UH soccer forward Zionah Browne scored the lone goal of the night for the Cougars in their 1-1 draw against USF. | Courtesy of UH athletics
Houston soccer earned a hard-fought draw in American Athletic Conference play, tying USF 1-1 in Tampa, Florida on Thursday.
The first half started off slow, with the first shot of the match coming in the 22nd minute from UH.
The Cougars struck first in the 27th minute with a header from graduate student forward Zionah Browne off a corner kick by sophomore midfielder Madison Gear. Gear then earned her first assist of the season.
After a few chances from each side, the first half ended with the Cougars ahead 1-0.
The second half started with high pressure from USF. This gave the Bulls a chance on a corner kick in the 47th minute, which was saved by UH redshirt freshman goalkeeper Mikaela Gracia to keep the Cougars on top.
The rest of the second half continued with pressure from USF, but the Cougars held a strong defensive line to keep the Bulls from scoring.
Then in the 90th minute, after leading for 63 minutes, the Cougars committed a foul in the penalty box, to give the Bulls a last-minute attempt to tie the game.
USF junior forward Sydny Nasello stepped up to take the penalty and put it in the back of the net to end regulation 1-1.
After a few great chances from each side, the first overtime ended at a standstill once again.
The second overtime picked up right where the first one left off, with both teams coming close to score.
Near the end of the second overtime, USF was gifted a chance from a loose ball in the box but was well saved by Gracia to keep the Cougars from conceding a second goal, earning her 4 saves on the night.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with both USF and UH remaining undefeated in conference play.
USF had 20 shots on the night, while UH ended with 10. 4 of the Cougar’s shots came from redshirt senior midfielder Mia Brascia, leading the team in shots for the night.
The UH soccer team captain and senior defender Emma Clarke, senior midfielder Mia Brascia, and Gracia all played every minute of the contest, totaling 110 minutes each.
