Freshman midfielder Sharis Lachappelle and the Cougars have rebounded from an 0-5 start to go 4-1 in their last five outings. | Aaron Cisneros/The Daily Cougar
UH dropped its Conference USA opener to No. 9 Memphis 2-1 Friday, but turned around quickly to beat UAB on Sunday 2-1.
Coming off a three-game winning streak, UH (4-6-0, 1-1-0 C-USA) hoped to play spoiler to the defending conference champion Tigers (10-0-0, 1-0-0).
The Cougars came out flat in the first half, conceding the game’s first tally in the 11th minute to Kylie Davis, and another score in the 27th minute to forward Taylor Isenhower.
“At this point in the season it’s about effort,” head coach Susan Bush said. “We clearly lacked it in the first half.”
A resurgent effort by the Cougars in the second half gave them a fighting chance as Jessica Zavalza found the back of the net for the Cougars after a goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters fumbled a ball.
“It’s all about playing the full 90 minutes,” sophomore midfielder Sami Sackos said. “We’ve been a second-half team lately and its really killing us. If we play like we did in the second half, then it’s a totally different game.”
The Cougars second half momentum carried over to their match against UAB (4-6-0, 0-2-0).
Senior defender Stephanie Derieg scored her first goal of the season in the second minute to give the UH the early advantage. Freshman forward Alexis Weaver scored her third goal of the season in the 59th minute to give UH a commanding two-goal edge. Junior midfielder Emma Smith tacked on the Blazers’ lone goal.
“I think its effort,” Bush said. “It’s just who is going to outplay their opponent for 90 minutes. In conference play where every team is legitimate and every team is trying to get to the tournament, it’s about competition.”
