Soccer freshmen shine on Senior Night

By Michael Kidd     11/4/15 4:24am

The 2015 Conference USA tournament field is set and the Rice Owls are looking to bring home the championship. As the No. 4 seed in the tournament, Rice must win three consecutive games to earn the title and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. 

The Owls have momentum on their side after their Senior Night 4-0 shutout of the University of Texas, San Antonio. Despite the talented offensive group of seniors including Lauren Hughes, Holly Hargreaves and Danielle Spriggs, the underclassmen led the way against the Roadrunners. With the win, Rice closed out the regular season with a 10-6-2 record (6-3-1 C-USA).  

Before Thursday’s final regular season game, the graduating seniors of the 2015 squad were highlighted for their commitment to Rice soccer and quest for excellence over the past four years. Once the game started, however it was the freshman who made a statement that the program is in good hands moving forward.

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In the fifth minute of the match, the scoring opened when freshman midfielder Dominique Mazero intercepted a pass in the midfield and fired off a shot on goal to give Rice the early 1-0 advantage. In the 35th minute of the match, the Owls scored again when sophomore forward Nia Stallings received a cross from junior transfer Madeleine Lundberg and deposited it by the far post for the 2-0 lead. Rice finished the half with a 15-3 advantage in shots and forced the UTSA goalkeeper to come up with six saves. 

Rice came out in the second half with complete control of the match both offensively and defensively. The Owls were able to make substitutions and provide rest for some of their regular starters. The bench did not disappoint, netting two goals as well and preserving the shutout.

In the 75th minute, freshman defender Darcy Mickalow scored her first career goal for the Owls on a header after a sharp cross from senior midfielder Danielle Spriggs. Freshman midfielder Gabby Martinez found forward Marissa Topolski on the far right wing of the field. Topolski then played in a bending ball for freshman forward Annie Walker in the 81st for the fourth goal of the match. Senior goalkeeper Kara Dugall closed out the match and preserved the shutout as every healthy member of the Owls squad made an appearance in the game. 

Head Coach Nicky Adams said the seniors have been a model class for the university.

“This senior class has been amazing for the program,” Adams said. “They have set the staple of expectations for this program and [are] leaving us with the most wins we’ve ever had, along with the most championships. They’re leaving a legacy and set the standard for the rest of the teams to follow as years go on.” 

Adams and the Owls have to win a total of four games in a row to get to the NCAA tournament level, but Adams said they are confident they have the capability to do so.

“We’re definitely going to do our best [to win the tournament],” Adams said. “We’re actually in our fourth season now with preseason, regular season, conference and now postseason play and [we’ve] been playing all year for this. We need to sharpen up and be our absolute best against whoever we play in the conference tournament.” 

According to Dugall, the team wants to recreate its feeling from winning last season’s conference tournament.

“I think our biggest thing is staying focused on the goal and not looking too far ahead but rather take it one game at a time,” Dugall said. “That feeling of winning conference and beating [the University of] North Texas was special for us last year and we want that feeling again.”

The No. 4 seed Rice Owls will face the No. 5 seed Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. The two teams battled to 0-0 double overtime tie back on Oct. 18 at Holloway Field. Rice held the clear advantage in that matchup, taking 26 shots compared to Middle Tennessee’s 13 but were held in check by the Blue Raiders’ goalkeeper, who registered 13 saves. 

The winner of that matchup then likely plays the No. 1 seed of the tournament, the University of North Texas. Rice defeated the Mean Green in the 2014 Conference USA championship game last season and may have the opportunity to bump them off once again. The Owls narrowly lost to North Texas by a 2-1 score when they met on Oct. 25.

The Conference USA tournament begins on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The tournament is hosted by Florida International University in Miami, FL.

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