TicketsROUND ROCK, Texas — After advancing out of the first round, the No. 9-seeded University of Cincinnati women's soccer team (4-7-7, 2-3-5) will take on the 2023 Big 12 regular season champions and the nation's fifth-ranked team, Texas Tech (14-0-4, 8-0-2), on Monday at 3 p.m. ET in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Championships at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex.
** Announcement from the Big 12: Due to forecasted inclement weather, Monday's quarterfinal matches of the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship have been relocated from Round Rock to Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas in Austin. Game times will remain the same. Spectators who have not yet purchased tickets may do so online here. One ticket is good for the entire day. Information about the venue can be found here. Parking will cost $10 at East Campus Garage and can be purchased on-site.**
The Big 12 Championships began on Saturday, Oct. 28 and will conclude on Saturday, Nov. 4. The championships will air exclusively on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. A subscription to the streaming service is required to watch the games. Fans can also follow along with the live stats found here. Fans wishing to attend the championships can find ticket information here.
Monday's match will be Cincinnati's second of the tournament after UC defeated Baylor 3-2 on Saturday in the first round. The No. 1 overall-seeded Red Raiders will be making their first appearance in this year's tournament after earning a first-round bye. The winner of the match will advance to the semifinals to face either the No. 4 seed Texas or No. 5 seed West Virginia. The complete championship bracket can be found here.
// BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT
The Bearcats are in their inaugural season in the Big 12 since the university joined the conference on July 1. Cincinnati finished the year with a record of 2-3-5 in conference play, earning the ninth seed in the championships with 11 points despite being picked to finish 13th and miss the championship tournament in the preseason poll. The top 10 teams in the conference all qualified for the tournament, while the top six earned first-round byes.
In the team's first-ever Big 12 Championships matchup, Cincinnati scored a season-high three goals to defeat the Baylor Bears 3-2 on Saturday. With the match all tied 2-2, graduate student Kendall Battle scored one of the biggest goals in program history as she headed in the game-winning goal with seven minutes left in the match. Battle notched the go-ahead goal off a bouncing ball deep inside the box from Ashley Barron.
Battle scored her first goal since the 2021 season, marking the sixth of her, while Barron recorded her second assist of the season and fifth of her career.
Junior Fran Stables netted her second goal of the season and third of her career as she sent a rocket to the back of the net to score the match's first goal. The Manchester, England native has been the primary playmaker all season long for Cincinnati and recorded a season-high two assists in addition her goal.
// CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Cincinnati has won eight conference titles across five leagues since the team's formation in 1980. Cincinnati last won a conference championship in 2015, when the Bearcats defeated then-ranked No. 10 UConn 3-2 in overtime in the semifinals to advance to the championship match, where they took No. 25 USF to the wire, winning on penalty kicks after two overtime periods to claim the AAC conference title.
The Bearcats fell 1-0 to SMU in the opening round of the AAC Championships last fall. After Saturday's victory, UC holds an all-time record of 25-12-0 across 20 conference championships. Before Saturday's match, the Bearcat's last conference championship win occurred in 2020 when UC beat Memphis 1-0 in the first round.
// A NEUTRAL SITE SHOWDOWN
Cincinnati's match against Baylor marked the Bearcats' first neutral site match since the 2020 AAC Championships when UC lost 4-0 to USF in the AAC semifinals. Cincinnati improved to 38-24-11 on a neutral playing field after Saturday's victory.
// IF EXTRA TIME IS NEEDED…
Cincinnati holds a record of 39-37-64 in overtime matches. Due to the 2022 rule change of no more regular season overtime matches, UC's last overtime match occurred during the 2021 season when the Bearcats escaped Murray State with a 2-1 win on the road. Cincinnati's last conference overtime match was in the 2016 AAC Championship, when it lost on penalty kicks to USF in the first round.
// THE REMATCH
The Bearcats will square off against Texas Tech for the second time this season. The match on Oct. 1 was the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Texas Tech was one of six new conference opponents the Bearcats faced for the first time in program history this season.
The last time the two teams met, then ranked No. 14 Texas Tech defeated the Bearcats 3-0 in Lubbock, Texas. Monday's match will mark the fifth time Cincinnati will square up with a ranked opponent this season. The Bearcats are 0-4-1 against ranked opponents this season. The team tied No. 6 BYU, 1-1, on Sept. 28.
The Bearcats last win over a ranked team came when they picked up overtime victories against No. 10 UConn and No. 25 USF in the 2015 AAC tournament.
