Championship Central

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UCF and SMU earned wins in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship Sunday (Nov. 3) to advance to the semifinals.
 
Third-seeded UCF (11-3-4) defeated No. 6 seed Houston (6-14-0), 5-0, in Orlando, Fla., while the fifth-seeded Mustangs (12-6-1) went on the road and picked up a 1-0 win at No. 4 seed Cincinnati (7-9-4).
 
Memphis will host the semifinals on Nov. 7 and the final on Nov. 10. The semifinals will be streamed live on the American Digital Network, while the final will air live on ESPNU. The tournament champion will earn the league’s automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship.
 
In Orlando, Ellie Moreno scored less than two minutes into the match and the Knights never looked back. Darya Rajaee doubled the lead in the 22nd minute off a feed from Kristen Scott and UCF took a 2-0 advantage into the half.
 
Dayana Martin scored a brace in the first 12 minutes of the second period, first off a pass from Ally Gudorf, the second coming off an assist from Zandy Soree. Jessica Taylor closed the scoring in the 67th minute with Gudorf and Christina Trickett being credited with assists.
 
In goal, Caroline DeLisle made three saves to earn a shutout for UCF, while Sammy Cude recorded seven saves for the Cougars.
 
Up in Cincinnati, SMU’s Brooke Golik scored in the 51st minute for the only score of the match. She was assisted by Celiana Torres. It was a tightly-contested affair that saw only three shots on goal, with the Mustangs converting their only shot on target.
 
Tatum Sutherland recorded two saves to earn a shutout for SMU, making one in each half.
 
Up next, UCF will take on second-seeded USF (12-4-0), while SMU will face The American regular-season champion Memphis (16-1-1).
 
Live coverage will be available throughout the championship at TheAmerican.org and on the conference’s social media platforms @American_WSoc on Twitter and AmericanConf on Facebook.
 
2019 American Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship
 
Sunday, Nov. 3 – First Round
Game 1: No. 3 UCF 5, No. 6 Houston 0
Game 2: No. 5 SMU 1, No. 4 Cincinnati 0
 
Thursday, Nov. 7 – Semifinals – Host: Memphis
Game 3: No. 3 UCF (11-3-4) vs. No. 2 USF (12-4-0) – 5:30 p.m. Eastern – American Digital Network
Game 4: No. 5 SMU (12-6-1) at No. 1 Memphis (16-1-1) – 8 p.m. Eastern – American Digital Network
 
Sunday, Nov. 10 – Final – Host: Memphis
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 2 p.m. Eastern - ESPNU