The Houston Cougar soccer team is now 0-3-0 in conference play and 1-5-4 overall after falling 4-0 against UCF Sunday and 3-1 against USF Friday.
Lexa Green scored the team’s only point in Fridays game in Tampa; however, the team was unable to come together to yield a better result.
“We have moments of good and moments of bad,” said head coach Chris Pfau in a press release. “When we have these moments of bad, we don’t know how to absorb it.”
Houston’s offense began to flow in the second half and the team was back in the game after Green scored on a breakaway goal following junior defender Sydnie Green’s connect on a long pass over the field. Green leads the team with four goals on the season.
For Pfau, there has to be more of a mental toughness among the team.
“The big thing for us as we play the next couple of games is not making the game bigger than it is,” Pfau said in a press release. “We put too much pressure on ourselves and make these teams great. We just need to go out and do our job and work hard and good things will happen.”
Sunday’s game did not fare well for the Cougars either, as they traveled to Orlando to take on Central Florida; Pfau, however, liked what he saw and was satisfied that the Cougars were able to hold their own against the top offensive team in the American Athletic Conference.
“I was happy with the performance and sticking to the game plan,” said Pfau in a press release. “UCF is big, strong, athletic and very deep. We knew we had to slow the game up and play at a different pace. We did a great job in the first half in limiting their chances and keeping the score tied.”
Junior goalkeeper Jordan Brown had five saves overall and the Cougars were able to hold the Knights to a scoreless first half until defending American Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Offensive Player, Tatiana Coleman, began scoring early in the second half, which included her eighth goal of the season and her fourth game-winning goal of 2014.
“UCF in the second half scored a great goal from 30 yards out to open us up,” Pfau said in a press release. “Then we had to chase the game, and we knew that would play into their style, but we never gave up and competed and that is all I can ask.”
Although the Cougars suffered losses on the road, Chris Pfau said at the beginning of the season that the team is in the stage of building a foundation of players for the future of the program and that to beat the best teams they have to continue to play them.
“It doesn’t come overnight.”
The Cougars return to Houston to continue in American Athletic Conference play, and will host the UConn Huskies at 7 p.m. Thursday.