A win over No. 5 Texas would be the highest-ranked opponent defeated in program history. The Bearcats defeated No. 6 Notre Dame 3-2 on the road in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
// SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Last time out, Texas Tech defeated Iowa State 3-2 in its regular-season finale to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament and the regular-season championship distinction. Head coach Tom Stone led Texas Tech to an unbeaten regular season in his 17th season at the helm of the Red Raiders. Texas Tech has been one of the nation's top teams all year and had five players earn All-Big 12 First Team honors: goalkeeper Madison White, defenders Hannah Anderson and Macy Blackburn, midfielder Sam Courtwright and forward Ashleigh Williams.
// TEAM LEADERS
Sophomore Megan Smith, senior Ellie Flower and junior Laura Zemberyova are tied for the team lead in goals with three apiece. Junior Fran Stables has been the team's primary playmaker this season, leading the team in assists with six and has netted two goals this season as well.
// CAREER HISTORY TO WATCH
Graduate student Ashley Barron joined Bearcat elite company on Saturday as she now has recorded 7,021 minutes played in her career. She joined Vanessa Giles and Kayla Utley as the only Bearcats ever to record over 7,000 career minutes played.
She also recorded her 80th career start in her 81st career cap against UCF, tying former Bearcat Stacy Kyser for the ninth most in program history. She has started 76 straight matches, dating back to 2019.
Senior goalkeeper Anna Rexford continues to climb the UC all-time career top-10 list in three different categories. Against Baylor she recorded six saves, bringing her career total to 204, making her the eighth UC goalkeeper to record over 200 career saves in program history.
The Wilmore Ky., native also ranks sixth in career wins (23) and the seventh in shutouts (15th) as she claimed her fourth clean sheet of the season against Oklahoma.
// A NEW FACE TAKES CENTER STAGE
True freshman Emma Gioffre has made quite the impact for the Bearcats this season, including netting her second career goal against Baylor. She became the first true freshman to score in a conference tournament since teammate Chloe Spitler did against Memphis in the 2020 AAC tournament.
The Delaware native has appeared in all 18 games this season, starting in 16. She became the first true freshman to start in double-digit matches since Ashley Barron started 18 in 2019.
Gioffre has totaled 1,353 minutes this season, which ranks fourth in the Big 12 among freshmen. She is also one of three freshmen to reach the 1,000-minute mark in 14 games.
// 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.
** Announcement from the Big 12: Due to forecasted inclement weather, Monday's quarterfinal matches of the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship have been relocated from Round Rock to Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas in Austin. Game times will remain the same. Spectators who have not yet purchased tickets may do so online here. One ticket is good for the entire day. Information about the venue can be found here. Parking will cost $10 at East Campus Garage and can be purchased on-site.**
The Big 12 Championships began on Saturday, Oct. 28 and will conclude on Saturday, Nov. 4. The championships will air exclusively on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. A subscription to the streaming service is required to watch the games. Fans can also follow along with the live stats found here. Fans wishing to attend the championships can find ticket information here.
Monday's match will be Cincinnati's second of the tournament after UC defeated Baylor 3-2 on Saturday in the first round. The No. 1 overall-seeded Red Raiders will be making their first appearance in this year's tournament after earning a first-round bye. The winner of the match will advance to the semifinals to face either the No. 4 seed Texas or No. 5 seed West Virginia. The complete championship bracket can be found here.
// BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT
The Bearcats are in their inaugural season in the Big 12 since the university joined the conference on July 1. Cincinnati finished the year with a record of 2-3-5 in conference play, earning the ninth seed in the championships with 11 points despite being picked to finish 13th and miss the championship tournament in the preseason poll. The top 10 teams in the conference all qualified for the tournament, while the top six earned first-round byes.
In the team's first-ever Big 12 Championships matchup, Cincinnati scored a season-high three goals to defeat the Baylor Bears 3-2 on Saturday. With the match all tied 2-2, graduate student Kendall Battle scored one of the biggest goals in program history as she headed in the game-winning goal with seven minutes left in the match. Battle notched the go-ahead goal off a bouncing ball deep inside the box from Ashley Barron.
Battle scored her first goal since the 2021 season, marking the sixth of her, while Barron recorded her second assist of the season and fifth of her career.
Junior Fran Stables netted her second goal of the season and third of her career as she sent a rocket to the back of the net to score the match's first goal. The Manchester, England native has been the primary playmaker all season long for Cincinnati and recorded a season-high two assists in addition her goal.
// CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Cincinnati has won eight conference titles across five leagues since the team's formation in 1980. Cincinnati last won a conference championship in 2015, when the Bearcats defeated then-ranked No. 10 UConn 3-2 in overtime in the semifinals to advance to the championship match, where they took No. 25 USF to the wire, winning on penalty kicks after two overtime periods to claim the AAC conference title.
The Bearcats fell 1-0 to SMU in the opening round of the AAC Championships last fall. After Saturday's victory, UC holds an all-time record of 25-12-0 across 20 conference championships. Before Saturday's match, the Bearcat's last conference championship win occurred in 2020 when UC beat Memphis 1-0 in the first round.
// A NEUTRAL SITE SHOWDOWN
Cincinnati's match against Baylor marked the Bearcats' first neutral site match since the 2020 AAC Championships when UC lost 4-0 to USF in the AAC semifinals. Cincinnati improved to 38-24-11 on a neutral playing field after Saturday's victory.
// IF EXTRA TIME IS NEEDED…
Cincinnati holds a record of 39-37-64 in overtime matches. Due to the 2022 rule change of no more regular season overtime matches, UC's last overtime match occurred during the 2021 season when the Bearcats escaped Murray State with a 2-1 win on the road. Cincinnati's last conference overtime match was in the 2016 AAC Championship, when it lost on penalty kicks to USF in the first round.
// THE REMATCH
The Bearcats will square off against Texas Tech for the second time this season. The match on Oct. 1 was the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Texas Tech was one of six new conference opponents the Bearcats faced for the first time in program history this season.
The last time the two teams met, then ranked No. 14 Texas Tech defeated the Bearcats 3-0 in Lubbock, Texas. Monday's match will mark the fifth time Cincinnati will square up with a ranked opponent this season. The Bearcats are 0-4-1 against ranked opponents this season. The team tied No. 6 BYU, 1-1, on Sept. 28.
The Bearcats last win over a ranked team came when they picked up overtime victories against No. 10 UConn and No. 25 USF in the 2015 AAC tournament.
A win over No. 5 Texas would be the highest-ranked opponent defeated in program history. The Bearcats defeated No. 6 Notre Dame 3-2 on the road in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
// SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Last time out, Texas Tech defeated Iowa State 3-2 in its regular-season finale to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament and the regular-season championship distinction. Head coach Tom Stone led Texas Tech to an unbeaten regular season in his 17th season at the helm of the Red Raiders. Texas Tech has been one of the nation's top teams all year and had five players earn All-Big 12 First Team honors: goalkeeper Madison White, defenders Hannah Anderson and Macy Blackburn, midfielder Sam Courtwright and forward Ashleigh Williams.
// TEAM LEADERS
Sophomore Megan Smith, senior Ellie Flower and junior Laura Zemberyova are tied for the team lead in goals with three apiece. Junior Fran Stables has been the team's primary playmaker this season, leading the team in assists with six and has netted two goals this season as well.
// CAREER HISTORY TO WATCH
Graduate student Ashley Barron joined Bearcat elite company on Saturday as she now has recorded 7,021 minutes played in her career. She joined Vanessa Giles and Kayla Utley as the only Bearcats ever to record over 7,000 career minutes played.
She also recorded her 80th career start in her 81st career cap against UCF, tying former Bearcat Stacy Kyser for the ninth most in program history. She has started 76 straight matches, dating back to 2019.
Senior goalkeeper Anna Rexford continues to climb the UC all-time career top-10 list in three different categories. Against Baylor she recorded six saves, bringing her career total to 204, making her the eighth UC goalkeeper to record over 200 career saves in program history.
The Wilmore Ky., native also ranks sixth in career wins (23) and the seventh in shutouts (15th) as she claimed her fourth clean sheet of the season against Oklahoma.
// A NEW FACE TAKES CENTER STAGE
True freshman Emma Gioffre has made quite the impact for the Bearcats this season, including netting her second career goal against Baylor. She became the first true freshman to score in a conference tournament since teammate Chloe Spitler did against Memphis in the 2020 AAC tournament.
The Delaware native has appeared in all 18 games this season, starting in 16. She became the first true freshman to start in double-digit matches since Ashley Barron started 18 in 2019.
Gioffre has totaled 1,353 minutes this season, which ranks fourth in the Big 12 among freshmen. She is also one of three freshmen to reach the 1,000-minute mark in 14 games.
// 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.