Pirates Return To Action At Cincinnati

Match 12: East Carolina (4-7-0, 0-2-0 AAC) at Cincinnati (6-4-1, 1-1-0 AAC)
Date	Thursday, September 30
Time	7 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Cincinnati, Ohio (Gettler Stadium)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Live Video \| ECU Match Notes
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUsoc Instagram: @ECUSoc Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Following a weekend off, the East Carolina soccer team will return to action when the Pirates travel to Cincinnati for a Thursday night battle.

ECU (4-7-0, 0-2-0) is coming off a 2-0 loss to No. 17 SMU last Thursday, with the Mustangs scoring one goal in either half. The Pirates are 0-2 in the AAC, but both losses have come against teams receiving votes in the top-25 with SMU now up to No. 14 while South Florida is receiving votes in the poll. The Pirates had the lead against South Florida thanks to goals from Haley McWhirter and Tori Riggs, but fell 3-2 in overtime and outshot the Mustangs 20-13, just the second time this season that East Carolina has outshot its opponent and lost.

Over their past four games, the Pirates have averaged 14 shots per game, including 6.5 on goal, but have struggled to turn those shots into goals. The only East Carolina goals in that span came from McWhirter and Riggs against South Florida. McWhirter and Riggs are tied with Kim Sanford and Peyton Godbey for the team lead in goals, with all four tallying a pair of scores this season. Samantha Moxie leads the Pirates in assists, with a pair of helpers to go with a goal of her own. Defensively, the back four of Sanford, Addison Salz, Morgan Dewey and Abby Sowa have started each of the past nine games in front of goalkeeper Maeve English. English has made 38 saves this season and has a goals against average of 1.60.

Cincinnati (6-4-1, 1-1-0) has split its opening two AAC matches, beating Tulsa 1-0 at home before losing at Temple 3-2. The Bearcats are coming off a 2020-21 season that saw them finish third in the AAC regular season standings and reach the final of the AAC Championship. Vanessa DiNardo leads the Bearcats and is fifth in the AAC with five goals to go along with one assist. Karli Royer has three goals this year and all three are game-winning tallies, placing Royer 18th in the country and second in the AAC in game-winning goals. On the defensive end, Anna Rexford has started all 11 games, making 34 saves and allowing 1.37 goals per game. Maddie Thiss leads the Bearcat defense in minutes played, having been on the field for 921 minutes this year while Ashley Barron was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll last week. Paige Miller has injected youth into the Bearcats lineup, scoring two goals and adding two assists to help earn her a pair of AAC Rookie of the Week honors.

Cincinnati is 8-2-2 all-time against East Carolina, but the past three matchups have held serious playoff implications. Last season, the Bearcats won 2-1 in Greenville thanks to a goal in the 80th minute, a victory that helped Cincinnati finish a spot above East Carolina in third place. In 2019, East Carolina went to Cincinnati on the final day of the season needing a win to clinch a spot in the AAC Championship, but the two teams played to a 0-0 draw. In the 2018 season, the Pirates beat Cincinnati 1-0 to clinch a spot in the AAC Championship, with Sanford picking up an assist on that goal. The Pirates have struggled in Cincinnati, going just 1-4-1 there, with the only victory coming in 2004.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., at Cincinnati's Gettler Stadium. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and fans can follow the live stats here.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Dewey

Maeve English

Peyton Godbey

Haley McWhirter

Samantha Moxie

Tori Riggs

Addison Salz

Kim Sanford

Abby Sowa

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