Bearcats Women's Soccer

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 BEARCATS WOMEN’S SOCCER 2015 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS 1-0-0 / 0-0-0 American Athletic MATCH # 2 NORTHERN KENTUCKY NORSE CINCINNATI BEARCATS A 13 Indiana (friendly) L 1-2 0-1-0 (0-0-0 Horizon) at 1-0-0 (0-0-0 American Athletic) 19 Dayton W 2ot 2-1 0-1-0 on the road 1-0-0 at home RIVERBOAT RIVALRY MATCH INFORMATION 22 Northern Kentucky 1 7 pm ET THE RIVERBOAT RIVALRY MATCH 26 at Evansville 7 pm CT MATCH • Monday, August 22, 2016 • 7:00 p.m. ET • Nippert Stadium (Cincinnati) 28 at Purdue 1 pm ET SERIES HISTORY • First Meeting S 2 at Boston College 7 pm ET WEB STREAM • BearcatTV.com (live) with Matt Noonan on the call / LIVE STATISTICS • GoBearcats.com 5 at Boston University 6 pm ET SOCIAL MEDIA • @GoBearcatsWSOC (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram) • #UCWS / #UCWSvsNKU / #RiverboatRivalry 9 Colorado College 7 pm ET 11 Duquesne 1 pm ET @GoBearcatsWSOC Set for #RiverboatRivalry Match with NKU 15 at Lipscomb 5 pm CT Monday Night Futbol awaits Bearcats, Norse at historic Nippert Stadium 18 Youngstown State 1 1 pm ET // THE OPENING WHISTLE 30 at East Carolina • 7 pm ET With one rivalry victory in its pocket after Friday night’s victory, the University of Cincinnati women’s soccer team O 6 at Tulsa • 7 pm CT will return to the pitch Monday night as the Bearcats (1-0-0) are set to play host to the Northern Kentucky Norse 9 at Memphis • 1 pm CT (0-1-0) in the inaugural Riverboat Rivalry match, which will start at 7p.m. inside historic Nippert Stadium. Admis- 13 Houston • 7 pm ET sion is complimentary for the event that will feature autograph sessions before (FC Cincinnati & UC’s men’s team) and after (both women’s teams) the match, along with $1 hot dogs, $1 select beverages and a free UC scarf to the 16 SMU • 1 pm ET first 500 students (with university ID’s) in attendance. 20 at UCF • 7 pm ET 23 at USF • 1 pm ET // BY THE NUMBERS 27 UConn • 7 pm ET 1 Meeeting: Monday’s match with NKU will be the first between the two programs 30 Temple • 1 pm ET 2 Rank: Gavorski’s golden goal is the second-latest by a Bearcat since the 2002 season The American Championships 11 Seconds: remaining on the clock (109:49) when Gavorski scored the game-winner against Dayton 12 Minute of play when UC scored its first goal of the season, a PK from LoPresti N 2 vs Quarterfinal Match2 TBD 4 vs Semifinal Match2 TBD // #HASHING IT OUT 6 vs Championship Match 2 TBD Fans can follow the Bearcats on many social accounts for updates before, during and after each match. The team can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, all with the handle GoBearcatsWSOC. If you would • American Athletic Conference match like to join in the conversation, please use #UCWSvNKU, #RiverboatRivalry and #Bearcats. Home matches played at Gettler Stadium and streamed live on BearcatsTV.com // 1 2 RECAP: CINCINNATI 2-1 DAYTON (2OT) at Nippert Stadium / at regular season champion One match into the season and the ‘Cardiac Cats’ were already back to what they did well in 2015: win a match late. UC, who went 4-0-2 last year with a goal scored in the 79’ or later, jumped to an early 1-0 lead after freshman Gabrielle LoPresti scored from the penalty spot in the 12’. After Dayton pulled level in the 72’ to tie the match at SOCIAL NETWORKS FOLLOW US 1-1, the two teams would eventually go deep into overtime with both sides nearly taking the victory with close calls for the opposing defenders. Then, with 11 seconds remaining and the match looking to be headed to a tie, Julie Team Page - GoBearcatsWSOC Gavorski collected a loose ball nearly 25-yards from the goal, turned and let it fly, blasting a shot past the keeper Cincinnati Athletics - GoBearcats to give the home side the victory.

Team Feed - @GoBearcatsWSOC // THE LATE SHOW Cincinnati Athletics - @GoBearcats With her goal scored 11 seconds from time, Julie Gavorski netted the latest score in the four seasons Neil Stafford has been at the helm of the program and the second-latest since the 2003 season, when overtime was lowered to Team Feed - GoBearcatsWSOC two, 10-minute periods from two, 15-minute periods. Gavorski’s golden goal came at 109:49 and is only suprassed Cincinnati Athletics - GoBearcats by Laura Rose’s winner at 109:58 in a 1-0 defeat of St. John’s on September 21, 2012. Dating back to the start of the 2003 season, Gavorski’s goal is the sixth netted by a Bearcat with under two minutes remaining in double Team Snaps - GoBearcatsWSOC overtime and the third with less than one minute showing on the clock. Cincinnati Athletics - GoBearcats // OPENING HER ACCOUNT QUICKLY GET MORE AT GOBEARCATS.COM Freshman Gabrielle LoPresti not only got the start in her first collegiate contest, but she also netted the first goal of her career and the season for the team as she converted from the penalty spot in the 12’ (11:44). Her goal is the UC ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS eighth-fastest in a match under Stafford and the fastest in a season-opener in his four seasons at UC. LoPresti also ranks second among Stafford’s rookies as Katy Couperus netted a goal off a free kick against Louisville (2013) Women’s Soccer Contact Alex Ryan at 2:01 on the clock to set the stand for freshmen. Email [email protected] // Phone - Cell (513) 623-9992 THANKS FOR COMING! Friday night, 1,467 fans came out for the match with Dayton, breaking the previous Gettler Stadium attendance Phone - Office (513) 556-0618 record of 1,400 set September 18, 2011, for a match with Notre Dame. The sixth time over 1,000 fans have packed Twitter @al3xmryan into Gettler, the Friday crowd also marked the second season opener in a row the Bearcats have had over 1,000 Mailing Address UC Athletics Communications fans after 1,054 attended the August 21, 2015, match with DePaul, the now sixth-highest total in program history. Richard E. Lindner Center // 2751 O’Varsity Way, Suite 860 BEEN HERE BEFORE Playing at Nippert Stadium is not new to the program, although it has been quite a while since they have played Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0021 inside the historic venue. From 1980 through 1989, Nippert was home to UC soccer with 62 of their 65 scheduled BEARCATS NOTES || MATCHES #2 vs. Northern Kentucky (Riverboat Rivarly) // QUICK FACTS - BEARCATS SOCCER // 2016 BEARCATS Location ...... Cincinnati, OH 45221 # Name Pos. Ht. Year Hometown/High School/Last College Founded ...... 1819 0 Madison Less GK 5-9 FR Hinckley, Ohio/Highland Enrollment ...... 43,600 1 Natalie Smith GK 5-6 RS SR Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy Nickname ...... Bearcats 2 Julia Abbott F/MF 5-8 FR Olney, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel Colors ...... Red & Black 3 Cassie Wheldon MF 5-5 SO Waterloo, Canada/Bluevale Web Sites ...... GoBearcats.com / UC.edu 4 Holyn Alf MF 5-6 FR Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy Conference ...... The American 5 Kayla Utley D 5-5 SR Castro Valley, Calif./Castro Valley Affiliation...... NCAA Division I 6 Jordan Cotleur F/MF 5-5 SO Copley, Ohio/Copley Home Venue ...... Gettler Stadium (1,400) 7 Michelle Travassos D 5-8 FR Mississauga, Ontario, CAN/Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Press Box Phone ...... (513) 556-3754 8 Gabrielle LoPresti MF 5-4 FR Solon, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit Alternate Home ...... Nippert Stadium (40,000) 9 Kellee O’Shaughnessy MF 5-5 RS FR Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger Press Box Phone ...... (513) 556-1010 10 Taylor Jackson F 5-6 SR Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill/Miami (Ohio) Interim President ...... Dr. Beverly Davenport 11 Vanessa Gilles D 5-7 JR Ottawa, Ontario, CAN/Louis Riel Director of Athletics ...... Mike Bohn 12 Sydney Goins MF/D 5-7 FR Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills Faculty Rep...... Dr. David M. Szymanski 13 Lizzie Ehrnfelt D 5-7 JR Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville 14 Emma Dwenger F 5-4 RS JR Columbus, Ind./Columbus East/Central Michigan // TEAM INFORMATION 16 Jaycie Brown MF 5-0 JR Wellington, Ohio/Magnificat Head Coach (at UC) ...... Neil Stafford (4th) 18 Julie Gavorski F 5-8 JR Madison, Ohio/Madison Alma Mater ...... Southern New Hampshire 19 Angelica Galluzzo MF/D 5-6 FR Newmarket, Ontario, CAN/St. Maximilian Kolbe Career Record ...... 134-96-27 (14 yrs) 20 Katy Couperus MF 5-8 RS JR Ft. Collins, Colo./Fort Collins UC Record ...... 32-28-8 (4 yrs) 21 Bailey Wilson MF 5-9 SR Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman Associate Head Coach (at UC) ...... Nate Lie (4th) 22 Tiffany Huber D 5-5 SO West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East Alma Mater ...... Miami (Ohio) 23 Rachel Holloway F/MF 5-6 SO Mason, Ohio/Mason Assistant Coach/GK (at UC) ...... Matt Cosinuke (3rd) 25 Alex Stubblebine MF 5-5 FR Ocala, Fla./Forest Alma Mater...... Florida Atlantic 27 Bri Costigan F/MF/D 5-7 FR Fenton, Mich./Fenton Volunteer Assistant (at UC) ...... Kristin Cannon (1st) 28 Taylor Pavlika MF 5-7 JR Temperance, Mich./Novi/IPFW Alma Mater ...... Assumption College 29 Dee Picou D 5-4 FR Needham, Mass./Needham Team Operations ...... Jacquie Stafford 31 Libby Greenwell D 5-8 FR Edgewood, Ky./Notre Dame Academy Athletic Trainer ...... Samantha O’Loughlin 33 Claudia Eustaquio GK 5-11 SO Mississauga, Ontario/Philip Pocock Catholic/Detroit Mercy Fitness/Strength ...... Chris Gray 34 Kyleigh Dominguez F/MF 5-5 FR Geneva, Ill./Geneva Student Manager ...... Alex Keller 99 Kaleigh Piscioneri GK 5-8 SO Avon, Ohio/Magnificat

