Rice Drops C-USA Tournament Opener to Middle Tennessee on Penalty Kicks

Calendar

No Upcoming Events

Boca Raton, Fla. — After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, Rice and Middle Tennessee headed to penalty kicks where the Owls came out on the short end, 4-3, in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament, Wednesday morning from the FAU Soccer Stadium.

The Details
The match started off slow with both teams feeling each other out. Junior Delaney Schultz got off a pair of shots, but Middle Tennessee goalkeeper Hannah Suder made the save on both. In the 18^th minute, the Blue Raiders' Caroline Manley sent a shot toward the top left corner of the net, but Bella Killgore made a leaping save, getting her hand on the ball and knocking it away. Caleigh Boeckx had the last chance of the half in the 23^rd minute, but her shot from the right corner of the box went straight into Suder and teams entered halftime nil-nil.

The Owls came out of the second half applying a lot of pressure. In the first 20 minutes, Schultz had a two straight headers, but both went over the net. Killgore came up big in the 77^th minute, as Taylor Hamlett and Peyton DePriest both had point blank shots. But, she stood tall to keep the game scoreless. Vyviene Spaulding had one final chance to end it in regulation, but her attempt from the right side was saved.

In the first overtime period, both teams had a shot on goal with the best chance coming in the 98^th minute when Madison Kent came in alone before sending her shot just past the right post. The second overtime didn't see much action, and the teams went to penalty kicks. Rice jumped out to a 2-1 lead through the first three penalty kicks as Schultz and Serena Pham connected. The teams both scored on the fourth attempt. Catarina Albuquerque had a chance to end it on her fifth kick, but her attempt toward the left corner was stopped by goalkeeper Talia Nowlan and the Blue Raiders converted their attempt to send it to extra kicks. After Shiloh Miller's attempt was stopped by Nowlan, Alayna Lynchard converted hers to give MTSU the victory.

Notes
• Rice is 10-5-3 on the season.
• Rice's nine overtime matches are the most ever in a season.
• Rice is now 3-3-3 in overtime this year.
• Rice has played six straight overtime matches for the first time in school history.
• Rice is to 4-2-3 all-time against Middle Tennessee and 1-1-1 in the Conference USA Tournament.
• The Owls are 11-9-4 all-time in the Conference USA Tournament and 15-13-4 all-time in conference tournaments.
• The Owls were outshot 14-to-11 and 9 -to-7 in shots on goal.
• GK Bella Killgore recorded her fourth shutout of the season and the 18^th of her career.
• Killgore made eight saves, tying her own tournament record.
• Killgore has 103 saves on the year, passing Amanda Garrison (2002) for second-place on the school single-season list.
• MF Delaney Schultz led all players with four shots.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results