University of Houston
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
UTEP
Women's Soccer Drops Double OT Thriller To UTEP
10/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 21, 2005
Box Score in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Houston women's soccer team, playing its third-straight double overtime game, dropped a 2-1 decision to league-leading UTEP, Friday night at Robertson Stadium.
The game-winning goal for the Miners (16-1-1. 5-1-1 C-USA), the first allowed by UH this season in four overtime games, came off of a corner kick in the 106th minute. Cara Nordin sent the ball into the box and it bounced over the line for the win. It was Nordin's second tally of the evening and her ninth of the season.
The Cougars (7-5-2, 2-3-1 C-USA) were on the board first after junior Sophia Mundy (Katy, Texas/St. Pius X HS/Portland State) sent her own rebound from a penalty kick into the top of the net, past UTEP `keeper Brittany Popoff. Mundy was pulled down in the box by one of the UTEP defenders prior to the penalty being awarded. It was her team-leading 11th goal of the season and ties her for the second best single-season mark in UH history along with Nikki' Hawkins (2004).
Mundy missed part of the game with a knee injury, but came back in the second half and tallied a team-best eight shots, five of those on goal. She has totaled 82 shots on the season and needs 26 more to eclipse the league's single-season record of 107, set in 2003.
UTEP tied it up at one apiece at 53:20 when Nordin took a pass of an indirect free kick from teammate Kaletia Roberts and sent it to the right post past a diving Stephanie Pucek (Alvin, Texas/Alvin HS) for the score.
Pucek had a strong night, making a career-best 11 saves and holding together a backline that was decimated by injuries throughout the night. The Cougars lost sophomore defender Ashleigh Williams (Houston, Texas/Jersey Village HS) in the 65th minute after a collision with a UTEP player left a cut over her eye while freshman Kristin Carlyle (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles HS) was forced from the game in the 84th minute with a hip injury.
"We just had to make adjustments all over the field," head coach Bill Solberg said. "We had half the girls out there playing out of positions. They did everything we asked of them out there. It was a very physical game and the ball just did not bounce our way tonight.
I thought Stephanie (Pucek) was outstanding," Solberg continued. "She made some great saves. She does not want to lose and has stepped her play up tremendously both in practice and in games."
UH had its best chance to score in the second half early in the first overtime. Senior Kristin Bay (Flint, Texas/Robert E. Lee HS) sent a ball to Mundy down the right hand side of the field and Mundy took it down into the corner and roped a centering pass across the box to a sliding Brittney Pfeiffer (Sugar Land, Texas/Austin HS) who could not come up with the ball.
Mundy had another chance a few minutes later in a one-on-one situation with the keeper. Junior Sarah Fisher (Katy, Texas/Cypress Springs HS), playing out of position at right back after the injury to Carlyle, sent the ball over the top to a streaking Mundy. Mundy tried to sneak the ball over Popoff's head but the Miners' `keeper made a nice snag.
"Fisher is just such a workhorse," Solberg said. "She's smart enough to play back there and did a great job of filling in. She sent a great ball down the line to Sophia (Mundy) and their keeper made a good play."
UTEP's 35 shots ties the UH opponent mark held by Texas A&M, who poured in 35 attempts against the Cougars in 1999. The Cougars tallied 20 shots, forcing Popoff to make 11 saves.
Seniors Bay and Pucek will be honored before their final home match Sunday against Tulane. Kickoff against the Green Wave is set for 1 p.m. CDT at Robertson Stadium.
