In its second conference game of the season, Houston lost 3-0 to UCF at home, falling to 0-2 against American Athletic Conference opponents and 3-9 overall.
In what seemed to be a close game between the Cougars and the Knights early on in the first half, a goal inside the 41st minute gave UCF the 1-0 advantage heading into halftime.
The second half was an all-out attack for both sides, as UH took shot after shot to try to equalize the match while UCF tried to double its lead.
UCF made the most out of its opportunities, attacking in the final third against the Cougar defense. Houston held up for as long as they could, but it was only a matter of time until UCF broke through and put the ball in the back of the net inside the 74th minute for its second goal of the game.
The Cougars didn’t stop attacking, knowing that they now had to come back from two goals down which just over 15 minutes left in the match.
Missed shots, combined with UCF’s strong defensive efforts, made UH’s comeback a difficult task.
A few more shots from both teams kept the game alive, as they played into the final five minutes of the match, where ultimately the Knights pulled away with their third goal of the game just inside the 87th minute to seal the Cougars’ defeat.
Although both teams displayed their versions of offensive pressure in the second half, UCF showed to open more space to get shots off, shooting 19 times to UH’s seven.
Eleven of the Knight’s shots were on goal compared to the Cougars’ three, which were all blocked by the UCF goalkeeper.
Although she allowed three goals, senior goalkeeper Samantha Cude marked eight saves in the match, a season-high.
Junior forward Jazmin Grant led the team with 2 shots in the match, with one being on goal.
Houston’s next match will be on the road against UConn in its third conference game Oct. 10 at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut.