Soccer drops match to UNM, ties Texas State
The Rice University women's soccer team faced a doubleheader this weekend, playing in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico, where the Owls fell 3-0 before traveling Sunday to San Marcos to take on Texas State University. The Owls bounced back against Texas State, tying the game 0-0.
Head Coach Nicky Adams said the game at New Mexico was the start of a rough weekend for the team, which scored zero goals in the two matches.
"We have a really young team, and we're still trying to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together," Adams said.
All three goals scored against the Owls resulted from free kicks. Adams said this should not be happening and that these defensive mistakes need to be corrected in the future.
"You can play 90 minutes of hard defense and still lose off of free kicks," Adams said. "It's a tough pill to swallow."
According to Adams, playing on the road was already tough, and the team also had to endure a higher altitude and drier air, two things players used to Houston weather know little about.
Adams said that, at the end of the day, the Lobos were the more physical team.
"They came out rough and challenged us," Adams said. "They deserved to win."
After the loss, the Owls traveled Sunday night to San Marcos to play Texas State. Inclement weather forced the game to be delayed, and the team had to return to the bus to wait until playable conditions prevailed.
Adams said the Owls made up for their lackluster performance in the first game.
"I thought we came out and put a lot of pressure on them," Adams said.
Junior goalkeeper Amy Czyz recorded five saves, and the Owls recorded 19 shots, nine of which were on target of the goal.
Adams said Rice had many opportunities but could not capitalize on them, which she said has been a problem so far in the season.
"We got really great looks on goal, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net," Adams said.
Senior defender Hayley Williams said she is optimistic about the future of the team even after the shaky beginning to the season.
"We are going to focus on us," Williams said. "We are going to take it day by day, session by session and concentrate on what makes us good as a team: our possession, hard-nosed gritty defending and high-flying attack. The beauty of soccer is that every game is a new chance to prove ourselves, and this season is just getting started."
Now, after a seesaw weekend, Adams said the team is looking forward to the future, especially returning home after the four-game road trip.
"We're excited to be back at Rice to play at home for the next two weekends," Adams said.
Adams said being on the road for two weeks took a toll on the Owls but that they now have to worry about playing Lamar University this weekend and are looking to redeem themselves from their disappointing trip.
"As a whole, this weekend told us a lot about our team and how we need to improve," Adams said.
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