TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team will close out their non-conference schedule when the Bearcats welcome Morehead State on Sunday.
Kickoff from Gettler Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. ET and live coverage will air on ESPN+.
The program will honor four seniors – Ashley Barron, Maddie Thiss, Maddy Pittman and Kendall Battle - for their athletic and academic contributions prior to the match.
MEGAN SMITH NAMED AAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR SEPT. 5
Freshman forward/midfielder Megan Smith was named AAC Rookie of the Week, announced Monday. This is the first time in her career that she has received the honor. The Bearcats have earned a weekly AAC award all three weeks this season. Smith joins Anna Rexford, who was named AAC Goalkeeper of the Week on Aug. 29 and Ashley Barron, who was honored as AAC Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 22. The last time that the Bearcats have received conference honors in three straight weeks was first three weeks was 2017, when the program earned honors in four straight weeks to open the season.
Smith recorded a brace with her first two collegiate goals in a 5-1 win over Stony Brook last Thursday. The five goals scored ties the second-most under Stafford. The Bearcats also tallied five goals in victories over Eastern Illinois last season and Saint Francis (PA) in 2014. Smith followed up the performance with a team-high three shots at Pittsburgh last Sunday. She tied with Vanessa DiNardo with a team-high five points and is third on team with 10 shots. She is one of four Bearcats with two goals this season. She has either held or tied the team-high in shots in the two of the last three matches.
THE SERIES
This is the seventh-ever meeting between the two programs. Cincinnati is undefeated in the all-time series 6-0-0, 4-0-0 at home, 2-0-0 on the road. The two teams last played on Oct. 6, 2017, where the Bearcats won 4-0 on Senior Day in Gettler Stadium. Cincinnati is outscoring Morehead State 29-2 in the series.
LAST TIME OUT
Cincinnati battled to a 2-2 draw at Western Michigan on Thursday. Cincinnati got on the board first in the 16th minute when Megan Smith played a corner attempt into the six-yard frame that found the head of Ashley Barron for her second goal of the season. The assist is the second for Smith, who has recorded a team-high five points through seven matches.
Western Michigan responded twice over a three-minute span midway through the first half as Reagan Wisser collected a cleared corner attempt right inside the box and fired a shot through left side of the frame in the 28th minute. The Broncos added another in the 31st minute as a long ball from Claudia Schilling cleared the backline and found Wisser once more, who headed it in to record the brace and secure the 2-1 advantage at half. Despite the deficit, the Bearcats outshot their opponent 7-2 and held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks at the break. The two goals by Wisser are the only first-half goals allowed by Cincinnati this season.
Cincinnati leveled the match in the 81st minute when Lauren Bastian controlled a touch in the final third and sent a clean pass into the center of the box that was handled by Vanessa DiNardo, who then took advantage of the one-on-one with the goalkeeper and tapped home the equalizing goal. Anna Rexford added a pair of second half saves to extend her total to 17 through seven matches.
SENIOR DAY UNDER STAFFORD
Cincinnati is 5-2-2 on Senior Day under Stafford. The Bearcats battled SMU to a 3-3 draw last season on Oct. 17, 2021. This is the earliest Senior Day under Stafford. The Bearcats' largest Senior Day wins were 4-0 over Morehead State in 2017 and Evansville in 2015.
COMPARED TO THE CONFERENCE
Cincinnati ranks second in the AAC in goals (12), points (33), and assists (9), trailing only Memphis, and tied for second in shutouts (3), trailing only East Carolina's four. Cincinnati is one of three remaining AAC teams that is either unbeaten or has only suffered one loss, joined by SMU and UCF.
OFFENSE MOVING FAST AND SPREADING THE WEALTH
Eight different players have scored a goal through seven matches this season compared to 12 last season. The Bearcats' final two goals, scored within 1:19 of each other, on Thursday (Paige Miller - 86:59; Megan Smith - 88:18) were the seventh fastest consecutive goals in program history. Every goal in the Stony Brook match was scored by a player in their first or second collegiate season. The five goals scored against Stony Brook ties the second-most under head coach Neil Stafford. The Bearcats also scored five against Eastern Illinois (5-0 win on Sept. 5, 2021) and Saint Francis (PA) (5-0 win on Sept. 7, 2014). The most was a 9-0 win against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 5, 2014. The 22 shots against Stony Brook were the most in a game since the Bearcats recorded 26 against Temple on Sept. 23, 2021.
NEWCOMERS MAKING AN EARLY IMPACT IN 2022
Freshman Megan Smith and Sarah Kate Rath recorded their first collegiate goals against Stony Brook last Thursday. Smith found the back of the net for her first two collegiate goals in the 73rd and 89th minute, while Rath headed in her first collegiate goal in the 18th minute. Smith is tied with Vanessa DiNardio with a team-high five points and is third on the team with 10 shots. She is one of four Bearcats with two goals on the season. Mackenzie Tucker recorded her first two assists as a Bearcat, assisting on the first two goals vs. Stony Brook. Eight newcomers (five freshman, three transfers) have recorded at least one start.
RETURNING TALENT
The Bearcats return four of six players who scored multiple goals (DiNardo, Miller, Battle, Bastian) and five of the top six point contributors (DiNardo, Miller, Battle, Bastian, Spitler) from 2021. The Bearcats were fourth in the AAC in goals (28) and assists (22) last season. The Bearcats welcome back 13 players that saw action in double digit matches last season and eight that totaled over 1,000 minutes.
