UH soccer redshirt junior forward Zionah Browne slides down with the ball within reach against Houston Baptist on Thursday at the Carl Lewis International Complex. | Courtesy of UH athletics
The Houston soccer team kicked off the 2021 season with a dominant 3-1 win over the Houston Baptist Huskies (0-1-1) on Thursday evening.
The Cougars (1-0) took control of the game early on and never relinquished the lead in what turned out to be a straightforward performance.
Three first-half goals and a stout second-half defensive performance proved to be the difference as the Cougars outshot the Huskies 14-3, and had six corner kicks compared to the Huskies’ one.
“I think we started the game out really good,” UH soccer head coach Diego Bocanegra said. “We were on the front foot. We were aggressive and on the attack, and probably could have more goals than we did.”
Redshirt junior forward Zionah Browne started the scoring with a goal in the sixth minute, followed by an assist to senior midfielder Mia Brascia twelve minutes later.
Freshman forward Maddie Bowers capped off her collegiate debut with an assist at the end of the first half to junior midfielder Reid Morrison. An HBU goal at the tail end of the first half proved to be the lone positive point in the match for the Huskies.
Last season’s joint-top scorer senior Jazmin Grant chipped in with an assist, and redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Salma Ghazal went the entire 90 minutes without having to make any crucial saves.
The Cougars’ next game is against Scott Street rivals Texas Southern on Wednesday at 7 pm.
“No matter who is on the field, I feel like we have a lot of video to watch,” Bocanegra said. “It’s early in the season. It’s only our second game in 10 months, so all and all, I’m happy with the victory.”