// TEAM HISTORY matches taking place there (two were played instead at the Metalex Soccer Park in West Chester, Ohio, with one more First Season ...... 1980 (37 yrs) played at the Blue Ash Sports Complex). All told in those nine seasons, the Bearcats posted an impressive 52-8-2 All-Time Record ...... 359-267-54 record at Nippert Stadium before one full season at Metalex and then transitioning to Meyers Field, which is now Home ...... 179-99-23 Gettler Stadium. @ Gettler Stadium/Meyers Field ...... 122-85-20 @ Nippert Stadium ...... 52-8-2 // ALL-TIME @ Metalex Park (W. Chester) ...... 5-5-1 The 2-1 defeat of Dayton opened the 37th year of varsity soccer at Cincinnati. Started in 1980, the Bearcats have @ Blue Ash Sports Complex ...... 0-1-0 competed for 37 years and have posted an all-time record of 359-267-54, including a record of 179-99-23 all-time Away ...... 149-151-21 in home matches, 149-151-21 on the road and 31-17-10 at neutral locations. The Bearcats have now posted a 24-12-1 Neutral ...... 31-17-10 all-time record in their first match of the season with a 14-6-0 record when that opener comes at home. Overall, UC is 25-10-2 all-time in its first home match of the season. NCAA Appearances/Last ...... 7/2015 Best Finish ...... 2001/Sweet 16 // PROTECT THIS HOUSE Conference Championships/Last ...... 7/2015 Following Friday’s win, the Bearcats hold a 179-99-23 all-time home record. In fact, in the four years Neil Stafford 2015 Season ...... 13-6-5 (5-3-1) has led the charge, the Bearcats have posted an 19-5-4 home mark and recorded 14 shutouts, improving each of Conference Finish ...... Tournament Champions those three years (0 in 2013, 6 in 2014 and 8 last year). All told, UC holds a 61-24 scoring margin in home contests Post Season ...... NCAA Round 1 (L, 4-0, @ #4 VT) over the past four seasons.

// ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS // KNOW THE FOE: NORTHERN KENTUCKY Associate Athletic Director ...... Ryan Koslen The Northern Kentucky Norse are members of the Horizon League and posted an 11-5-2 overall record in 2015 with Assistant Athletic Director ...... Andre Foushee a 6-2-1 mark in league action to finish third. A member of NCAA Division I since 2012, the Norse have fielded a team Senior Director ...... TBD since 1997 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament on 11 occassions. Bob Sheehan is entering his 20th Director ...... Katie Botsis year at the helm of the NKU program and returns a pair of high-scoring junior forwards in Macy Hamblin and Jessica Assistant Director ...... Alex Lange Frey, who talled 21 points (6g/9a) and 20 points (7g/6a), respectively. NKU is first of two Horizon League foes the Assistant Director ...... Drew Weber Bearcats will face this year as the Penguins of Youngstown State will come to town later this season. Associate Director/Contact ...... Alex Ryan // Ryan Email ...... [email protected] IN THE SERIES: BEARCATS vs. NORSE Despite the short distance between the campuses in Cincinnati and Highland Heights, Ky., Monday’s tilt will be the Office/Cell...... (513) 556-0618 / (513) 623-9992 first in the series between the two programs. Ryan Twitter ...... @al3xryan // HEADING INTO THE MATCH Northern Kentucky opened its season on Friday night with a 3-1 loss at Appalachian State. Macy Hamblin got the Norse on the board first, but three-consecutive goals from the hosts sent the visitors from NKU to the loss.