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.
Kickoff from Gettler Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. ET and live coverage will air on ESPN+.
The program will honor four seniors – Ashley Barron, Maddie Thiss, Maddy Pittman and Kendall Battle - for their athletic and academic contributions prior to the match.
MEGAN SMITH NAMED AAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR SEPT. 5
Freshman forward/midfielder Megan Smith was named AAC Rookie of the Week, announced Monday. This is the first time in her career that she has received the honor. The Bearcats have earned a weekly AAC award all three weeks this season. Smith joins Anna Rexford, who was named AAC Goalkeeper of the Week on Aug. 29 and Ashley Barron, who was honored as AAC Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 22. The last time that the Bearcats have received conference honors in three straight weeks was first three weeks was 2017, when the program earned honors in four straight weeks to open the season.
Smith recorded a brace with her first two collegiate goals in a 5-1 win over Stony Brook last Thursday. The five goals scored ties the second-most under Stafford. The Bearcats also tallied five goals in victories over Eastern Illinois last season and Saint Francis (PA) in 2014. Smith followed up the performance with a team-high three shots at Pittsburgh last Sunday. She tied with Vanessa DiNardo with a team-high five points and is third on team with 10 shots. She is one of four Bearcats with two goals this season. She has either held or tied the team-high in shots in the two of the last three matches.
THE SERIES
This is the seventh-ever meeting between the two programs. Cincinnati is undefeated in the all-time series 6-0-0, 4-0-0 at home, 2-0-0 on the road. The two teams last played on Oct. 6, 2017, where the Bearcats won 4-0 on Senior Day in Gettler Stadium. Cincinnati is outscoring Morehead State 29-2 in the series.
LAST TIME OUT
Cincinnati battled to a 2-2 draw at Western Michigan on Thursday. Cincinnati got on the board first in the 16th minute when Megan Smith played a corner attempt into the six-yard frame that found the head of Ashley Barron for her second goal of the season. The assist is the second for Smith, who has recorded a team-high five points through seven matches.
Western Michigan responded twice over a three-minute span midway through the first half as Reagan Wisser collected a cleared corner attempt right inside the box and fired a shot through left side of the frame in the 28th minute. The Broncos added another in the 31st minute as a long ball from Claudia Schilling cleared the backline and found Wisser once more, who headed it in to record the brace and secure the 2-1 advantage at half. Despite the deficit, the Bearcats outshot their opponent 7-2 and held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks at the break. The two goals by Wisser are the only first-half goals allowed by Cincinnati this season.
Cincinnati leveled the match in the 81st minute when Lauren Bastian controlled a touch in the final third and sent a clean pass into the center of the box that was handled by Vanessa DiNardo, who then took advantage of the one-on-one with the goalkeeper and tapped home the equalizing goal. Anna Rexford added a pair of second half saves to extend her total to 17 through seven matches.
SENIOR DAY UNDER STAFFORD
Cincinnati is 5-2-2 on Senior Day under Stafford. The Bearcats battled SMU to a 3-3 draw last season on Oct. 17, 2021. This is the earliest Senior Day under Stafford. The Bearcats' largest Senior Day wins were 4-0 over Morehead State in 2017 and Evansville in 2015.
COMPARED TO THE CONFERENCE
Cincinnati ranks second in the AAC in goals (12), points (33), and assists (9), trailing only Memphis, and tied for second in shutouts (3), trailing only East Carolina's four. Cincinnati is one of three remaining AAC teams that is either unbeaten or has only suffered one loss, joined by SMU and UCF.
OFFENSE MOVING FAST AND SPREADING THE WEALTH
Eight different players have scored a goal through seven matches this season compared to 12 last season. The Bearcats' final two goals, scored within 1:19 of each other, on Thursday (Paige Miller - 86:59; Megan Smith - 88:18) were the seventh fastest consecutive goals in program history. Every goal in the Stony Brook match was scored by a player in their first or second collegiate season. The five goals scored against Stony Brook ties the second-most under head coach Neil Stafford. The Bearcats also scored five against Eastern Illinois (5-0 win on Sept. 5, 2021) and Saint Francis (PA) (5-0 win on Sept. 7, 2014). The most was a 9-0 win against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 5, 2014. The 22 shots against Stony Brook were the most in a game since the Bearcats recorded 26 against Temple on Sept. 23, 2021.
NEWCOMERS MAKING AN EARLY IMPACT IN 2022
Freshman Megan Smith and Sarah Kate Rath recorded their first collegiate goals against Stony Brook last Thursday. Smith found the back of the net for her first two collegiate goals in the 73rd and 89th minute, while Rath headed in her first collegiate goal in the 18th minute. Smith is tied with Vanessa DiNardio with a team-high five points and is third on the team with 10 shots. She is one of four Bearcats with two goals on the season. Mackenzie Tucker recorded her first two assists as a Bearcat, assisting on the first two goals vs. Stony Brook. Eight newcomers (five freshman, three transfers) have recorded at least one start.
RETURNING TALENT
The Bearcats return four of six players who scored multiple goals (DiNardo, Miller, Battle, Bastian) and five of the top six point contributors (DiNardo, Miller, Battle, Bastian, Spitler) from 2021. The Bearcats were fourth in the AAC in goals (28) and assists (22) last season. The Bearcats welcome back 13 players that saw action in double digit matches last season and eight that totaled over 1,000 minutes.
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.