Soccer On The Road At Memphis & UAB This Weekend
10/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 19, 2006
THIS WEEK: The Rice soccer team (10-4-1 overall and 2-4-0 in Conference USA) returns to the road for a pair of league matches Oct. 20 & 22. The Owls meet Memphis (7-6-2, 3-2-1) on Friday at 7 pm and UAB (5-9-0, 3-3-0) at 2 pm Sunday. The games are critical as the Owls try to secure a spot in the C-USA Tournament next month in Dallas. Only eight teams qualify for the tournament and Rice enters the road games tied for eighth in the 12-team C-USA standings.
LIVE IN-GAME STATS: Live in-game statistics for Rice soccer matches are posted on the world-wide web. At the start of the game go to the respective live stats link at the top of this page.
QUICK ON THE OWLS: Rice has its second-best record through the 15 games dating back to the start of the program. In 2004 the Owls were 10-3-2 to start the year and ended up advancing to the NCAA Tournament. This year's squad owns wins over nationally-ranked Texas, regional rival TCU and SEC foe Mississippi State to name a few. The team recorded its longest unbeaten streak in program history (nine games) before a 1-0 home loss to regionally-ranked UCF on Sept. 29. The Owls have been tough at home and sound and solid on the road, winning twice as many games in hostile territory this year (4) than the entire previous year.
The team began the year with nine starters back from its 2005 group that won the C-USA Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Rice was picked to finish third in a preseason poll of C-USA head coaches. The Owls indeed had a great start, but a closer look at how Rice accomplished this feat is in order. The nine starters quickly turned into seven when the Parliament lost two of its key players early in the year. All-conference sophomore forward Caitlin Robbins and 2005 C-USA Tournament offensive MVP Anne Candee have been sidelined for over a month. Some other returning Owls, including Christine Petric, Kirsten Seglem and Katlyn Ferguson, were sidelined for most of the month of September (with only Petric returning to recent game duty). In the Sept. 29 C-USA game against UCF star midfielder Samantha Conn had to be assisted off the field. Conn did not suit out for the next game against Southern Miss and in that game senior defender Laura Barber had to be assisted off the field. Last week against SMU freshman star Katelyn Ostendorf was the latest that had to be assisted off the field.
The team averages a steady 21.2 shots per game, a figure that has helped the Owls tie for 20th in the nation in scoring offense (2.27 goals per game). An overlooked statistic amid all the offensive fireworks is that Rice allows an average of only 9.7 shots per game. That's the second-lowest total in C-USA and the difference in the shots-average (+ 11.5) is where Rice enjoys its biggest advantage.
RICE FROSH RATE: With Rice's depth getting severely tested it's a good thing that the Owls' freshmen have stepped up and played so well. Four Rice true freshmen, including forward Erin Scott, defender Kellen Schugart, midfielder Shelley Wong and Ostendorf have combined to start 46 games. Schugart is just one of two Owls to start every game. Scott leads the team in both shots (53) and shots-on-goal (22). Freshman Stephanie Crain can officially be added to the ranks of the Rice rookies who are playing like veterans. Crain scored a pair of goals Oct. 1 against Southern Miss on her only two shot attempts of the entire weekend.
CHRIS HUSTON: Now in her sixth season at the helm of the Rice soccer program she started from scratch, Chris Huston has guided the Owls to an established spot alongside the more experienced teams in the state of Texas and the NCAA. Her 2005 team went on to set a host of records that culminated with a second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Huston's won-loss record at Rice is 59-46-8. The two-time Western Athletic Conference coach of the year owns a career college coaching record of 81-62-10. The former standout at the University of North Carolina served as the head coach at the University of Houston for two years after starting that program in 1998. Huston owns a career C-USA regular season record of 24-11-2. She is aided by associate head coach Nicky Adams (Texas A&M, 2001; fourth year), assistant coach Justin Zoslow (Vanderbilt, 1986; third year) and first year volunteer assistant coach Craig Waibel, a MLS defender on the Houston Dynamo.
HOME SWEET HOME: It's a shame the Owls don't have any more games at home. In 53 games played on campus at the Track/Soccer Stadium, Rice owns an all-time record of 34-15-4 (.679). Rice began the 2006 campaign with a 4-0 home record before suffering its first defeat on Sept. 29.
HAIL SENIORS!: Rain or shine, seven Rice seniors were honored before the start of the team's final home match against SMU on Sept. 15. Members of this senior class helped take the program to new heights the last fouor years. The senior honorees included Laura Barber (Spring), Maria Fadool (Colleyville), Kristina Hoban (San Diego), Amy McClintock (St. Louis, Mo.), Kirsten Seglem (Woodbridge, Va.), Vanessa Serrano (Missouri City), Lauren Stanley (Houston).
AMONG THE NCAA LEADERS: The Owls are tied for 28th in the nation in save percentage (0.859). Rice is also among the best in the country in shutout percentage (tied 19th, 0.60) and goals-against average (10th, 0.450).
PREVIOUSLY: C-USA leader SMU, the 22nd-ranked women's soccer team in the nation, claimed a rain-soaked 5-1 victory over the Owls Sunday afternoon at the Rice Soccer Stadium. Freshman forward Erin Scott scored the only Rice goal on a pass from senior Maria Fadool.
BAKER'S DOZEN: A total of 13 different Owls have scored goals this season. Rice soccer wants to be sure to clarify this is in no way connected to the University's unofficial running club, Baker 13.
CAREER CLIMBERS: A number of Owls have quitely risen among the program's elite statistical rankings. Senior midfielder Vanessa Serrano is in sole possession of fourth place on the school's all time list for career starts with 73. Senior midfielder Maria Fadool is in sole possession of second place on the Owls' all-time list for games played with 78.
MEMPHIS/UAB SERIES NOTES: Rice and Memphis are meeting on the soccer field for the first time. Both were C-USA members a year ago but did not meet in the regular season or in the league tournament. In the only meeting between Rice and UAB, the Parliament claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over the Blazers a year ago at the C-USA Tournament held in Houston at the Rice Soccer Stadium.
UP CLOSE WITH THE OWLS: This year fans will have two ways to get some extra insight to the Rice soccer team via the Internet. Senior midfielder Maria Fadool keeps a weekly web journal about Rice soccer and college life as one of the Owls' student-athletes. All the players will also be featured one-by-one in the 2006 edition of "Just For Kicks." Fans can check out these features at the following links.
Maria Fadool's weekly Rice soccer journal
Just For Kicks!
NEXT WEEK: Rice is on the road this weekend, but here's a riddle about where the Owls play their next game, the final regular season contest of the year on Oct. 27. Where is Rice playing a C-USA game when the team is in action at home and on the road for the same game? In-game stats for the contest will be presented live on RiceOwls.com via GameTracker. Riddle Answer: Rice next plays crosstown rival UH in the Owls' hometown of Houston, but the game is on the road at the Cougars' Robertson Stadium. Start time is 7 pm.
