A lucky bounce is all it took for the UH soccer team (2-1-0) to walk out of the Carl Lewis International Track and Field Complex with a victory. Before a raucous crowd of 273, the Cougars enjoyed a tightly contested 1-0 victory over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (1-3-0) on Sunday.
After both teams began the match by trading blows back and forth in a physical contest that saw the teams combine for a whopping 23 fouls, UH freshman defender Stephanie Derieg finally cashed in during a free kick opportunity. A swift left-footed tap from midfield sent the ball sailing toward charging sophomore SFA goalkeeper Courtney Bauder, but the ball took an unexpectedly huge bounce in front of Bauder before making its way into the back of the net for the only score in the game in the 22nd minute.
"It was a tight match and we just really got lucky that the ball bounced our way," UH head coach Susan Bush said. "But SFA is a great team who made the NCAA Tournament last year, so this was a great win for us."
With junior midfielder Kaitlin Thulin and sophomore forward Lauri Byrne leading the way with three shots each, the Cougars outshot the Lumberjacks 14-9, as they have done against every opponent faced this season. With the win, the Cougars’ second in two days, they defeated the Sam Houston State Bearkats 3-1 on Friday. UH senior goalkeeper Shelby Scott collected her ninth career shutout, moving her ahead of former Cougar Robin Cate as the program’s all-time leader.
"I really owe this to my defenders. They did an amazing job for me today," Scott said. "They made some great headers and sliding tackles right when the other team was about to shoot it."
The Lumberjacks didn’t go down without a fight on Saturday. Bauder put on a spectacular defensive display, including a one-handed leaping grab and diving saves to keep her team in the game. In the waning minutes of the match, the formidable SFA attack was at its best. Countless close calls, including a laser in the 85th minute from Bearkat sophomore forward Kim Kimmel that was just a foot away from sending the game into overtime, kept Cougar fans sighing nervously in unison.
But it would be the Cougars who would go home happy, and Scott said the win against SFA is a great confidence booster for the team.
"This was a great way to bounce back from (the season opening loss to the University of Texas at San Antonio) with two wins this weekend," she said. "It’s also nice to know that if we can compete with a team as good as SFA, who made the NCAA Tournament last season, then maybe we’ll have a chance to go the NCAA Tournament as well."
The Cougars now lead the all-time series between the two schools (4-1-0), and will face off against Louisiana-Lafayette at 7 p.m. Friday at Robertson Stadium.
