PROVIDENCE, R.I. - In a busy Sunday of American Athletic Conference women's soccer action that was largely affected by weather, ECU, Houston, Memphis and SMU all put forth impressive wins. No. 20/19 USF saw its match against Delaware canceled while RV/- UCF will now host RV/- Florida today at 1 p.m.
Results
Memphis 3, Louisiana 0
Memphis women's soccer extended its win streak Sunday afternoon to four matches behind a 3-0 victory against Louisiana at the Rice Tournament. A goal in the 36th minute helped Memphis break through, while the Tiger offense surged for two more second-half goals.
Memphis set the tone early with three shots and three corner kicks within the first 11 minutes. The Tiger offense finally broke the Louisiana defense in the 36th minute after a Jessica Lisi corner kick set up Caroline Duncan for her first career collegiate goal. Clarissa Larisey added her seventh goal of the season to open the second half. On a pass from Marie Levasseur, Larisey found the back of the net in the 50th minute to increase the Memphis lead to 2-0.
Memphis returns to action Thursday at Arkansas State. Kickoff from Jonesboro, Ark., is set for 4 p.m.
Temple 1, Boston College 4
Playing a formidable ACC opponent in undefeated Boston College (8-0), Temple women's soccer fell 4-1 to the undefeated Eagles despite strong second-half play.
Marissa DiGenova made a key save in the 6th minute to prevent a Boston College goal. DiGenova was optimally positioned on the goal line to stop a scoring attempt by Eagles forward Jenna Bike. Boston College took a 2-0 lead in the first half. Both goals were scored on set pieces. In the 26th minute, forward Sam Coffey found the net off a penalty kick. The penalty kick was earned after a handball due to an unfavorable bounce during a Boston College free kick. Eagles midfielder Kayla Jennings scored in the 31st minute with a header off a corner.
The Owls continue their road stretch as they face NJIT on Friday, Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m.
UConn 1, Arkansas 3
The UConn women's soccer team scored first for the second straight game but three unanswered Arkansas goals lifted the Razorbacks to a 3-1 win.
Despite trailing 7-0 in shots heading into the 31st minute, it was UConn that got on the scoreboard first. Junior Alexa Casimiro perfectly placed a shot from the top of the box to push the Huskies ahead, 1-0. It was déjà vu for the Prospect, Conn. native because Casimiro scored the first goal of the game in last year's match vs. the Razorbacks at Morrone Stadium. For Casimiro it was her first goal of the season and fourth of her UConn career.
Goalkeeper Randi Palacios recorded six saves in the match including a pair of saves in the first half that kept Arkansas off the scoreboard.
Up next, the Huskies head home for the first time in two weeks with a match against Eastern Michigan on Friday, Sept. 14 at Morrone Stadium.
ECU 3, Charlotte 0
In one of its toughest games of the non-conference season, the ECU women's soccer team played its best game of the year to dominate Charlotte 3-0 on Sunday afternoon in Johnson Stadium.
Courtney Cash scored a pair of goals on either side of the halftime whistle in order to separate the Pirates from the 49ers. First, in the 39th minute, Daria Draovitch crossed in from the right side and Cash was first to it. The senior forward did not waste any time taking a settling touch, instead choosing to take a one-time shot that was too much for Stapleton to keep out of the Charlotte goal.
The Pirates have one last non-conference game left on the schedule. That match is a date with UNC Wilmington on Thursday evening. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Cincinnati 1, No. 10/17 Auburn 3
Cincinnati, coming off a gritty 0-0 draw at home to No. 16 Kansas Thursday night, faced another stiff test Sunday as they took an early lead, but it was not enough as the Bearcats dropped a 3-1 decision at No. 10 and undefeated Auburn.
Cassie Wheldon scored the lone goal for UC, netting her first goal of the year and her first since the 2015 season as she converted from the penalty spot early in the game. With the goal, UC is just the second team to score on Auburn in the opening half of play this year and tallied just the third goal overall.
The Bearcats return home next week for a pair of matches to close out the non-conference portion of their 2018 slate. First, UC will welcome Lipscomb to Gettler Stadium Thursday night for a 7 p.m. clash with the Bisons before the Bearcats and LSU Tigers close out the weekend with a 1 p.m. start Sunday.
Tulsa 0, Rice 2
The Tulsa women's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision at Rice on Sunday afternoon at Holloway Field in Houston, Texas.
The game was delayed two hours due to lightning and inclement weather in Houston.
Annie Walker gave Rice a quick 1-0 lead as she scored from the right side off a combination from Lianne Mananquil and Marissa Topolski just 7:50 into the contest. Dominique Mazero added a score for the Owls in the 26th minute, also off a pass from Mananquil, for a 2-0 advantage for Rice. Neither team found the back of the net for the remaining 64 minutes of the contest for the final 2-0 score.
Tulsa will return to action on Friday, September 14 against crosstown rival Oral Roberts. Game time is set for 7:30 pm at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium.
Houston 2, McNeese State 0
The Houston women's soccer team remains perfect inside the Carl Lewis Complex, defeating McNeese State 2-0 Sunday evening.
After a 45 minute delay due to field conditions, the Cougars came out swinging. Houston posted six shots in the first 15 minutes of play. The Cougars outshot the Cowgirls 11-4 in the opening frame, racking up six corners in the first 45 minutes. Both teams would head into the break scoreless.
A little over a minute into the second period Mia Brascia lined up for a free kick. The ball would sail into the middle of the box where Madison Fulp would connect with it for her first goal of both the season and her career. Fulp headed the ball past the McNeese goalkeeper, giving Houston a 1-0 lead.
Houston will return to action on when it travels to Colorado for a pair of road games. The Cougars will face Air Force on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., before meeting Colorado College at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 16.
RV/- SMU 5, Florida International 2
The Mustangs netted two goals in the game's first five minutes as SMU improved to 4-1-1 on the season with a 5-2 win over FIU Sunday night at Westcott Field.
In their largest scoring output since 2016, the Mustangs wasted no time as Courtney Sebazco netted her third goal of the season, this one coming after a deflection from the keeper. Blair Thorpe found the back of the net for the first time this season less than two minutes later, as she scored from an angle with an assist credited to Katia Novi.
Next up, Women's Soccer hits the road for their final weekend before conference play. SMU takes on Northern Colorado on Thursday and Colorado State on Sunday.
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