gettler Stadium. In the 49th minute, Spaulding collected a deflected ball and found the top left corner of the net for her first goal as a Bearcat. A little over 10 minutes later, Taylor Nuncio found Thomsen in the middle of the box, who fired a shot past the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper in the 60th minute for her third career goal. Cincinnati dominated for much of the night, finishing with a 17-2 advantage in shots and 7-2 edge in corner kicks. The 17 shots are the most since the Bearcats registered 18 in a double overtime draw against SMU on Oct. 17, 2021. The Bearcats have now won six of its last seven season openers and are 6-3-1 in home openers under Stafford.
THE SERIES
The series between Cincinnati and Michigan State dates back to 1980, where the teams met for the first time and the Bearcats secured a 2-1 win in East Lansing, Mich. Cincinnati leads the all-time series 12-8-0. The Bearcats are 6-3-0 at home, 5-5-0 on the road, and 1-0-0 in neutral site contests against the Spartans. Cincinnati has won both meetings between the programs in Gettler Stadium. The programs haven't kicked off against each other since Sept. 7, 2006, where Cincinnati suffered a 2-0 road defeat.
BARRON NAMED AAC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, JOINS DINARDO ON PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Ashley Barron was selected as the AAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. In 2021, Barron was named back-to-back AAC Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-AAC First Team honoree. She joined Paulette Angilecchia as the only three-time conference First Team selection in program history. Barron is also one of six players in program history to be named conference Defensive Player of the Year, the latest since Vanessa Gilles in 2017. The defender is the only player in AAC history, men's or women's, to win the award twice.
Barron and forward Vanessa DiNardo were named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference Team. DiNardo, a 2021 All-AAC Second Team selection, finished last season third in the conference with a team-high nine goals and 19 points and seventh with 43 shots. She started all 17 matches for the Bearcats, totaling 1,474 minutes and playing over 100 minutes in three different matches. She also notched a career-high two goals at home against SMU on Oct.17. Barron played in 16 matches last season, leading the Bearcats' backline that allowed only 169 shots, its fewest since 2014.
CINCINNATI PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH BY IN AAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Bearcats were picked to finish fifth in the conference in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll, tied with Houston with 33 total votes, announced Tuesday. Memphis led the conference with 62 votes and six first-place nods, followed by South Florida (52), UCF (48) and SMU (48).
RETURNING TALENT
The Bearcats return four of six players who scored multiple goals and five of the top six point contributors from 2021. The Bearcats finished fourth in the AAC in goals (28) and assists (22) last season. The roster will feature the return of all three 2021 All-AAC honorees in First Team selection Ashley Barron, Second Team Vanessa DiNardo, and All-Rookie Team Paige Miller. Goalkeeper Anna Rexford is back between the frame after starting all 17 matches last season. She totaled 1562 minutes with 57 saves, fifth in the AAC. The Bearcats also welcome back 13 players that saw action in double digit matches and eight that totaled over 1,000 minutes last season.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWSOC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Admission is free and open to the public.
LAST TIME OUT
Vyviene Spaulding and Brandi Thomsen recorded goals to lift the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Northern Kentucky in the season opener on Thursday night at Gettler Stadium. In the 49th minute, Spaulding collected a deflected ball and found the top left corner of the net for her first goal as a Bearcat. A little over 10 minutes later, Taylor Nuncio found Thomsen in the middle of the box, who fired a shot past the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper in the 60th minute for her third career goal. Cincinnati dominated for much of the night, finishing with a 17-2 advantage in shots and 7-2 edge in corner kicks. The 17 shots are the most since the Bearcats registered 18 in a double overtime draw against SMU on Oct. 17, 2021. The Bearcats have now won six of its last seven season openers and are 6-3-1 in home openers under Stafford.
THE SERIES
The series between Cincinnati and Michigan State dates back to 1980, where the teams met for the first time and the Bearcats secured a 2-1 win in East Lansing, Mich. Cincinnati leads the all-time series 12-8-0. The Bearcats are 6-3-0 at home, 5-5-0 on the road, and 1-0-0 in neutral site contests against the Spartans. Cincinnati has won both meetings between the programs in Gettler Stadium. The programs haven't kicked off against each other since Sept. 7, 2006, where Cincinnati suffered a 2-0 road defeat.
BARRON NAMED AAC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, JOINS DINARDO ON PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Ashley Barron was selected as the AAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. In 2021, Barron was named back-to-back AAC Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-AAC First Team honoree. She joined Paulette Angilecchia as the only three-time conference First Team selection in program history. Barron is also one of six players in program history to be named conference Defensive Player of the Year, the latest since Vanessa Gilles in 2017. The defender is the only player in AAC history, men's or women's, to win the award twice.
Barron and forward Vanessa DiNardo were named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference Team. DiNardo, a 2021 All-AAC Second Team selection, finished last season third in the conference with a team-high nine goals and 19 points and seventh with 43 shots. She started all 17 matches for the Bearcats, totaling 1,474 minutes and playing over 100 minutes in three different matches. She also notched a career-high two goals at home against SMU on Oct.17. Barron played in 16 matches last season, leading the Bearcats' backline that allowed only 169 shots, its fewest since 2014.
CINCINNATI PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH BY IN AAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Bearcats were picked to finish fifth in the conference in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll, tied with Houston with 33 total votes, announced Tuesday. Memphis led the conference with 62 votes and six first-place nods, followed by South Florida (52), UCF (48) and SMU (48).
RETURNING TALENT
The Bearcats return four of six players who scored multiple goals and five of the top six point contributors from 2021. The Bearcats finished fourth in the AAC in goals (28) and assists (22) last season. The roster will feature the return of all three 2021 All-AAC honorees in First Team selection Ashley Barron, Second Team Vanessa DiNardo, and All-Rookie Team Paige Miller. Goalkeeper Anna Rexford is back between the frame after starting all 17 matches last season. She totaled 1562 minutes with 57 saves, fifth in the AAC. The Bearcats also welcome back 13 players that saw action in double digit matches and eight that totaled over 1,000 minutes last season.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWSOC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.