University of Houston Athletics
Soccer Preview: Houston Hosts Baylor, SMU
9/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Sept. 5, 2003
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
UH vs Baylor
Friday, September 5, 2003 * 7:00p.m.
UH vs SMU
Sunday, September 7, 2003 * 1:00 p.m.
Robertson Stadium * Houston, Texas
Houston Hosts Baylor, SMU in First Home Matches of 2003
The Cougars play their first two of eight home matches this weekend in hosting the Big 12's Baylor on Friday night and SMU on Sunday afternoon . . . Friday's game will mark the first Houston and Baylor have faced each other on the soccer field . . . Sunday will be the fourth time since 1999 that SMU and Houston have played, with SMU winning all three previous contests . . . The Mustangs and Cougars were scheduled to play in Dallas last year, but the match was postponed due to rain . . . SMU handed Houston a 2-1 defeat the last time they faced each other, on Sept. 7, 2001, in Dallas.
On Home Turf
Despite dropping two of their last three home matches in 2002, the Cougars enter the 2003 campaign with a 9-2-2 run over their last 15 home games . . . 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 loss 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, when they defeated Houston, 2-1, in double-overtime.
Last Time out: Houston Splits in Baylor Tournament
Last weekend the Cougars participated in the annual Baylor Labor day Classic, dropping their first game against North Texas, 2-0, on Aug. 29 before shutting down Eastern Washington, 1-0, for their first win of 2003 in their second game on Aug. 31 . . . Junior midfielder Nikki Hawkins sailed a penalty kick into the past Eastern Washington goalie Tiera Como for the match's only score in the win over EWU . . . EWU out-shot the Cougars 10-7, but Houston goalkeeper Sarah Webster recorded a career-high five saves . . . Senior Nicole Aubuchon and sophomore Kelly Golden each had a game-high two shots on the night.
Tough Schedule in 2003
Highlighting Houston's demanding 2003 schedule is match-ups against Big 12 rival Baylor, SMU, Marquette, Georgia and South Carolina - all of which have been recently ranked among the top programs in the nation -- before conference play opens Sept. 19 at DePaul . . . The SMU Mustangs, ranked 20th by the NSCAA/adidas pre-season rankings and the Cougars' lone NCAA post-season opponent in 2003, visit Robertson Stadium on Sept. 7 . . . Houston has four of its first six league games at home.
The Incoming Class
Among the list of new Cougars are three midfielders, two defenders, two forwards and one goalkeeper, including two from Texas and three from nearby Oklahoma . . . Headlining the Cougars' newcomers are midfielders Heather Williams (Durant High School/Valrico, Fla.), Kelly McCartney (Jersey Village/Houston, Texas) and Julie Dickman (Midlothian/Midlothian, Va.) . . . Hometown player McCartney will miss the season after tearing both her ACL and PCL and suffering a broken right wrist as fall camp opened . . . Dickman will strengthen the Cougars' outside midfield and was the leading scorer for her high school team . . . The new defensive additions include Jennifer Dry (Norman High School/Norman, Okla.), Nicole Butler (Mustang High/Yukon, Okla.), Kourtney Ray (Norman North/Norman, Okla.) and Sarah Fisher (Cypress Springs HS/Katy, Texas) . . . A native of Katy, Fisher earned all-conference, all-district and all-state honors at Cypress Springs High School, scoring 18 goals and notching 15 assists in 22 games . . . The forward added is Nicole Zygmontowicz from Bremerton, Wa., an outstanding athlete in both soccer and basketball player in Seattle who a multi-faceted player an will provide depth at many positions . . . The lone goalie is Katie Cook, an incoming junior goalie from Prior Lake, Minn., who transfered to Houston from fellow C-USA school and nationally-ranked Marquette . . . Cook has been enrolled at Houston since last year and is eligible this fall.
2002 in Review: Soccer Makes Fifth Consecutive Trip to Annual C-USA Tournament
Even with the departure of 10 seniors, the 2002 team boasted one of the best recruiting classes since its inception -- ranked among the Top 50 in the nation by Soccer Buzz magazine -- that blended well with the remaining core of talented player and proved important in laying the foundation for the program's future . . . Led by upperclassmen Ashley Fortenberry, Allwardt and Aubuchon, the 2002 team wrapped up the season with an 8-8-3 record, including 4-3-3 in C-USA play, and earned its fifth straight bid to the C-USA Tournament . . . Despite the youthfulness of the team, many players stood out for the Cougars in 2002 . . . Freshman forward Kelly Golden led the squad in total shots, while Hawkins led the team in goals scored, total points and emerged as the team leader . . . Meanwhile, freshman goalie Erin Ferguson emerged as one of the brightest and most talented goalies in Conference USA . . . She stepped into the starting role and etched her name among Houston's all-timers in minutes played, saves, fewest goals against and shutouts . . . The Cougars had four players receive conference honors in 2002, including Hawkins, Alison Sinclair and Fortenberry all being named to the Second Team All-Conference and Golden earning All-Freshman accolades.
Hawkins Leads the Offense
This season junior midfielder Nikki Hawkins, who was named to the Second Team All-Conference USA last season, has become Houston's leader on offense and finds herself moving up Houston's all-time top ten in points (21, 5th), goals (10, 6th) and game-winning goals (4, T4th)... overall, she appears in the top 10 in all eight offensive categories for Houston . . . She recored 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.
