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DALLAS – No. 4 Cincinnati claimed the 2015 American Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship after defeating No. 2 USF 4-2 in penalty kicks.
The game ended in a shootout, after the teams finished 90 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods in a 1-1 draw.
After a scoreless first half, USF took a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute. The team’s leading scorer, senior Olivia Chance, netted a shot from outside 18 on the left side, assisted by junior Trudi Carter. Chance leads the Bulls’ offense this season with 28 points, including nine goals and a league-best 10 assists.
Cincinnati Women's Soccer defeated USF in PKs 4-2 this afternoon... and now the Bearcats are flying home with The American Championship trophy for the first time in program history!Jaycie Brown netted the game tying goal in the 88th minute to eventually send it to PKs! #AmericanRising
Posted by American Athletic Conference on Sunday, November 8, 2015
Cincinnati's Jaycie Brown scored the equalizer on an assist from freshman Cassie Wheldon in the 88th minute, heading the ball over USF’s goalie. With the score tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, the teams headed into overtime.
The Bearcats outshot the Bulls 14-6 with 5-2 shots on goal. Senior Danielle Rotheram led Cincinnati with four shots and one on goal, followed by Brown with three shots and two on goal. Sophomore defender Vanessa Gilles also notched two shots for the Bearcats, both on goal. Chance and Carter each registered two shots for USF.
Cincinnati goalkeeper, junior Natalie Smith, recorded one save in 110:00 minutes of play in the win. Freshman Kaleigh Piscioneri stepped in as the Bearcats' keeper for penalty kicks.
Sophomore Kat Elliott tallied four stops in net for the Bulls.
The Bearcats have outscored opponents 33-18 and posted a league-best 12 shutouts this season. Cincinnati has earned consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since three-straight such campaigns from 2000-02. Additionally, the team’s fourth-place finish in the conference is the program’s best since the 2002 season.
As American Athletic Conference Champion, Cincinnati receives an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. The bracket will be announced Monday, Nov. 9 at 4:30 pm ET and the Bearcats will find out whether they will host their first round match.
Cincinnati and USF were well represented on the All-Tournament team, which was announced right after the championship game:
2015 American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team
Ashley Spivey, M, UCF
Vera Varis, GK, UCF
Jaycie Brown, M, Cincinnati
Julie Gavorski, F, Cincinnati
Vanessa Gilles, D, Cincinnati
Danielle Rotheram, M, Cincinnati
Rachel Hill, F, UConn
Stephanie Ribeiro, M, UConn
Olivia Chance, M, USF
Jackie Simpson, D, USF
Leticia Skeete, F, USF
Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Tournament was awarded to Cincinnati sophomore midfielder Jaycie Brown, who netted the game-tying goal in the final to force overtime. Brown also scored a goal in the Bearcats' 2-0 quarterfinal victory over No. 5 Tulsa.
The Bearcats’ sophomore Vanessa Gilles claimed Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Tournament. Gilles headed in the game-winning goal of Thursday’s semifinal match against No. 1 UConn, sending Cincinnati to its first conference final.