University of Houston
Louisiana-Lafayette
Cougars Draw Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 1-1
9/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Freshman Georgi Dolence scored her first career goal as a Cougar to help Houston (1-2-4) claim its third consecutive 1-1 (2 OT) result.
"What an unbelievable game for us, and I am so proud of this team," head coach Chris Pfau said. "We had every excuse going into this game to lose; long, tough trip to Georgia, two overtime games last weekend, players sick and injured, but we battled and competed and figured out how to get a result on the road."
After the teams played a scoreless first half, the Ragin Cajuns (4-3-1) came out strong in the second half and found a goal in the 52nd minute. Grace Howell-Harries played a ball into the box from the left side where Whitney Taggert put in a shot from five yards out.
However, the resilient Cougars wasted very little time making a comeback as Dolence buried her goal, just 71 seconds later, off a ball played into the box from senior forward Alexis Weaver.
"We are keeping the ball better and creating more scoring opportunities than we have since I have been here," Pfau said. "If we keep doing that our chances will start going in. The thing we have to do better is be a little more patient on the attack when teams get numbers in behind the ball. That will come as we play more together as a team."
The remainder of regulation was a defensive battle, and the Cougars found themselves playing in their third consecutive overtime game. Houston took a pair of shots on goal late in the second overtime by juniors Hailey Kirkwood and Lexa Green, but they could not find the game winning goal.
"This was a good non-conference run for us with seven games and only two loses," Pfau said. "Now we have to get ready for conference and understand there is a next level and a different speed."
UP NEXT
Houston kicks off its second season of American Athletic Conference play when they host in-state rival SMU on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m., at Carl Lewis Field. The Mustangs entered play this weekend with a 3-4 record on the season and is scheduled to face TCU and Gonzaga this weekend.
TICKETS
Season tickets for the upcoming 2014 Houston Cougar soccer season are on sale now for just $50. Houston's schedule features nine home games with different themes on display for each game. For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Houston Athletics Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) or click here.
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