CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
BOX SCORE
DALLAS – Sophomore defender Vanessa Gilles headed in the golden goal in the 98th minute to lift no. 4 Cincinnati to a 3-2 overtime win over top-seeded UConn.
The Huskies had a 2-0 lead at halftime, with the first goal in the 20th minute by 2015 Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Rachel Hill. Senior defender Annie Wickett assisted the score. Hill leads the team with 29 points (13 goals, three assists). The junior played 28 minutes in the first half and did not return to the game after leaving due to a collision. Senior Liana Hinds netted the team’s second goal in the 43rd minute, assisted by freshman Kim Urbanek.
Cincinnati scored two late second-half goals to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime. Senior Danielle Rotheram notched her team-leading 10th goal of the season in the 79th minute to put Cincinnati on the board, trailing the Huskies 2-1. Sophomore Julie Gavorski netted the equalizer in the 88th minute, assisted by Rotheram and freshman Cassie Wheldon.
Gilles knocked in the game-winner on Kelly Latimer’s free kick from the right side.
The Bearcats outshot the Huskies 26-17, and 10-8 shots on goal. Gavorski led Cincinnati with nine shots and four on goal, followed by Rotheram with six shots; recording two on goal. UConn’s Stephanie Ribeiro had six shots with one on goal, followed by Samantha McGuire with four shots and three on goal.
Junior Natalie Smith played 90 minutes in net for the Bearcats, recording six saves in the win.
Emily Armstrong, the 2015 American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, registered seven saves for the Huskies.
The win marks the second for Cincinnati in The American postseason, after being eliminated in the quarterfinals the past two years. The Bearcats will play the winner of No. 2 USF/No. 3 UCF in Sunday’s title game matchup at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT. That game will be aired live on ESPN 3/WatchESPN, with a tape delay at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT on ESPNU. The 2015 championship is being held at Westcott Field on the SMU campus in Dallas.