UCF and USF earned home league wins in American Athletic Conference women's soccer action over the weekend.

Saturday, Feb. 20
VCU 3, East Carolina 1 - Box Score
Sunday, Feb. 21
UCF 1, Cincinnati 0 - Box Score
USF 2, Temple 0 - Box Score

UCF 1, Cincinnati 0 - Box Score

Orlando, Fla. – The Knights moved to 2-0 on the season with a thrilling win over the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sunday afternoon. 

A goal in the 85th minute by Ellie Moreno on an assist from Katie Bradley gave the Knights a 1-0 lead.

The Moreno goal proved to be all the Knights needed as they would hold on to win 1-0, her first game-winning goal of the season.

USF 2, Temple 0 - Box Score

TAMPA, Fla. – The Bulls opened up their 2020 conference and home slate with a 2-0 victory over the Temple Owls on Saturday. Two first half goals paired with an excellent defensive effort earned USF the victory. 
 
USF (2-0, 1-0 AAC) struck first in the home and conference opener for the Bulls. Paula Leblic received a long pass into the box and a crossing path found Katie Kitching's left foot and the back of the net to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bulls doubled their lead in the 29^th minute on a free kick from Leblic. The Spaniard scored with her first goal of the season after her free kick deflected into the net off a Temple defender. 
 
USF's 2-0 lead held into the second half where they continued to play well on both sides of the ball. Defensively, USF's effort stifled the Owls offense. Temple (1-2, 0-2 AAC) was held without a shot until the 44^th minute and only tallied two on the afternoon, with neither going on goal.
 
Junior Sydney Martinez recorded her 12^th career shutout and her second consecutive clean sheet in the effort.

VCU 3, East Carolina 1 - Box Score

RICHMOND, VA. – On a windy day, the ECU soccer team did not have the bounces go its way as the Pirates fell at VCU 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Pirates fall to 1-2-0 on the season while VCU improves to a perfect 3-0-0.
 
Inside of ten minutes, the Rams were able to turn their pressure into a goal. A cross in the eighth minute took an unlucky bounce off a Pirate player and ended up in the back of the ECU goal to give VCU a 1-0 lead.
 
The Pirates tried to get that goal back as soon as possible. ECU took three shots over the following 10 minutes, including one each from Tori Riggs and Grace Doran that required the VCU goalkeeper, Brecht Haakma, to make saves.
 
Unfortunately for ECU, the Rams got a second goal after a Pirate foul in the box. That gave VCU a penalty kick and Emma Kershner converted the spot kick to double the Rams' lead.
 
Finally, ECU got a break of its own. In the 71st minute, Morgan Dewey launched a free kick from nearly the halfway line deep into the VCU box. Multiple Pirates were close to getting a touch on Dewey's forward pass, but despite none of them actually getting a foot or head on it, the pressure helped allow the pass to take a bounce and end up in the goal for Dewey's first tally of the year.
 
The deficit suddenly cut in half, the Pirates looked to tie the game. VCU had other ideas though. On a Rams' counter attack, Anna Bagley collected an ECU clearance and got into the right side of the Pirate box. Bagley took a shot across her body and slipped the ball just inside the far post for VCU's third goal of the day.