Soccer finishes regular season with win
The Rice University soccer team closed out the 2014 regular season on the road this past Thursday with a 2-0 victory over the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Rice completed the season with an 11-3-3 record (7-2-1 C-USA) and earned 22 points in conference play.
With Thursday’s victory, the Owls tied the University of North Texas for first place in C-USA. However, UNT had one more match to play. UNT won their game Friday night and managed to clinch the C-USA title, but the Owls’ record earned them second place in C-USA and the No. 2 seed in the Conference USA tournament held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On Thursday night, the Owls scored in the fourth minute of the match. Senior midfielder Gabriela Iribarne earned her third goal in the past two matches on a 15-yard strike. With Rice leading 1-0, junior forward Lauren Hughes fired a bending shot from outside the box that found its way into the top corner of the net. With the goal, Hughes set a Rice record by scoring in five consecutive matches. The defenders were tested during the game as Rice was outshot 14-12 and gave up 10 corner kicks. However, the Owls played their way to their eighth shutout on the season and the 2-0 victory.
Head Coach Nicky Adams said she was pleased with the way the Owls jumped out to an early lead against a UAB team determined to clinch a C-USA tournament berth.
“We came in knowing that UAB was going to give us their best game because their backs were against the wall to get in the conference tournament,” Adams said. “We came out and played well in the first half scoring two goals … That was a huge help.”
The Owls now have their eyes on winning the Conference USA tournament and clinching an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. To clinch the berth, the Owls must win three consecutive games in an eight-team bracket, single-elimination system. The first game is scheduled between the No. 2 seed Owls and the No. 7 seed Western Kentucky University. Kick off is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The winner between the Owls and the Hilltoppers will play the winner of No. 3 seed University of Texas, El Paso and the No. 6 seed Louisiana Tech University two days later on Nov. 7.
Hughes, the leading scorer in C-USA with 12 goals, said the team is confident and ready to play in this tournament.
“We’re going into this tournament confident in ourselves and ready to fight to win,” Hughes said. “This is the best team I’ve seen since coming here, and I know that we have all the elements to win this tournament and move on to NCAAs.”
Hughes said the current four-game win streak has helped establish momentum heading into the tournament.
“Going into the tournament on a four-game win streak is really exciting,” Hughes said. “There have been a low number of chances for the other teams … and offensively we’ve been combining really well [to make sure] the ball goes in the back of the net.”
Senior midfielder Quinny Truong said she attributes the improvement of this year’s team to the enhanced chemistry and teamwork on the squad.
“The team dynamic [and] the selflessness this team has portrayed over this past season … [have] been the biggest factor to our success,” Truong said. “All the dedication, hard work and trust we have in one another has been what makes this one team unique compared to other teams of the past.”
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