TicketsPROVO, Utah— The University of Cincinnati's women's soccer team bent but never broke against No. 6 BYU's high-powered offense in a Thursday night thriller that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Cincinnati improved to 2-5-4 (1-1-2) on the year, while BYU moves 9-1-2 (2-0-2).
"Coming into an environment like this hard, the crowd was unbelievable, head coach Erica Demers said. "For our girls, it was 'hey stick to the game plan' and they bought into it 100% and that was the result of tonight. Getting that early goal really deflated the crowd and helped us. I am just proud of the overall performance. Whatever 11 players were on the field we need them to give 100% effort and we got that tonight."
Cincinnati came out the gates swinging as Ellie Flower tapped in a bouncing ball in front of the net to give the Bearcats the lead 1:31 into the match. Flower netted her second goal of the season and the fourth of her career.
The Cincinnati native has now scored in back-to-back matches for the first time in her career. The goal is also tied for the eighth fastest to begin a game in program history.
Both teams would trade good looks back in forth for the rest of the first half, but the Bearcats would retain their early and head to the break with the 1-0 lead.
The lead would be short-lived in the second half as BYU's Brecken Mozingo scored the equalizing goal on a penalty kick in the 47th minute.
BYU's aggressiveness would take over in the second half as the team ended the game with 26 shots. Cincinnati's defenses would hold their own in the second half. BYU only recorded seven shots on goal, the team's third-lowest total of the season.
Cincinnati goalkeeper Anna Rexford led the charge for the defense, tallying six saves, one away from tying a career-high. Rexford has been on a tear of late allowing only two goals, both on penalty kicks, over the past three matches.
BYU entered the match as one of the top-scoring offenses in the country averaging 3.45 goals a game. The Bearcats held the Cougars to their second-lowest-scoring output of the season.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will continue its road trip and head to Lubbock, Texas to face another high-ranked opponent, No. 14 Texas Tech, on Sunday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN +/ Big 12 Now.
// 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.
Cincinnati improved to 2-5-4 (1-1-2) on the year, while BYU moves 9-1-2 (2-0-2).
"Coming into an environment like this hard, the crowd was unbelievable, head coach Erica Demers said. "For our girls, it was 'hey stick to the game plan' and they bought into it 100% and that was the result of tonight. Getting that early goal really deflated the crowd and helped us. I am just proud of the overall performance. Whatever 11 players were on the field we need them to give 100% effort and we got that tonight."
Cincinnati came out the gates swinging as Ellie Flower tapped in a bouncing ball in front of the net to give the Bearcats the lead 1:31 into the match. Flower netted her second goal of the season and the fourth of her career.
The Cincinnati native has now scored in back-to-back matches for the first time in her career. The goal is also tied for the eighth fastest to begin a game in program history.
Both teams would trade good looks back in forth for the rest of the first half, but the Bearcats would retain their early and head to the break with the 1-0 lead.
The lead would be short-lived in the second half as BYU's Brecken Mozingo scored the equalizing goal on a penalty kick in the 47th minute.
BYU's aggressiveness would take over in the second half as the team ended the game with 26 shots. Cincinnati's defenses would hold their own in the second half. BYU only recorded seven shots on goal, the team's third-lowest total of the season.
Cincinnati goalkeeper Anna Rexford led the charge for the defense, tallying six saves, one away from tying a career-high. Rexford has been on a tear of late allowing only two goals, both on penalty kicks, over the past three matches.
BYU entered the match as one of the top-scoring offenses in the country averaging 3.45 goals a game. The Bearcats held the Cougars to their second-lowest-scoring output of the season.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will continue its road trip and head to Lubbock, Texas to face another high-ranked opponent, No. 14 Texas Tech, on Sunday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN +/ Big 12 Now.
// 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.