TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team earned its first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Bowling Green in the home opener at Gettler Stadium on Thursday night.
The win also marks the first victory for head coach Erica Demers with Cincinnati, who improves to 1-2-0 through the first three games of the season.
"It was a big one," Demers said. "I praised the girls afterward. As a coach, we are here to support them. Yes, it's our staff's first win, but it's their first win and that's even more important. We needed to get that monkey off our backs. We need them to feel confident and this will help build that confidence for Sunday's match."
Sophomore forward/midfielder Megan Smith netted the match's lone goal in the second minute when a batted ball found her foot right outside the 18-yard box. Smith collected the touch before she fired a shot past the outstretched arms of the Falcons' goalkeeper.
Smith had a team-high four goals as a freshman in 2022.
Bowling Green's best opportunity at the equalizer came in the 70th minute when the Falcons' attack sent a shot to the high center of the frame that was denied by senior goalkeeper Anna Rexford.
Rexford was dominant, recording a career-high seven saves in the frame for her first clean sheet of the season. The scoreless outing marked Rexford's 12th career shutout, breaking a three-way tie with former Bearcat goalkeepers Julie McCaffrey (1994-95) and Julie Williams (1982-84) for the eighth-most shutouts in program history.
Rexford also became the seventh Bearcat in program history to accumulate 20 career wins. She now boasts a career record of 20-17-11.
Freshman standout forward Emma Gioffre earned her first career start and played all 90 minutes on the back line.
Graduate student defender Ashley Barron also played the full 90 minutes for the second time this season. She has now tallied 5,678 career minutes played and is only 91 minutes away from cracking into the program's all-time top 10 for minutes played.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will continue the early three-game homestand with a matchup against Illinois State on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
// ANTHEM BUDDIES AND GROUP EXPERIENCES.
Looking to experience Cincinnati soccer like never before? Click here to learn more about the Cincinnati Anthem Buddies and Group Experience programs.
// 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.
The win also marks the first victory for head coach Erica Demers with Cincinnati, who improves to 1-2-0 through the first three games of the season.
"It was a big one," Demers said. "I praised the girls afterward. As a coach, we are here to support them. Yes, it's our staff's first win, but it's their first win and that's even more important. We needed to get that monkey off our backs. We need them to feel confident and this will help build that confidence for Sunday's match."
Sophomore forward/midfielder Megan Smith netted the match's lone goal in the second minute when a batted ball found her foot right outside the 18-yard box. Smith collected the touch before she fired a shot past the outstretched arms of the Falcons' goalkeeper.
Smith had a team-high four goals as a freshman in 2022.
Bowling Green's best opportunity at the equalizer came in the 70th minute when the Falcons' attack sent a shot to the high center of the frame that was denied by senior goalkeeper Anna Rexford.
Rexford was dominant, recording a career-high seven saves in the frame for her first clean sheet of the season. The scoreless outing marked Rexford's 12th career shutout, breaking a three-way tie with former Bearcat goalkeepers Julie McCaffrey (1994-95) and Julie Williams (1982-84) for the eighth-most shutouts in program history.
Rexford also became the seventh Bearcat in program history to accumulate 20 career wins. She now boasts a career record of 20-17-11.
Freshman standout forward Emma Gioffre earned her first career start and played all 90 minutes on the back line.
Graduate student defender Ashley Barron also played the full 90 minutes for the second time this season. She has now tallied 5,678 career minutes played and is only 91 minutes away from cracking into the program's all-time top 10 for minutes played.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will continue the early three-game homestand with a matchup against Illinois State on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
// ANTHEM BUDDIES AND GROUP EXPERIENCES.
Looking to experience Cincinnati soccer like never before? Click here to learn more about the Cincinnati Anthem Buddies and Group Experience programs.
// 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.