Soccer defeats Air Force Academy
This past weekend, the Rice University soccer team hosted and defeated the Air Force Academy Falcons for the first time in school history. In the 21st minute of the match, Air Force struck a crossed-in ball past Rice goalkeeper Amy Czyz to take a 1-0 lead. Just two minutes later, the Falcons added a second goal, giving them a 2-0 cushion early in the game. In the 30th minute, Rice sophomore Jenny Fichera fired a shot and found the top of the net, just avoiding the diving hand of the Air Force goalkeeper, making the halftime score 2-1 in favor of Air Force.
In the second half, the Owls defense did not forfeit a goal, giving Rice a chance to find the equalizing score. Twenty minutes into the half, the goal came when junior Lauren Hughes scored on a header off of an assist from junior Danielle Spriggs. The score remained 2-2 for the remainder of regulation.
For the fifth time this season, Rice headed into overtime. Seven minutes into the extra period, Hughes scored the game-winning goal on her second score of the night, giving the Owls the victory. With the win, Rice stretched their unbeaten streak to six games, four of which have been wins.
Hughes said she realized early that Rice was not playing the brand of soccer they like and subsequently made changes at halftime.
“We went into halftime, and we weren’t playing Rice soccer,” Hughes said. “We wanted to get back to our game, and we found a way to. It wasn’t the prettiest game but, hey, good teams win games.”
According to Hughes, the non-conference schedule this season has given Rice a winning edge.
“We’ve had a very strong preseason and done well,” Hughes said. “There is a lot of pressure on us to win. We are ready to go [into Conference USA play], and we are ready to win.”
Head Coach Nicky Adams said the character and grit the team shows on the field helps them win close games.
“One thing we know for sure is that this team has so much character,” Adams said. “They find a way to win. [The] sign of a really good team is finding a way to get it done, and it’s exciting to be a part of.”
Adams said she believes Conference USA teams will seek out Rice and put in their best effort to beat the Owls.
“Heading into conference play at 4-1-2 means we have a target on our back,” Adams said. “We need to be prepared to handle that. But our team is a group of winners; they never give up.”
The Owls will remain at home this weekend and open up with two C-USA matchups. On Friday night, Rice will take on the University of Southern Mississippi at 7:00 p.m. Rice will also play the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs on Sunday, Sept 28 at 1:00 p.m.
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