PROVIDENCE, R.I. - With just three weeks and five dates of competition left on the American Athletic Conference women's soccer slate it is shaping up as a wild finish with five teams separated by just one win for first-place in the standings. No. 18/24 Memphis came from behind at SMU to move into sole possession of first with 12 points. Houston posted a shutout of Tulsa to take hold of second with 10 points. RV/25 USF and UCF both earned wins Sunday to move into a three-way tie with SMU for third place with nine points each.
Sunday, October 8
18/24 Memphis 2, SMU 1
Despite a first-half deficit, the No. 18/24 Memphis women's soccer team collected its 10th straight victory behind a 2-1 win at SMU on Sunday afternoon.
The Mustangs held a 1-0 lead at halftime, but a pair of goals just five minutes apart in the early stages of the second half helped Memphis to their seventh road victory of the season. The Tigers' 10th-straight win also matches 2011's win streak as the second longest in program history.
SMU struck first in the 11th minute of the contest as a shot by Blair Thorpe found the upper left corner of the goal. the Tigers finally broke through on their fifth corner of the half in the 55th minute. Olivia Gauthier sent a perfectly placed ball into the six-yard box, and Elizabeth Woerner was in position to redirect the ball past the keeper.
The Tigers claimed the lead just five minutes later in the 59th minute. With SMU maintaining possession, Woerner and Serena Dolan helped regain the ball for the Tigers, and Samantha Murphy then sent a pass to Clarissa Larisey. After drawing the keeper out of the goal, Larisey surged past the netminder and notched her eighth goal of the season into the wide-open net for the 2-1 lead.
Memphis returns home to take on RV/25 USF in their next match this Thursday. SMU heads into its bye week.
RV/25 USF 4, ECU 0
USF, the current national leader in scoring offense, scored four unanswered goals in its match against ECU.
The Bulls kicked off the scoring frenzy in the 44th minute when freshman Sydny Nasello sent a cross just inside the 6-yard box where junior Rebekah Anderson took a quick shot for her first career NCAA goal. In the 55th minute junior Andrea Hauksdottir set up for a free kick, she sent the ball up over the defense to the top right corner from about 20 yards out. Less than a minute later, the Icelandic midfielder took a hard shot right down the middle for USF's third goal, and her second in less than a minute.
In the 77th minute, All-American Evelyne Viens got past two defenders and shot from inside the 18-yard box to net her 41st career goal and tie the record for career goals at USF. Senior Cassidy Kallenborn earned the assist.
Up next, USF takes its final road trip of the regular season next week when it visits Tulsa on Thursday. ECU heads home to take on UConn.
UCF 2, Cincinnati 1
After falling behind in the second half, UCF rallied to earn a 2-1 victory over Cincinnati in double overtime on Sunday afternoon.
The Knights fell behind in the 56th minute, as Cincinnati used a goal from Jill Vetere to take a 1-0 lead. In a reversal of Thursday night, UCF responded with a marker of its own, as Kristen Scott collected the rebound of Stefanie Sanders' shot, finding the back of the net in the 85th minute.
Heading to overtime for its second-straight match, the Knights nearly captured the win in the first extra period, as Scott had a header that looked to be going in before a great Cincinnati defensive play kept the ball out.
Just 46 seconds into the second overtime period, Madison Murnin found Sanders just outside the 18-yard box, setting up the sophomore for her third game-winning goal of the season.
UCF now heads to league-leading Memphis on Thursday night. Cincinnati goes home to take on Temple.
Houston 2, Tulsa 0
Houston soccer team posted its fourth shutout of the season in a 2-0 win over Tulsa to move into sole possession of second-place in The American standings with 10 points.
Houston got out to an aggressive start, posting eight first-half shots. Both teams went back and forth in the opening frame, heading into the break scoreless.
The Cougars turned up the intensity in the second frame, posting eight more shots. Inside the 58th minute, Kaitlyn Wild would scamper down the far side of the field, before cutting to the middle and firing a shot past a Tulsa defender and into the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
With time dwindling down Houston would draw a foul inside the box for its second penalty kick of the season and first in conference play. Olivia Lee lined up and fired a shot past the Tulsa goalkeeper to put the Cougars up 2-0 with under 10 minutes to play.
Houston enters its bye week while Tulsa hosts RV/25 USF on Thursday night.
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