Soccer Team Blanks Southern Miss 2-0

Sunday, October 18

Rice Track/Soccer Stadium

1:00 PM

Rice University

4-10-2, 2-6-0

Southern Miss

4-10-0, 0-8-0

Southern Miss

Rice

10/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Oct. 18, 2009

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HOUSTON -- The Rice soccer team posted season-highs in shots (25), shots-on-goal (10) and corner kicks (11) on the way to a 2-0 Conference USA shutout victory over visiting Southern Miss Sunday afternoon at the Soccer Stadium.

The team's second win in the last three games was a sound and solid effort to be sure, but final result was even more impressive when the Owls learned that three regular defensive starters would be unable to play Sunday because of injuries. Not only did the adjusted starting lineup respond with a steady work-rate, it allowed Rice head coach Chris Huston to play ten other reserves (including two goalkeepers) in extended time.

"We needed players to step-up, we needed to have a good effort, and we needed this win," Coach Huston said. "Nothing is a 'gimme' at this point and all of the girls did a great job today. We possessed the ball and set the tempo most of the time. We were able to get a lot of different players in the game, and Lauren (LaGro) made her NCAA debut. The players responded and got a result we can build-on."

Junior Nikki Storness came off the bench to put the Owls on the scoreboard late in the first half. In the 42nd minute, sophomore Annie Kadota served a centering pass into the keeper's box from the left wing. She found Storness, who spun and hit a shot past the USM keeper on the right side of the net. The goal was the first of Storness' career, and she hit it on her first shot attempt of the season.

"I knew Annie was going to create something," Storness said. "I tried to get in front of their player and Annie put it right there. I hit it as hard as I could and it went in. I was excited. That was my first goal. You never give give-up, right?"

Rice had a 1-0 lead at the intermission, but the Blue & Gray wasn't finished on offense. In the 53rd minute, sophomore Hope Ward made steal and brought the ball down toward the endline. As the Golden Eagle defense adjusted to Ward, she found teammate Korey Taylor getting open in close-range in front of the goal. Taylor, who started the game on defense but moved into the attacking third later in the contest, needed only a touch to take a left-footed shot. She found the back of the net for her second goal in as many games. The score was her team-leading fourth goal of the year and doubled the margin to 2-0.

That was more than enough breathing room for the Rice goalkeeping tandem of Meghan Erkel and Catherine Fitzsimmons. The duo combined for the team's second complete-game shutout of the season. Erkel and Fitzsimmons both made one save each as the Golden Eagles attempted just five shots on the day. The Owls, who averaged just 9.7 shots per game coming into Sunday, took a season-high 25 attempts including 10 on-goal. The Blue & Gray also held an 11-0 advantage in corner kicks.

"This was pretty good today," Korey Taylor added. "We had a lot of players in (the game) and the level never really dropped. We maintained our level of play and that was important. We've been working this whole time, so it was good to have a game like we know we're capable of playing."

Rice improved to 4-10-2 on the season and 2-6-0 in C-USA action. Southern Miss fell to 4-10-0 overall and 0-8-0 against the league. The Owls have concluded their four-game homestand and next play C-USA games on the road at Colorado College on Oct. 23 and at UTEP on Oct. 25. Both league games are scheduled to begin at 1 pm Central time.

Sunday's box score appears at the above links.