Houston Cougars midfielder Ava Shannon (6) celebrates her goal with teammates during the first half of an NCAA college women’s soccer match against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Thursday, Sept.18, 2025 in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Houston soccer defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 3-1 in its Big 12 conference home opener on Thursday night.
Both teams were evenly matched throughout most of the first half. In the 33rd minute, UH scored first once it got some of its offensive rhythm back.
Junior midfielder Ava Shannon broke the tie with a corner dart off of a ground pass from junior forward Adelhia Ghonda.
The match was still close after the half. Due to freshman forward Samira Minor’s two goals in the second half, UH secured a 3-0 lead with 18 minutes remaining.
Minor headed in the second goal of the night off of a floating cross by sophomore forward Amanda Adams. Her third career goal was a corner strike assisted at the end of a breaking run made by senior forward Cameryn Maddox.
Defensive stops kept the number of recorded saves for graduate goalkeeper Lexi Gonzalez down to one. The backline was an oppressive force against Cincinnati despite the goal allowed near the end of the second half.
“The biggest thing helping us back there is our communication,” freshman forward Amaris Bumba said.
Before this season, Bumba had relatively little experience playing a more defense-focused position as she does now at center back. She says her experience as a striker has helped because she knows more about what the opposing strikers are trying to accomplish.
The consistency of individual players and good communication between defenders was the driving force behind six of the shutouts this season.
Shutout September ended after Cincinnati scored in the second half, but the last goal scored against UH prior occurred on Aug. 24 against the Texas Longhorns.
“Regardless, we are not going to get into the shootout with people. That is not sustainable,” coach Ben Williams said. “If we don’t concede goals, we are probably going to win games with the chances that we have created.”
It’s these kinds of wins that Williams tries to help the team prepare for. During ten days of the preseason, Williams placed a heavy emphasis on developing players’ defensive skills. Shutout September stands as an example of what UH soccer is capable of with proper execution.
With another win its record, Houston remains undefeated in the regular season.
Looking ahead, UH soccer will gear up to face Texas Tech in Lubbock next Thursday on Sept. 25.
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