University of Houston
Rice
Soccer Outshoots Rice in Season Finale
10/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 30, 2009
HOUSTON - The University of Houston soccer team recorded 20 shots against cross-town rival Rice in a 2-1 loss to the Owls Friday night at Rice Track/Soccer Stadium.
In a fast breakaway, the Owls drew first blood in the eighth minute of the game. Rice senior forward Erin Scott danced around junior forward Lauri Byrne at the midfield line and capitalized on an open field. Scott fired the ball high into the goal just out of Houston net minder Lauren Frazier's reach, tallying her fourth goal of the season.
The Cougars came dangerously close to knotting the game when Byrne drove down the right wing and crossed just outside the penalty box. Junior midfielder Melanie Adelman slid towards the goal in an attempt to tap the shot in. Unfortunately for Houston, the ball missed Adelman's feet by only a few inches.
Despite a few close calls for Houston, Rice extended the lead, 2-0, at the 29:39 mark. Senior midfielder Shelley Wong collected a pass from Scott and crossed into the corner of the net, notching her first goal this year. Senior defender Alexa Coralli also picked up an assist.
After play resumed, the second half was a back and forth dual between the Cougars and the Owls for 14 minutes. Houston ended its nil score when Byrne controlled a long pass from sophomore defender Stephanie Derieg and shot from the top of the box. The goal marked Byrne's third of the season and Derieg's fourth assist.
With no subs to relieve the Cougars, every starter fought hard through the entire 90 minutes. Houston played a strong offensive game. All but one fielder recorded at least one shot and six Cougars registered multiple attempts. Byrne lead the team with four shots including three on goal. Adelman was close behind with three shots and two on goal. Frazier collected seven saves, her second highest tally of the season.
Rice (6-10-3, 4-6-1 Conference USA) leads Houston (4-12-2, 2-7-2 C-USA) in the all-time series, 5-3-1.