// RIVERBOAT RIVALRY When the Bearcats and Norse meet Monday, not only will it be the first match in their series, it also will be the inau- BEARCATS NOTES || MATCHES #2 vs. Northern Kentucky (Riverboat Rivarly) // 2016 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE STANDINGS - through Friday, August 19 matches // CINCINNATI’S RECORD WHEN... School Ranks TP W L T Record Pct. Home Away Neut. Strk. Overall Conf. 1. Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 1-0-0 1.000 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 W1 Home (ALL) ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Houston 0 0 0 0 1-0-0 1.000 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 W1 Home (Gettler) ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Memphis 0 0 0 0 1-0-0 1.000 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 W1 Home (Nippert) ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 UConn 15/- 0 0 0 0 1-0-0 1.000 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 W1 Away ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 USF rv/- 0 0 0 0 1-0-0 1.000 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 W1 Neutral ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 6. Tulsa 0 0 0 0 0-0-1 .500 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-1 T1 In Overtime ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 7. East Carolina 0 0 0 0 0-1-0 .000 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 L1 vs. NSCAA Top 25 ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Temple 0 0 0 0 0-1-0 .000 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 L1 UCF rv/- 0 0 0 0 0-1-0 .000 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 L1 Match Decided by 0-1 Goals ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 - SMU 0 0 0 0 0-0-0 .000 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 -- Match Decided by 2 Goals ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Rankings are NSCAA Top 25/Soccer America Top 25 Match Decided by 3+ Goals ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 ^ The American regular season champion // # The American tournament champion // • NCAA Tournament participant UC Scores First ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 gural Riverboat Rivalry match and will take place at Nippert Stadium (7 p.m., complimentary admission). With the hopes of expanding the event to four teams with ties to the area, this year’s event will not only feature the women Opponent Scores First ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 of UC and NKU, but also allow fans to meet members of the Bearcats men’s team and select players from FC Cincin- nati, both of whom will be on hand to sign autographs prior to the match before battling one another in a cross-bar Leading at Halftime ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 challenge at halftime. Trailing at Halftime ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Tied at Halftime ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 // MORE FOR THE RIVERBOAT Along with the match and the autograph session with the men’s sides, several other things will take place: Leading at 60’ Mark ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 • Pregame, fans can enjoy inflateables on Shakely Lawn (west of Nippert Stadium) Trailing at 60’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 • UC Men’s program and FC Cincinnati will be on hand to sign autographs prior to the match (east concourse) Tied at 60’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 • Fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $1 beer throughout the match Leading at 70’ Mark ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 • Following the match, fans will be invited onto the field to shoot on the goals Trailing at 70’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 • Both UC and NKU will sign autographs for fans starting 15 minutes after the match has ended Tied at 70’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 // WHERE THEY STAND Leading at 80’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 The American Athletic Conference announced its preseason coaches’ poll last week with the Bearcats earning 64 votes Trailing at 80’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 to tie for third with UCF while USF’s 65 points had them second to UConn, the unanimous choice to take the trophy in Tied at 80’ Mark ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 2016. Several individual awards also were handed out with Vanessa Gilles being voted the Preseason Defensive Player Leading at 85’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 of the Year while also being selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Fellow Bearcat Jaycie Brown also earned a place on the Preseason All-Conference Team and was a unanimous selection. Trailing at 85’ Mark ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Tied at 85’ Mark ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 // NEVER BEFORE Gilles and Brown’s selections for preseason honors marked the first time in the American Athletic Conference’s four- Playing on Monday ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 year existence that any Bearcat had been honored heading into a season. As a team, UC’s tie for third marks its Playing on Thursday ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 highest projected finish and also stands as an improvement over the previous year for the third season in a row after going from ninth (2013) to sixth (2014) to fifth last year. Playing on Friday ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Playing on Sunday ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 // LOOKING BACK: 2015 It was a banner year for the Bearcats as UC posted a 13-6-5 record and went 5-3-2 in the American Athletic Confer- Facing a ‘Human’ Mascot ...... 1-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 ence to finish fourth overall before winning the conference tournament and participating in the NCAA Tournament for Facing a ‘Weather’ Mascot ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 the first time since 2002. The Bearcats posted double-digit victories in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2000-02 and advanced to the national tournament, where they fell to Virginia Tech. Success didn’t come easy for the Facing an ‘Animal’ Mascot ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 Bearcats as they went 8-4-0 in matches decided by one goal and needed several goals after the 80th minute to either • Bird (Eagle/Owl/Penguin) ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 pull even or take a lead, including three goals in the 79th minute and later to come from a 2-0 deficit to defeat top- • Canine (Terrier/Husky) ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 seeded and 10th-ranked UConn in the conference semifinals. Academically, the team continued to shine and finished • Feline (Tiger/Cougar) ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 the 2015-16 season with a cumulative GPA of 3.512 to post a 3.5+ GPA for the second year in a row. • Other (Bison/Bull/Mustang) ...... 0-0-0 ...... 0-0-0 // CRAZY EIGHT The Bearcats’ championship in 2015 marked the eighth conference tournament title won in program history and the first since the 2002 Conference-USA event. To bring home the trophy, UC successfully navigated quick an interest- ing path. First, the Bearcats, who were the fourth-seed in the event, dropped fifth-seeded Tulsa, 2-0, defeating the Golden Hurricane for the second time in 10 days (1-0 at UC). Then, facing the top-seeded Huskies, UC fell behind, 2-0, at the half before posting a furious comeback deep into regulation, getting goals from Danielle Rotheram and Julie Gavorski in the 79th and 88th minutes, respectively, to force overtime where Vanessa Gilles notched the winner in the 98th minute. Two days later, the Bearcats took on second-seeded USF and were trailing late, 1-0, before Jaycie Brown scored in the 88th minute to force overtime and an eventual tie. In the sport’s ultimate test of nerves, the Bearcats would go on to hoist the trophy after winning on penalties and earn a berth into the national tournament.

