Soccer falls to Memphis, UAB; looks to Houston
The soccer team may be healthier now than at any other point since conference play began, but that has not translated onto the field, where the team is limping toward its final game of the regular season. The Owls went into last weekend looking to win two tough games in hopes of setting up an intra-city showdown with the University of Houston (11-4-3, 6-2-2 C-USA) for the Conference USA lead. Instead, they lost both games, dropping their record to 8-8-2 overall and 5-3-2 in conference play.
The weekend started with a headline game against the University of Memphis (12-3-3, 6-1-3 C-USA), who were among the many teams tied with Rice for second place in C-USA.
Memphis entered the game leading the conference in shots per game, but senior goalkeeper Catherine Fitzsimmons kept the Owls in the game with more of the phenomenal goalkeeping she has displayed since replacing injured senior goalkeeper Meghan Erkel earlier in the season, as she managed to go the entire game without allowing a live ball goal. Unfortunately for her and the rest of the stout Rice defense, Memphis only needed one dead ball opportunity to score the game-winning goal, which they got when the Owls committed a handball in the goalkeeper's box during the game's 31st minute.
The Owls had their best chance to tie the game coming out of halftime, but freshman defender Hayley Williams' header glided over the open goal in the 47th minute.
Rice did not manage many more shots, attempting only nine throughout the game, and fell to the Tigers 1-0.
Sunday's game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham (8-8- 2, 4-4-2 C-USA) ended with the same score, but told an entirely different story. Unlike Friday's match against Memphis, the Owls dominated the ball, outshooting UAB 18-7, and allowed a meager three shots in the second half.
Had the Owls held UAB to two shots, they might have forced overtime and been able to pull out one of their trademark late-game wins, but it was the Blazers who came through with the heroics this time. In the 88th minute, forward/midfielder Laura McCalla struck the Blazers' third shot of the second half and scored the game's only goal, dropping the Owls to 8-8-2 (5-3-2 in conference) on the season.
Despite the loss, the Owls managed to accomplish one of their season goals on Sunday, clinching a berth in the C-USA tournament and a shot, if they win the tournament, to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Because all games will be held in Orlando, Fla., seeding in the conference tournament does not give a team a home-field advantage. Still, the Owls would like to move up so they can play some of the weaker qualifiers early while they sort out their recent struggles. To do so, the Owls will have to forget about the position they squandered by going 0-3-1 in their last four games and win the season finale against the Cougars, who have also clinched a spot in the conference tourney.
The Owls are hoping a return to their home field will be enough to spark their offense, which has struggled mightily, despite welcoming back prolific scorers senior forward/midfielder Kate Edwards and freshman forward Jessica Howard from injury.
While some of the problem is surely that the two are dealing with lingering effects of their injuries, it is also clear that the team has struggled to reincorporate them into the offense, which was playing its best soccer of the season in the stretch leading up to their return.
Still, the Owls know they will need both Edwards' and Howard's play-making abilities if they want to advance deep into the C-USA tournament, so they can only hope that another game and a few days off will be enough for the pair to heal and get comfortable in the offense.
Whatever happens, the Owls are confident that their defense will keep them alive in their future games; hopefully all it will take is a handful of clutch plays to advance. The Owls have demonstrated throughout the season that they play their best with the game on the line; now fans will have to wait and see if that will be enough.
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