Soccer team stuck at .500 in conference play
Returning home for the weekend, Rice women's soccer played the University of North Texas on Friday night, winning 4-0, and lost 1-0 Sunday to the University of Tulsa in a game aired on national television. The team looks to improve its conference record, now at .500, with a win on the road this Saturday, when it faces the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.
In Friday's contest against UNT, Rice scored only one goal in the first half, but increased its scoring output in the second half, making three more goals. The team relied on contributions from junior midfielder Gabriela Iribarne, who scored two goals, and from sophomore midfielder Jasmine Isokpunwu and junior forward Quinny Truong, who each scored a goal. Junior goalkeeper Amy Czyz also contributed to the defensive shutout with five saves.
Head Coach Nicky Adams said she had nothing but high praise for the win and the team's consistent play.
"I was really proud of the way we played," Adams said. "I thought we came out and played as a collective unit, and the scoreboard showed it."
On Sunday, the Owls played Tulsa at home, falling to the Golden Hurricane 1-0. Although Rice had 10 shots, with five on target, Tulsa senior goalkeeper Hayley Harryman recorded five saves to preserve the shutout. The first and only goal came in the 38th minute, when Tulsa sophomore midfielder Alexa Sidorakis scored off an assist from freshman forward Annette Sohmer for her first goal of the season. Notable contributions came from Czyz, who recorded four saves, and sophomore forward Lauren Hughes, who recorded three shots on goal.
After both games, senior defender Hayley Williams said the defensive effort of both teams was outstanding and felt that even with the loss, the Owls have been making progress.
"I was really proud of our defensive effort," Williams said. "We started our season kind of rough, but I think we have started to figure it out."
Adams said the team needs to put this loss behind it and focus on its road matches ahead.
"We need to focus on the now and what we have," Adams said. "We're going to come out with the same mentality against a very good Southern Mississippi team."
This Saturday, Rice will play Southern Miss. The Owls are 2-2 in Conference USA to start the season and will look to jumpstart their record against the Golden Eagles. In last year's matchup, also in Hattiesburg, the Rice Owls put away Southern Miss in a 1-0 shutout. Then-freshman forward Holly Hargreaves scored the game-winning goal to become the first Owl to score the game-winning goal in four straight games.
Adams said if the team wants to repeat the historic night from last season, it needs to be prepared because the teams in C-USA are only getting better.
"We have to be ready," Adams said. "Everyone in this league is improving, and Southern Mississippi is definitely one of them."
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