Houston Battles its Way to 1-1 Draw with Cincinnati

Sunday, September 30

Cincinnati, Ohio

12:00 p.m. CT

University of Houston

6-6-2 (2-1-1)

Cincinnati

6-5-2 (1-2-1)

OT 3

OT 4

Houston

Cincinnati

Photo by: Wilf Thorne/Wilf Thorne Photography

Houston Battles its Way to 1-1 Draw with Cincinnati

9/30/2018 3:25:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

Cougars close out second week of play in The American with four points

CINCINNATI – The University of Houston soccer team battled for 110 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Cincinnati, Sunday afternoon at Gettler Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Fresh off of its sixth overtime match of the season and second consecutive, Houston jumped out of the gate early and posted a goal inside the 11^th minute of action.
Mia Brascia shook off a Cincinnati defender to score her second goal of the season and second goal of the weekend to put Houston up 1-0.
The Cougar defense would hold off eight first half shots from Cincinnati to head into the break with a 1-0 advantage.
Houston continued to apply pressure to Cincinnati with four second half shots and a strong defensive presence on the Bearcat end of the field in the second frame.
With time dwindling down, Houston would be called for a handball inside the box with four seconds to play in regulation.
Cincinnati's Jill Vetere lined up for the penalty kick and senior goalkeeper Rachel Estopare would dive and block the initial shot. Vetere connected with the deflection for a UC goal to send the game into overtime.
Houston outshot the Bearcats 5-1 in the first overtime period and Estopare racked up three more saves. Both teams would remain deadlocked and force a second overtime period.
The Cougars continued to batter the Cincinnati defense, outshooting Cincinnati 2-0 in the second overtime period. Both teams would remain scoreless and end the match in a 1-1 draw.
Overall, each team recorded 17 shots and Houston posted seven SOG to UC's six.
Houston held Cincinnati to a season-low two points
Brascia led Houston in shots with five, three of which we on target which is her season-high.
Estopare posted five saves in 110 minutes of action on 16 shots faced.

OTHER NOTABLES

The Cougars improve to 6-6-2 this season and 2-1-1 in the American Athletic Conference.
Brascia now has two goals for the season to go along with her seven assists and six career goals.
Houston has played seven overtime matches this season and three consecutive. Houston is averaging 95.7 minutes per contest.
The Cougars have 25 goals this season, compared to the 29 goals they scored all of last season.
Houston has 16 assists this season, compared to the 23 it had all of last season.
Two of Houston's last three meetings with Cincinnati have ended in a draw and the all-time series between the programs is now 3-7-2 in favor of the Bearcats.
Houston is now 2-3-2 in overtime matches this season.
Estopare is now third all-time in saves at Houston with 191.

UP NEXT
The Cougars will return home to the Carl Lewis Complex for an Oct. 4 meeting with No. 20 Memphis at 12 p.m. On Oct. 7 Houston will host Tulsa with the first kick slated for 1 p.m.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS
The Houston Soccer program is excited to celebrate 20 years of Houston soccer this season. The team unveiled a logo on June 14 that represents 20 years of Houston soccer. The logo is featured on one of the three uniforms that the Cougars will wear throughout the season.

TICKETS
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office is proud to offer season tickets for the 2018-19 athletic season. For just $25, Cougar fans can purchase one season ticket, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Soccer matches. To purchase a season ticket, click HERE.

FOLLOW THE COUGARS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in University of Houston Cougar athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonAthletics), Twitter (@UHCougars), Instagram (houstoncougars) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/UHAthletics). In addition, the soccer team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/UHCougarSoccer) and Twitter pages (@UHCougarSoccer), which provide regular updates on the team and live results during home matches.