Soccer Weekend Preview
9/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Sept. 17, 2003
Fast Facts on the Games
DePaul's 2003 Record: 4-2-1
DePaul's 2002 Record: 10-8-1
Lifetime Series: UH vs DePaul Houston leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 27, 2002; UH won, 1-0
Marquette's 2003 Record: 3-2-1
Marquette's 2002 Record: 13-8-2
Lifetime Series: UH vs Marquette Series Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 30, 2001; Marquette won 2-1
Houston Opens Conference Play on the Road at DePaul, Marquette
Conference USA soccer action kicks off this weekend as Houston travels to take on the DePaul Blue Demons on Friday (Sept. 19) and the Marquette Golden Eagles on Sunday (Sept. 21) afternoon . . . Houston, 3-0 lifetime at DePaul's Wish Field, looks to improve its lifetime series against DePaul (4-2-0) to 5-0, having blanked the Blue Demons, 1-0, the last time these two schools faced each other on Sept. 27 of last season . . . After starting the season 0-1, the Blue Demons won their next four matches before having their streak snapped by Northwestern last Sunday as the Wildcats scored two first-half goals and held on for a 2-1 win.
The Golden Eagles (3-2-1) and Cougars enter this weekend's match tied in the two school's all-time series, 2-2 . . . This weekend marks the first time ecah have faced off on the soccer field since Sept, 30, 2001, when the Golden Eagles held on for the 2-1 win at Robertson Stadium . . . Houston is 1-1 at Marquette's Valley Fields, being shut out 4-0 in 2000 (Oct. 13) and upsetting the then No. 23-ranked Golden Eagles, 2-1, in Houston's inaugural 1998 season (Sept. 18) . . . Marquette overcame a one goal deficit to pick up a 2-1 win over Wis.-Green Bay on Tuesday (Sept. 16) night in its last time out . . . Marquette goalie Katie Bissen is currently ranked third in the nation with a 0.24 goals-against average.
Against the Conference
The Cougars posted an above-.500 record (4-3-3) against opponents in 2002 and enter the 2003 C-USA season carrying a 35-17-6 lifetime record against league foes since joining the conference in 1998 . . . After opening up conference play with matches at DePaul and Marquette, Houston returns home for four straight league contests, with its first home C-USA match against the visiting Saint Louis Billikens on Sept. 26 . . . This season's annual C-USA Tournament is slated for Nov. 5-8 in Charlotte, N.C., with the top eight finishers during the regular season earning a spot . . . The Cougars have participated in the annual tourney each of their five seasons.
Hawkins Named Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Following the Cougars' 1-1 split in two games against SEC opponents this weekend, junior midfielder Nikki Hawkins was named Conference USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the week of September 15, sharing the honor with Tulane's Lindsay Morris . . . Hawkins, who leads the 2-4-1 Cougars with three goals and six points overall on the young 2003 campaign, scored the Cougars' lone goal on a penalty kick in a 4-1 loss to SEC foe Georgia on Sept. 12 in the Women's College Cup Classic at Meyer Park in Houston . . . Then on Sunday (Sept. 14) at Robertson Stadium, she registered Houston's lone goal in the 1-1 double-overtime tie with South Carolina . . . For the weekend, Hawkins tallied a total of nine shots, including four on-goal . . . The award is the first such honor for Hawkins, who was named to the Second Team All-Conference in 2002.
Last Time Out: Houston and South Carolina Tie
With both teams netting goals in the first half, the Houston and the visiting South Carolina Gamecocks battled through 65 minutes of scoreless soccer as the game ended in a 1-1 tie on Sunday (Sept. 14) afternoon at Robertson Stadium . . . Junior midfielder Nikki Hawkins, who led the Cougars with four shots on the day, sailed an unassisted kick past a diving Elise Matthews, South Carolina's goalie, three minutes into play for the Cougars' lone score . . . Following a pass from Jessi Swaim, Erin Geldhof beat out Houston goalie Erin Ferguson, who recorded six saves on the afternoon, for the Gamecocks' goal at 41:18 . . . Both teams continued to battle in the second half and in two over-time periods, but defenses on both sides were stellar.
Struggling Cougar Offense
The Cougars have struggled on both the offensive and defense ends early on . . In its first seven games of 2003, Houston has been outscored 12-4, with both wins being shutouts against Eastern Washington, 1-0, and Texas State University, 1-0.
Hawkins Leads the Offense
This season junior midfielder Nikki Hawkins, who was named to the Second Team All-Conference USA last season and picked up C-USA Co-Offensive Playe of the Week honors the week of Sept. 15, is Houston's leader on offense and currently leads the squad with 21 shots so far on the year, including nine shots on goal . . . She also finds herself moving up Houston's all-time top ten in points (26, 4th), goals (12, 5th) and game-winning goals (4, T4th)... overall, she appears in the top 10 in all eight offensive categories for Houston . . . She recorded the Cougars' lone score on a penalty kick in their 1-0 shutout victory over Eastern Washington on Aug. 31 in the Baylor Classic . . . She led the 2002 Cougar squad in total points (13) and goals (6) and tied with teammate Kelly Golden with two game-winning goals in all games, while in C-USA games alone she led the team with six points and three goals . . . Her 13 points on the 2002 campaign are the most by a Cougar player since the 2000 season.
On Home Turf
The Cougars have posted a 9-4-3 run over their last 16 home games . . . They have dropped their first two home contests, to Baylor (Sept. 5) and to nationally-ranked SMU (Sept. 7) of 2003 . . . The Cougars' 1-0 shutout loss to UAB on Oct. 11, 2002, at Robertson Stadium halted the Cougars' home win streak at eight games dating back to the 2001 season . . . That loss to UAB was Houston's first on home turf since a 1-0 defeat by UL Lafayette on Oct. 9, 2001 . . . Houston won its final four home contests of 2001, including victories over Memphis, Southwest Texas, Southern Miss and Tulane . . . The Cougars posted 11 straight home wins from 1998-99, beginning with the final six of 1998 and the first five of 1999 . . . The streak was halted by the Saint Louis Billikens on Oct. 29, 1999.S?hen they defeated Houston, 2-1, in double-overtime.
On the Airwaves
Local soccer fans can follow the Cougars and collegiate soccer every week . . . The Houston Chronicle's Glenn Davis hosts "Soccer Hour with Glenn Davis" every Sunday from 5-6pm on 90.1 FM (KPFT) radio in Houston, and his weekly soccer column appears in the "Sports 2" section of the Chronicle every Sunday.