Owls Open C-USA Action This Weekend
9/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 28, 2006
SoccerAmerica.com rankings this week
SoccerBuzz.com rankings
NSCAA rankings home page
THIS WEEK: The Rice soccer team, undefeated on the season and off to its best start in school history at 8-0-1, opens Conference USA regular season action at home against UCF on Friday (Sept. 29). The match is slated for 7 pm at the Rice Soccer Stadium. The two-game C-USA homestand continues on Sunday (Oct. 1) with a home match against Southern Miss. Sunday's start time with the Golden Eagles is 1 pm.
LIVE IN-GAME STATS: Live in-game statistics for Rice matches will be 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.
RANKING UPDATE: Rice is ranked ninth in the country by the Internet publication SoccerAmerica.com. Not only is it the highest national ranking the Owls have ever had, the 2006 season marks the first time Rice soccer has been ranked dating back to the start of the program in 2001. The Owls are 30th in the nation in the Soccer Buzz national poll. The Blue & Gray is seventh in the Buzz' latest central region rankings (down one spot from a week ago). The Owls are also tied for tenth in the latest regional rankings by National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Check out the latest national and regional rankings at the sites listed above.
QUICK ON THE OWLS: Rice is undefeated through the first nine games with wins over nationally-ranked Texas, regional rival TCU and SEC foe Mississippi State to name a few. The team is in its longest unbeaten streak in program history and the only blemish on the record is a scoreless tie on the road at Penn (Sept. 4). 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.
With nine starters back from its 2005 team 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. Rice has had a great start, but consider that the Parliament has been without two of its key players from a year ago. All-conference sophomore forward Caitlin Robbins and 2005 C-USA Tournament offensive MVP Anne Candee have been sidelined with injuries.
The team averages a steady 25.8 shots per game, a figure that has helped the Owls rank fifth in the nation in scoring offense (3.22 goals per game). An overlooked statistic amid all the offensive fireworks is that Rice allows an average of only 9.1 shots per game. That's the second-lowest total in C-USA and the difference in the shots-average (+ 16.7) where Rice enjoys its biggest advantage.
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 57-42-8. The two-time Western Athletic Conference coach of the year owns a career college coaching record of 79-58-10. 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 22-7-2. She is aided by assistant coaches Nicky Adams (Texas A&M, 2001; fourth year), Justin Zoslow (Vanderbilt, 1986; third year) and first year volunteer assistant coach Craig Waibel, a MLS defender on the Houston Dynamo.
AMONG THE NCAA LEADERS: Rice's won-loss percentage (.944) is tied for the fourth-best in the nation. The Owls are fifth in the NCAA in goals per game (3.22) and third in save percentage (0.930). Rice is also among the best in the country in shutout percentage (tied 3rd, 0.78) and goals-against average (6th, 0.321). Individually, senior goalkeeper Amy McClintock is third in the nation in goals-against average (0.229), junior forward Clory Martin is tied for 24th in points per game (1.78 p/g) and true freshman Shelley Wong is tied for 28th in assists (0.56 pg).
PREVIOUSLY: Junior midfielder Samantha Conn scored on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute and senior keeper Amy McClintock posted a Rice-record sixth-straight shutout to lift the soccer team to a 1-0 road win over Texas State Friday in San Marcos (Sept. 22). With the victory the Owls remained undefeated with an 8-0-1 record and improved on their best start in school history. Rice appeared in control for most of both halves, finishing with a 20-10 lead in shots and 7-3 advantage corner kicks. With a strong wind at their back in the first half the Owls sent three shots over the top of the goal, two were wide, another two were blocked and two were saved.
THE SERIES: Rice and UCF have met only one time before. The Golden Knights claimed a 3-0 victory on Oct. 28 last year in Orlando, Fla. Rice leads the series with Southern Miss 1-0 after defeating the Golden Eagles 2-0 in Hattiesburg on Oct. 30.
DID YOU KNOW? As C-USA league games begin this week for soccer, none of the teams enter the weekend coming off a loss. Nine of the 12 C-USA teams won their previous game and the other three tied their respective matches.
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: The Owls are back on the road on Oct. 6-8 for a pair of league games. Rice meets new C-USA affiliate Colorado College at 5 pm on Oct. 6 in Colorado Springs. The Blue & Gray then takes on longtime foe UTEP two days later in El Paso. The UTEP game is slated for a television broadcast on CSTV that will be aired (taped delayed) on Oct. 10.
