TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team opens the 2022 season when the Bearcats host Northern Kentucky on Thursday at Gettler Stadium. Kickoff is set from 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Admission is free and open to the public. Fans in attendance will receive a free Ruckus t-shirt.
THE RIVERBOAT RIVALRY
Cincinnati leads the series overall, 4-0. The Bearcats are split 2-0 at home and on the road against the Norse. In the four matches, Cincinnati has outscored Northern Kentucky 5-1 with three shutouts. In the last meeting, Vanessa DiNardo and Lauren Bastian notched goals as the Bearcats opened the 2021 season with a 2-1 road win and secured the program's 400th win on Aug. 19, 2021. When these programs met for the first time in 2016, the match a new women's soccer attendance record in the state of Ohio with 4,722 fans inside Nippert Stadium.
STAFFORD, BARRON PREVIEW THE SEASON
BARRON NAMED AAC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, JOINS DINARDO ON PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Senior 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 graduate student 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).
BEARCATS ADD FOUR TRANSFERS; NEW ASSISTANT COACH KYLE VENTER
Cincinnati welcomes the addition of four transfers, Ally Griffin (Texas Tech), Brooke Brown (West Virginia), Mackenzie Tucker (Xavier) and Vyviene Spaulding (Rice). The program also announced Kyle Venter as an assistant coach in the offseason. Venter will primarily oversee the goalkeepers and previously had stints at Florida in 2021 and Arizona from 2019-21.
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 frames after starting all 17 matches last season. She totaled 1562 minutes with 57 saves, fifth in the AAC. The Bearcats 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. Fans in attendance will receive a free Ruckus t-shirt.
THE RIVERBOAT RIVALRY
Cincinnati leads the series overall, 4-0. The Bearcats are split 2-0 at home and on the road against the Norse. In the four matches, Cincinnati has outscored Northern Kentucky 5-1 with three shutouts. In the last meeting, Vanessa DiNardo and Lauren Bastian notched goals as the Bearcats opened the 2021 season with a 2-1 road win and secured the program's 400th win on Aug. 19, 2021. When these programs met for the first time in 2016, the match a new women's soccer attendance record in the state of Ohio with 4,722 fans inside Nippert Stadium.
STAFFORD, BARRON PREVIEW THE SEASON
BARRON NAMED AAC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, JOINS DINARDO ON PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Senior 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 graduate student 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).
BEARCATS ADD FOUR TRANSFERS; NEW ASSISTANT COACH KYLE VENTER
Cincinnati welcomes the addition of four transfers, Ally Griffin (Texas Tech), Brooke Brown (West Virginia), Mackenzie Tucker (Xavier) and Vyviene Spaulding (Rice). The program also announced Kyle Venter as an assistant coach in the offseason. Venter will primarily oversee the goalkeepers and previously had stints at Florida in 2021 and Arizona from 2019-21.
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 frames after starting all 17 matches last season. She totaled 1562 minutes with 57 saves, fifth in the AAC. The Bearcats 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.