// REPEAT? Eight times in program history, the Bearcats capped a season as conference champions by winning the league tournament with the eighth trophy coming last year in the American Athletic Conference tournament. Should UC repeat this season, it would mark the fourth time the Bearcats posted back-to-back crowns after winning the 1996 and 1997 Conference-USA titles and the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Conference-USA titles. BEARCATS NOTES || MATCHES #2 vs. Northern Kentucky (Riverboat Rivarly) // NATIONAL RANKINGS - NSCAA TOP 25 // CONFERENCE HONORS Team (1st Place) Record Last Prior to the conference tournament, three Bearcats garnered honors as both Vanessa Gilles and Danielle Rotheram 1. Florida State (18) 18-3-4 3 were named American Athletic Conference Second Team honorees while Jordan Cotleur was selected to the league’s 2. Penn State (10) 22-3-2 1 all-rookie squad. Following their stellar play en route to the championship, several other awards were garnered, 3. Duke (2) 14-6-5 2 including Jaycie Brown earning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player honor and Gilles taking the Most Outstanding Defensive Player award. Both women, along with Rotheram and Julie Gavorski, were name to the 4. Virginia 19-1-3 5 all-tournament team, too. 5. Stanford 19-2-2 6 6. West Virginia 19-3-1 7 // GREAT EIGHT 7. Florida 19-4-1 8 The 2015 season saw the Bearcats make a return to the national tournament for the first time since 2002, their 8. Texas A&M 17-7-2 9 eighth all-time appearance in the NCAA event. If UC earns another berth into the national event this season, it will 9. North Carolina 15-5-1 14 mark just the second time it has made back-to-back appearances after the 2001 and 2002 squads did so first. The 10. Rutgers 18-4-4 4 Bearcats’ previous appearances came in 1981 (AIWA), 1983, 1986, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2015. 11. USC 14-6-2 11 12. Auburn 16-6-1 12 // KEEPING IT CLEAN 13. Notre Dame 14-5-1 15 The Bearcats had a strong showing defensively in 2015 as UC posted 12 clean sheets (10-0-2) on the season with eight of those shut outs coming at home (7-0-1) and four more away from home (2-0-1 on the road, 1-0-0 neutral). 14. Clemson 15-4-2 13 15. UConn 19-4-0 10 // SHOWING IMPROVEMENT 16. BYU 16-3-2 17 Heading into the 2015 season, the Bearcats final RPI ranking with the NCAA was 132nd. Following a successful 2015 17. Virginia Tech 15-4-2 18 campaign, the Bearcats found themselves ranked 39th, a huge climb of 93 spots from one year to the next. That 18. California 13-6-3 24 improvement not only put the Bearcats in the national Top 40 for the first time since 2002 and just the third time 19. Texas Tech 14-4-5 21 since the NCAA began tracking the statistic (2000), it also marked the program’s best improvement, surpassing the 20. Arizona 14-6-2 19 91-position climb made by the 2005 squad (177 from 268). 21. Santa Clara 14-6-2 20 22. Mississippi 14-5-4 16 // ELITE COMPANY 23. Ohio State 13-6-4 22 In his three seasons leading the program, Neil Stafford has had a profound impact. After inheriting a club that gone 4-13-1 the year before, Stafford and his staff turned the Bearcats around to the tune of a four-win improvement and 24. South Carolina 12-5-3 RV went 8-11-1. He followed that up with a 10-8-2 season in 2014, improving the win total by two more victories and 25. Loyola Marymount 15-6-1 23 guiding the program to double-digit wins for the first time 2008. Then, in 2015, the team went 13-6-5, giving UC its RV: South Alabama, UCLA, Minnesota, Northwestern, most wins since 2002 (17) and another improvement in the win column (three), marking only the second time in the Washington State, USF, Pepperdine, LSU, Michigan, program’s history that a UC team had improved its win total three years in a row. All told, Stafford’s 31 wins in three Florida Gulf Coast, Wisconsin, UCF, Boston College, UNC- seasons is the most to open a career in the program’s history, surpassing the 29 accumulated by Meridy Glenn from Wilmington, Hofstra, CS Fullerton, Princeton, Washington 1983-85 at the start of her 25-year career with the Bearcats. • rankings as of August 2, 2016 (preseason rankings) • BOLD indicates UC opponents in 2016 // BACK FOR MORE Seventeen student-athletes are back this season, including four seniors in Natalie Smith, Kayla Utley, Taylor Jackson and Bailey Wilson. Joining them are juniors Vanessa Gilles, Lizzie Ehrnfelt, Emma Dwenger, Jaycie Brown, Julie Gavor- ski, Katy Couperus and Taylor Pavlika; sophomores Cassie Wheldon, Jordan Cotleur, Tiffany Huber, Rachel Holloway // PRESEASON HONORS - AMERICAN ATHLETIC and Kaleigh Piscioneri; and redshirt freshman Kellee O’Shaughnessy. Team (1st Place) 2015 Pts 1. UConn (9) 19-4-0 (8-1-0) 81 // HELLO, MY NAME IS... 2. USF (1) 15-4-3 (6-2-1) 65 Thirteen players joined the program this off season, including one sophomore transfer and 12 true freshmen. The 3. CINCINNATI 13-6-5 (5-3-2) 64 rookies include Madison Less, Julia Abbott, Holyn Alf, Michelle Travassos, Gabrielle LoPresti, Sydney Goins, Angelica UCF 12-6-2 (6-3-0) 64 Galluzzo, Alex Stubblebine, Bri Costigan, Dee Picou, Libby Greenwell and Kyleigh Dominguez with sophomore Claudia 5. Memphis 8-8-3 (3-4-3) 46 Eustaquio transferring in from Detroit Mercy where she was the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2015. 6. Tulsa 13-6-1 (4-4-2) 42 7. East Carolina 8-10-2 (3-5-2) 30 // UP NEXT 8. Temple 12-7-1 (4-4-2) 29 With a pair of home matches in the books, the Bearcats will hit the road for their next four matches, including a pair in the Hoosier State next weekend. UC will travel to Evansville on Friday, August 26, for a 7 p.m. local (8 p.m. ET) 9. SMU 5-10-3 (2-6-2) 20 match with the Purple Aces that will be streamed live on ESPN3. The first weekend will come to a close on Sunday, 10. Houston 4-13-0 (0-9-0) 9 August 28, with a 1 p.m. ET match with the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind.

