Gameday: ECU Returns Home To Host Houston

Game 11: Houston (5-6-1) at ECU (5-3-2)
Date	Thursday, September 27
Time	7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Johnson Stadium)
Information	Game Notes (PDF)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch
Promotions	Tickets \| Promotions
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUwsoccer Instagram: @ECUwsoccer Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After a pair of losses to start the conference portion of the schedule, the ECU women's soccer team tries to get back on track with a home game against Houston on Thursday night.

"Houston will be another tough test for us," said head coach Jason Hamilton. "They bring a lot of energy day in and day out. Being there for two years now, you can see that the coaching staff has them improving every day. Things are starting to come together for them at the right time."

ECU (5-3-2, 0-2-0) struggled on the road in the first two AAC games of the year. The Pirates fell 3-1 at Tulsa before losing a tight 2-1 overtime match at Memphis. It was the first time this season that ECU has lost two games in a row. Jayda Hylton-Pelaia and Cashlin Copley scored the goals for ECU, with Copley assisting Hylton-Pelaia's goal in the Tulsa loss and Daria Draovitch tallied an assist on Copley's goal against Memphis. ECU became the second team to score on Memphis, but could not hang on for the win as Memphis used a penalty kick and an overtime goal to come back and win.

"We need to play with the intensity level that we did on Sunday," Hamilton said. "If we can go out there with the mindset that we are going to win our individual battles, than we can be confident as a team."

The Pirates have gotten offensive contributions from all over the roster, as 10 players have scored at least one goal and 13 have contributed a point. Leading the way is Courtney Cash, who has 11 points on five goals and an assist while Jenna Dages is right behind her with four goals and an assist. Draovitch leads the team with four assists while Hylton-Pelaia is the highest scoring defensive player, as she has two goals and three assists from the right back position. Melanie Stiles has started all ten games in goal and has three shutouts this season. The redshirt sophomore has a save percentage of .780 and a goals against average of 1.07.

Houston (5-6-1, 1-1-0) comes into the weekend after an overtime loss of its own. The Cougars beat UConn 3-2 at home to get their first conference win before falling to Temple 3-2 in extra time. Houston has struggled on the road this season, going just 1-5-1 during the non-conference. Desiree Bowen leads the team with six goals while Jazmin Grant, who was chosen to the AAC All-Conference Preseason team, has three goals and an assist in 10 games. Houston has had a pair of goalkeepers split time, with Samantha Cude and Rachel Estopare starting seven and five games, respectively. Cude started the games last weekend and has a 1.42 goals against average and a .732 save percentage.

ECU is 11-3-1 all-time against Houston, but has not beaten the Cougars since the 2015 season. Last year, Houston claimed a 4-1 win while the two teams tied 1-1 in Johnson Stadium in 2016. From 2011 through 2015, ECU beat Houston five straight times, including a 3-1 win in the first round of the 2014 AAC Championship. Copley scored her first career goal in last year's road loss. ECU is 4-1-1 at home against Houston and is 2-0-1 in Johnson Stadium.

"We want to build off all the good things that we saw last Sunday," added Hamilton. The physicality, the execution of our game plan, and the intensity were great. We set the standard of expectations in those areas and we have to match them going forward."

Kickoff for Thursday's match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to help support East Carolina Undaunted's Hurricane Florence Food Drive at the match. More details can be found here. Tickets for Thursday's match can be purchased here.

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Players Mentioned

Courtney Cash

Cashlin Copley

Jenna Dages

Daria Draovitch

Jayda Hylton-Pelaia

Melanie Stiles

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