Memphis Slips Past Rice In Double-Overtime, 4-3

Friday, October 20

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 PM

Rice University

10-5-1, 2-5-0

Memphis

8-6-2, 4-2-1

Team	1	2	OT 3	OT 4	Final F
Rice Owls	0	3	0	0	3
Memphis	1	2	0	1	4

Memphis Slips Past Rice In Double-Overtime, 4-3

10/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Oct. 20, 2006

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Senior midfielder Maria Fadool registered a career-high two goals to help spark one of two comebacks by the Rice soccer team, but Memphis scored in double-overtime to post a 4-3 Conference USA win over the Owls Friday night in Memphis.

"I think the girls played well," head coach Chris Huston said. "We had some opportunities we could have capitalized on, but they had some others as well so it was a pretty even game I thought. There were some individual great efforts."

Memphis opened the game's scoring with a goal in the 15th minute, but Fadool led a Rice charge to tie the game and take the lead with a career-high two goals in the second half. In the 51st minute the senior from Colleyville headed a corner kick from Kellen Schugart to tie the game 1-1. In the 67th minute Fadool played a pass from junior forward Clory Martin in the center of the field, made a move past a Tiger defender and fired a shot from 12 yards in front of the goal that beat the keeper low to the right side.

Memphis' Kylie Hayes answered with a goal in the 74th minute to tie the game 2-2 and 2005 C-USA player of the year Shoko Mikami scored her second goal of the game in the 83rd minute to give the Tigers a 3-2 advantage. Rice came right back with a game-tying goal in the 84th minute. Freshman forward Erin Scott fired a shot after a long dribble that was saved by the Tigers' keeper, but Scott alertly played the carom and blasted a follow-up shot to the back of the net for her team-leading seventh goal of the season that tied the game 3-3.

The teams went scoreless in the first overtime period but Memphis' Maiko Higashiyama scored from close range on a pass from Hayes in the 102nd minute to end the game at 4-3. Memphis moved to 8-6-2 on the year and 4-2-1 in C-USA action.

Rice, playing with five starters on the sidelines due to injuries, fell to 10-4-1 on the season and 2-4-0 in league play. That would no doubt frustrate a lot of head coaches, but Huston focuses the positives.

"Give their goalkeeper credit, she made six saves and had a good game," Huston said. "There were a lot of individual efforts all over the field that were good. Maria had a great game. (Freshman midfielder) Shelley Wong really stepped up and had a great game.

"It's tough to play 111 minutes with 13 players," Huston added, "but I think it's kind of an encouraging thing. Everyone is telling me about our injuries, but I see players who are stepping up and getting the job done. We're out six starters right now but we competed all the way into overtime tonight and three other conference games end 1-0. I'm proud of the girls. They didn't quit and they gave it all the had. It's showing their character."

The Owls next face UAB on Sunday (Oct. 22) at 2 pm. The Blue and Gray close out the regular season against local rival Houston across town at UH on Oct. 27.

"The girls know their backs are against the wall," Huston said. "They understand what's ahead of them on Sunday, that they need to win. This is a group that's mentally tough. They showed that tonight. They know what it's going to have to take and that mentally they're going to have to push through any aches or pains they may have because it's do-or-die right now to make the conference tournament."