INDIVIDUAL PRESEASON AWARDS: Offensive Player of the Year ...... Rachel Hill (UConn) Defensive Player of the Year ...... Vanessa Gilles (UC) Goalkeeper of the Year ...... Emily Armstrong (UConn)

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: UCF ...... Kayla Adamek, • Carol Rodrigues Cincinnati ...... • Jaycie Brown, Vanessa Gilles UConn ...... Emily Armstrong, • Rachel Hill, ...... Stephanie Ribeiro East Carolina ...... Lana Spitler Memphis ...... Marie Levasseur, • Valerie Sanderson SMU ...... Claire Oates Tulsa ...... • Rachel Thun • unanimous selection BEARCATS NOTES || MATCHES #2 vs. Northern Kentucky (Riverboat Rivarly) BEARCATS NOTES || MATCHES #2 vs. Northern Kentucky (Riverboat Rivarly) // SINGLE-MATCH HIGHS 2 ABBOTT, Julia (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-0 19 GALLUZZO, Angelica (Fr.) GP/GS: 0-0 9 O’SHAUGHNESSY, Kellee (RS-Fr.) GP/GS: 0-0 Points 0 Points - Points - Goals 0 Goals - Goals - Assists 0 Assists - Assists - Shots 0 Shots - Shots -

4 ALF, Holyn (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-1 18 GAVORSKI, Julie (Jr.) GP/GS: 36-6 28 PAVLIKA, Taylor (Jr.) GP/GS: 25-25 Points 0 Points 4 vs. Eastern Kentucky (9/5/14) Points 1 (4x) last: vs. UConn (11/5/15) Goals 0 Goals 2 vs. Eastern Kentucky (9/5/14) Goals 0 Assists 0 Assists 1 (3x) last: vs. UConn (11/5/15) Assists 1 (4x) last: vs. UConn (11/5/15) Shots 1 vs. Dayton (8/19/16) Shots 9 vs. UConn (11/5/15) Shots 2 at Xavier (9/20/15)

16 BROWN, Jaycie (Jr.) GP/GS: 44-23 11 GILLES, Vanessa (Jr.) GP/GS: 45-45 29 PICOU, Dee (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-0 Points 4 (2x) last: at SMU (9/24/15) Points 4 (2x) last: vs. East Carolina (10/16/15) Points 0 Goals 2 (2x) last: at SMU (9/24/15) Goals 2 (2x) last: vs. East Carolina (10/16/15) Goals 0 Assists 1 (4x) last: vs. UCF (10/4/15) Assists 1 (2x) last: at Colorado College (9/6/15) Assists 0 Shots 6 (2x) last: vs. Memphis (10/23/15) Shots 6 at Xavier (9/20/15) Shots 1 vs. Dayton (8/19/16)

