University of Houston
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Cougars Blank Islanders for Second Straight Shutout
9/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
HOUSTON â€" The Houston Cougar women's soccer team completed their second shutout of the weekend with a 4-0 victory over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, on Sunday, at Carl Lewis Field.
"This to me was the best win all season," head coach Chris Pfau said. "We have struggled on Sunday games after a Friday game. I knew after how well we played Friday night and how excited the team was for the win; mentally we were going to be a little flat. But for us to come out, and play the way we did and fight throw off some of the ugliness was really good to see."
The Cougar defense allowed just six shots in the match, with only one coming on goal, as senior goalkeeper Jordan Brown picked up her second-consecutive clean sheet victory and third in her last four matches. Brown now has 27 saves on the season and holds a 1.57 goals against average in 2015.
Houston got a pair of goals from sophomore Vanessa Almaguer, while sophomore Claire Salazar found the net for the first time in her Cougar career, and senior Lexa Green put in Houston's first goal, which proved to be the game-winner.
Green's goal came in the 24th minute when junior Tiffani Echeverria played a through-ball to Green who was one-on-one with the keeper all alone. Green dribbled right, before burying her shot passed Islander keeper Megan Delaney. Green now leads the team in goals with three and points with seven, while the assist for Echeverria marked her second of the season.
Almaguer scored her first goal of the season in the 52nd minute after sophomore Kelsey Thein played a ball downfield to fellow sophomore Georgi Dolence who found Almaguer all alone at the top of the box. Almaguer ripped a shot past the keeper into the upper left corner to give Houston the 2-0 lead. Thein picked up her first career point on the assist, while Dolence notched her second assist of the season.
Almaguer struck again just 12 minutes later when senior Gabby Rodriguez drilled a cross through the box that tipped off the keeper to Almaguer who was wide open in front of the net for the header. The Dallas, Texas, native's two goals in the match gives her three for her career.
Salazar capped the scoring for Houston in the 74th minute after just entering the game and finding a through-ball from Green. Salazar had an easy finish to cap her first career goal for Houston.
With the win the Cougars are now 3-1-0 at Carl Lewis Field and improved to 2-0-1 all-time against the Islanders and 22-5-4 against teams currently in the Southland Conference.
'The biggest thing this year, and I know it is early, is that everyone has bought in, even throughout the losses. Everyone has bought into the concept of what we are teaching them, and our coaching staff has pushed the players to be better. They are finally enjoying playing soccer, and that has carried over to the results. We have won three out of our last four games and are 3-and-1 at home right now. We have one more non-conference game at home, and now we have to get back to work!"
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston takes Friday off for rest before finishing up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a home match against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m.
The Rajin' Cajuns bring a 5-2-1 overall record to Carl Lewis Field after a 2-2 draw against UTSA on Sept. 11 and a 2-1 victory over Northern Illinoi on Sept. 13. Louisiana-Lafayette will meet Grambling at home on Friday, Sept. 18 before making the trip to Houston.
2015 SHASTA PASS
The Houston Fan Experience Headquarters is proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2015-16 athletic season. For just $50, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Soccer, Women's Basketball, Volleyball and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial savings as single-game tickets start at $8 for all four sports. Fans can save $126 alone during the Houston Volleyball and Soccer seasons. To purchase a Shasta Pass, CLICK HERE.
SINGLE GAME TICKETS
Single game tickets are on sale starting at just $8 for general admission. Faculty/Staff and H-Association member's admission is discounted to $6, while youth tickets (Ages 3-High School) are $5.
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