CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
BOX SCORE
DALLAS - No. 1 UConn and No. 8 East Carolina squared off in the second quarterfinal matchup of the American Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. CT. UConn, the 2015 regular season conference champion, claimed a 3-1 win over the Pirates to advance to the next round of the tournament.
Junior forward Rachel Hill put the Huskies on the scoreboard first, giving the team a 1-0 edge in the second minute of the match. Hill is one of two recipients of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year honor. Stephanie Ribeiro, the 2015 American Athletic Conference Midfielder of the Year, was credited with the assist.
East Carolina junior Autumn Berry evened the score, 1-1, with a goal in the 18th minute. The goal marked the first for Berry this season and second of her career. Senior forward Stephanie Seagrave assisted the equalizer.
UConn regained the lead just before halftime, when Maddie Damm netted the game-winner from 22 yards out on an assist from freshman Kim Urbanek. Damm’s second goal of the year gave the Huskies a 2-1 lead.
Hill added an insurance goal in the 58th minute, giving the Huskies a 3-1 lead over the Pirates. With the pair of goals she now has 12 on the year, and 41 career scores.
UConn totaled 22 shots, with 10 on goal. Hill and Ribeiro led the offense with five shots each; Hill with four on goal and Ribeiro with two.
Five different players tallied one shot each for the Pirates, with Berry’s goal as the team’s only shot on goal. The Pirates’ senior goalie Saundra Baron made seven saves in the match.
The Huskies, the reigning conference tournament champions, advance to the semifinals and will play Cincinnati on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT. The Bearcats defeated Tulsa 2-0 in the first quarterfinal game to secure a spot in the semifinals.
The 2015 championship is being held at Westcott Field on the SMU campus in Dallas. The semifinals will take place on Nov. 5. All games of both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be aired for free on The American Digital Network. The final will be on Sunday, Nov. 8 and will be aired live on ESPN 3/WatchESPN, with a tape delay at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT on ESPNU.