27 COSTIGAN, Bri (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-1 12 GOINS, Sydney (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-0 99 PISCIONERI, Kaleigh (So.) GP/GS: 2-0 Points 0 Points 0 Saves 2 vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Goals 0 Goals 0 GA (low) 0 vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Assists 0 Assists 0 GA (high) 0 vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Shots 2 vs. Dayton (8/19/16) Shots 0

6 COTLEUR, Jordan (So.) GP/GS: 21-12 31 GREENWELL, Libby (Fr.) GP/GS: 0-0 1 SMITH, Natalie (RS-Sr.) GP/GS: 44-41 Points 4 vs. UCF (10/4/15) Points - Saves 10 vs. USF (10/2/15) Goals 2 vs. UCF (10/4/15) Goals - GA (low) 0 (11x) last: vs. East Carolina (10/16/15) Assists 1 vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Assists - GA (high) 4 at USF (10/24/14) Shots 4 vs. UCF (10/4/15) Shots -

20 COUPERUS, Katy (RS-Jr.) GP/GS: 39-35 23 HOLLOWAY, Rachel (So.) GP/GS: 16-0 25 STUBBLEBINE, Alex (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-0 Points 4 at Vanderbilt (8/29/14) Points 1 at Long Beach State (9/17/15) Points 0 Goals 2 at Vanderbilt (8/29/14) Goals 0 Goals 0 Assists 2 at Samford (8/22/14) Assists 1 at Long Beach State (9/17/15) Assists 0 Shots 6 at Tulsa (10/12/14) Shots 0 Shots 1 vs. Dayton (8/19/16)

34 DOMINGUEZ, Kyleigh (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-0 22 HUBER, Tiffany (So.) GP/GS: 25-3 7 TRAVASSOS, Michelle (Fr.) GP/GS: 0-0 Points 0 Points 1 (3x) last: vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Points - Goals 0 Goals 0 Goals - Assists 0 Assists 1 (3x) last: vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Assists - Shots 0 Shots 2 (2x) last: at Xavier (9/20/15) Shots -

14 DWENGER, Emma (RS-Jr.) GP/GS: 1-1 10 JACKSON, Taylor (Sr.) GP/GS: 21-8 5 UTLEY, Kayla (Sr.) GP/GS: 65-64 Points 0 Points 3 vs. St. Francis (PA)(9/7/14) Points 0 Goals 0 Goals 1 (4x) last: vs. Houston (10/19/14) Goals 0 Assists 0 Assists 1 (2x) last: vs. Syracuse (9/21/14) Assists 0 Shots 0 Shots 3 (3x) last: vs. Houston (10/19/14) Shots 2 (2x) last: at SMU (9/24/15)

13 EHRNFELT, Lizzie (Jr.) GP/GS: 35-30 0 LESS, Madison (Fr.) GP/GS: 0-0 3 WHELDON, Cassie (So.) GP/GS: 24-21 Points 1 vs. St. Francis (PA)(9/7/14) Saves - Points 2 (2x) last: vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Goals 0 GA (low) x Goals 1 (2x) last: vs. Evansville (10/18/15) Assists 1 vs. St. Francis (PA)(9/7/14) GA (high) x Assists 1 (6x) last: vs. USF (11/8/15) Shots 1 (6x) last: vs. East Carolina (10/16/15) Shots 3 (3x) last: vs. UConn (11/5/15)

33 EUSTAQUIO, Claudia (So.) GP/GS: 0-0 8 LoPRESTI, Gabrielle (Fr.) GP/GS: 1-1 21 WILSON, Bailey (Sr.) GP/GS: 52-43 Saves - Points 2 vs. Dayton (8/19/16) Points 1 at Duquesne (9/13/15) GA (low) x Goals 1 vs. Dayton (8/19/16) Goals - GA (high) x Assists 0 Assists 1 at Duquesne (9/13/15) * with Detroit Mercy Shots 3 vs. Dayton (8/19/16) Shots 3 at St. Francis (PA)(9/11/15)