PREVIEW: Houston Opens Big 12 Conference Play Against Cincinnati

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Soccer team opens Big 12 Conference action against Cincinnati at 6 p.m., Thursday at the Carl Lewis International Complex.

After finishing their non conference schedule undefeated for the first time in school history, the Cougars (5-0-2) look to open their Big 12 slate with a win for the first time since joining the league.

Tickets for Thursday's match against the Bearcats (2-2-4) can be found here. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with Matt Pedersen (play-by-play), Brooke Kirchhofer (analyst) and Vicente Garcia (reporter) calling the action. Live stats for the match can be found here.

Fans who attend both the soccer match vs. Cincinnati on Thursday and volleyball match vs. Liberty on Friday will receive a 'Los Coogs' Hispanic Heritage t-shirt when they check in on the Hispanic Heritage punch card in the Pride Rewards app.

LAST TIME OUT
The Cougars defeated UTRGV in a 1-0 nail biter on Thursday at the Carl Lewis International Complex. Sophomore Savannah Tafireyi scored the game winner in the 44th minute and the Cougars escaped a late push from the Vaqueros to keep the undefeated streak alive.

ABOUT THE COUGARS

Head Coach Ben Williams is in his first season leading the Cougars. Williams is in his second season as a head coach in the college ranks.
Graduate Jaden Humbyrd, junior Kyrsten Kizer and sophomore Casey Maddox were named captains for the 2025 season as voted on by their teammates.
The Cougars feature a revamped roster with 15 newcomers including 11 transfers and four freshmen.
Houston has 23 goals on the season with 14 different goal scorers.
Adelhia Ghonda leads the Cougars with four goals this season
Houston only gave up one goal during non conference play for the first time in school history.
The Cougars went undefeated in non conference play for the first time in program history.
Houston leads the Big 12 Conference with 171 shots taken. The Cougars are averaging 24.43 shots per game through seven matches.
The Cougars rank top 10 in the country in nine different categories: Corner Kicks Per Game (7), Goal Differential (4,) Goals-Against Average (3), Points Per Game (9), Save Percentage (3), Scoring Offense (6), Shots Per Game (3), Shots on Goal Per Game (2) and Shutout Percentage (4).

ABOUT CINCINNATI

Cincinnati is 2-2-4 on the season with their last three contests ending in a draw.
The Bearcats' last match resulted in a 1-1 draw against Northern Kentucky on Sep. 7.
Jada Arthurs leads Cincinnati with three assists on the season.
Goalkeeper Camryn Miller has played every minute this season tallying three shutouts.
Head Coach Erica Demers is in her second season leading the Bearcats and has a 54-46-26 record in her coaching career (eighth season).

HISTORY WITH CINCINNATI

Thursday's match will be the 18th meeting between Houston and Cincinnati.
The Cougars previous two meetings with the Bearcats ended in defeats.
Houston and Cincinnati's last meeting resulted in a 4-1 win for the Bearcats in Cincinnati (Oct. 6, 2024).
At home, Houston has the advantage with a 4-3 record against Cincinnati.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Soccer by providing NIL opportunities and by joining the Cougar Reserves which provides financial support directly to Houston Soccer for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarSoccer on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarSoccer or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougarsoccer.

− UHCougars.com –

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