The second-half comeback attempts continue to yield unsuccessful results for the Houston soccer team, as they were handed their 2nd straight loss in a 1-0 decision against East Carolina Thursday in Greenville, N.C.
The Cougars outshot the Pirates 9-4, but the hard-fought battle was not showcased on the scoreboard as they were just shy of finding the back of the net before time expired in regulation.
ECU got on the board early when sophomore Kendall Frey scored after just 16 minutes in the first half, leaving Houston to play catch up; however, in head coach Chris Pfau’s eyes, they were still in the game.
“One of the things we focused on going into this weekend is being more competitive and staying in games on the road,” said Pfau in a press release.
“We did a very good job of this for the most part. The difference was a great goal from 20 yards out to win the game.”
After being kept at bay in the first half, the Cougars came out aggressive in the second, outshooting the Pirates 6-1 and 4-0 in shots on goal; however, ECU goalkeeper Erika Lenns made four saves, enabling the Pirates to use their only score to their advantage.
Once again, several players stepped up and made contributions and good looks the rebuilding team. Eight different Cougars finished with a shot, including two from senior forward Alexis Weaver, with one stop by goalkeeper Jordan Brown.
“This was a good game from both teams, and we did some really good things,” said Pfau in a press release.
“We just struggled from 20 yards out with creating opportunities, but we competed, knocked the ball around and showed that we can compete on the road, which will be huge going into the conference tournament.”
The Cougars head to Cincinnati, Ohio to face the Bearcats in their final road matchup of the season on Oct. 19.
