Soccer wins three straight matches

During the San Jose State University vs. Rice University women’s soccer match at Holloway Field on Sunday August 23, 2015 in Houston, Texas. Rice University won 2-1.

By Michael Kidd 9/1/15 2:32pm

With a mix of senior leadership and talented newcomers, the Rice Owls soccer club defeated two in-state foes this past weekend, winning a total of three consecutive matches. On Friday, Aug. 28, the team defeated Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi 2-0. Rice followed up this performance with a 2-0 victory over Sam Houston State University at the neutral site of BBVA Compass Stadium. After falling to the No. 5 nationally ranked Texas A&M University squad in the opening match of the 2015 season last week, the Owls have remained unbeaten and are currently 3-1 in the season.

The senior duo of forward Lauren Hughes and midfielder Danielle Spriggs led the Owls to the 2-0 victory over Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. The scoring began in the 30th minute when Hughes launched a free kick from the left side of the 18-yard penalty area that connected with the top corner of the net to give Rice the 1-0 advantage. The Owls continued to push in the second half to attempt to increase their lead. The second goal finally came in the 76th minute of the match. Hughes found Spriggs on the outside of the goal, who then fired a strike past the keeper to give Rice an insurance goal and a 2-0 lead. On the same day opposing goalkeeper Megan Delaney registered 12 saves, the Owls defense limited the Islanders attack to just seven shots and three corner kicks en route to their first shutout of the season.

Sunday afternoon, the Owls competed in the first-ever women’s collegiate soccer match held at BBVA Compass Stadium, the home of the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash professional soccer clubs. The Owls were victorious in similar fashion to Friday’s matchup with a final score of 2-0 led by one goal and one assist by Hughes. With 17 first-half shots taken against Sam Houston State, the high-pressure and constant Owl attack paid off in the 41st minute when freshman forward Annie Walker sent a ball into the attacking middle and found Hughes, who tapped it into the near post for her third goal of the season and 35th goal of her Rice career.

Riding the momentum from opening up the scoring, the Owls scored again just 62 seconds later when Hughes drove a ball to freshman forward Nia Stallings running alongside her for the tap-in that gave the Owls a 2-0 advantage. A significant play occurred 73 minutes into the match when Sam Houston was awarded a penalty kick following a Rice foul in the box. Junior goalkeeper Zoe Pochobradsky blocked the kick, halting Sam Houston State’s momentum.

Head Coach Nicky Adams said she was pleased with the toughness her defense and midfield showed in recording back to back shutouts.

“I thought this was a good weekend for us after coming off A&M and San Jose, where we had goals scored on us,” Adams said. “This was a weekend where we really wanted … to get tougher back there [and] overall I think our back line and our midfield did a much better job."

Adams said certain key bench players stepped up and contributed to the overall performance of the team.

“I thought we had some key players step up for us off the bench in a big way,” Adams said. “Madeleine Lundberg in the midfield, Nia Stallings [and] Annie Walker all gave us that spark and attacking presence.”

Spriggs said she felt the team played their best game of the season on Friday by coming out the gate ready to go.

“I think Friday was our best overall [and complete] game so far that we have played,” Spriggs said. “Every single position was on point and … we didn’t take any time to get adjusted to the game; we just came out strong at every position.”

Pochobradsky said her penalty kick save combined skill and a bit of luck.

“I never guess on a penalty kick, [but] my coach always says to trust your instincts,” Pochobradsky said. “You get up to the line and you kind of hope for the best and I guess I got lucky today.”

Pochobradsky said the team must remain focused in the face of a tough out-of-conference schedule ahead.

“We’ve got to start recovering from this weekend and stay mentally checked in,” Pochobradsky said. “We’re going to work on organization and keeping the ball, because when we keep the ball we are absolutely unstoppable.”

The Owls return home to Holloway Field this upcoming Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. to face Southern Methodist University. The Owls will then play on Sunday, Sept. 6 against the University of Arkansas, a team the Owls played to a 1-1 draw last season. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7 p.m.