Nov. 1, 2010
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - It was a wild journey through the Conference USA regular season this year, but six teams survived to compete in Orlando for this week's C-USA Women's Soccer Championship. With quarterfinals beginning Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex, UCFAthletics.com takes a look at the field.
-Ticket Information
-C-USA Championship Central
-C-USA Championship Facebook Page
- 2010 C-USA Bracket
-UCF Soccer Complex
-Travel Info
-UCF Campus Map
-C-USA Women's Soccer Page
2010 C-USA Championship Schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 3 - Quarterfinals
No. 3 Houston vs. No. 6 Marshall - 5 p.m.
No. 4 SMU vs. No. 5 Rice - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 5 - Semifinals
No. 2 Memphis vs. Houston/Marshall - 5 p.m.
No. 1 UCF vs. SMU/Rice - 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 7 - Championship - Live on CBS College Sports
Semifinal Winners - 2 p.m.
No. 1 UCF Knights
Overall Record: 13-3-3
C-USA Record: 8-1-2
C-USA Regular Season Titles: 4
C-USA Championship Titles: 0
-The outright regular-season champions, UCF won its final four matches by a combined score of 16-1. Its only losses this year were to No. 11 Florida, No. 8 Florida State and on the road at Colorado College, while it posted key wins over No. 19 Arizona State and South Florida.
-The Knights lead C-USA with 47 goals, 66 assists and 160 points. They are ranked 10th in the country in scoring offense (2.47 goals per game).
-Tishia Jewell paces all players in the league with 32 points on 10 goals and a C-USA-best 12 assists. In C-USA games only, she finished tied with fellow UCF forward Kim Newsome for first with six goals. Meanwhile, defender Bianca Joswiak ranked second behind Jewell (eight) with six assists in league matches.
-UCF's goalie combination of Aline Reis (10-3-3, four shutouts) and Jaclyn Meade (3-0-0, two shutouts) have combined for a 0.91 goals-against average which ranks third in the league.
No. 2 Memphis Tigers
Overall Record: 13-3-3
C-USA Record: 7-1-3
C-USA Regular Season Titles: 2
C-USA Championship Titles: 3
-The defending tournament champions, Memphis claims a 6-0-3 record in its last nine matches, and in non-conference play its only losses were against No. 18 Oklahoma State and TCU. However the Tigers did defeat LSU, Alabama and Mississippi to go 3-0-0 vs. SEC opponents.
-Ranked third in C-USA with 36 goals and 34 assists, Memphis has outscored opponents 36-14 this year.
-Four players have collected at least 10 points, including Ashley Berra who has 17 on six goals and five assists.
-Elise Kuhar-Pitters has seen the majority of the minutes in net, recording a 0.80 GAA with six shutouts.
No. 3 Houston Cougars
Overall Record: 11-4-4
C-USA Record: 6-2-3
C-USA Regular Season Titles: 0
C-USA Championship Titles: 0
-Houston owned first place in C-USA late in the season but went 0-1-2 in its final three contests. The Cougars were 8-1-0 at home and 3-3-4 away from the city of Houston.
-Lauri Byrne has racked up seven goals and an assist for a team-high 15 points, while the defense has limited opponents to just 12 goals.
-The Cougars have not given up more than two goals in a match this year, and they have allowed one goal or less in 16 of 19 matches.
-Houston leads C-USA with 10 shutouts and a 0.60 GAA, as keeper Cami Koski has eight of those shutouts and a 0.64 GAA.
No. 4 SMU Mustangs
Overall Record: 11-6-3
C-USA Record: 6-4-1
C-USA Regular Season Titles: 2
C-USA Championship Titles: 0
-SMU won five-straight C-USA matches at one point this year, however wrapped up its league schedule with a 1-2-1 record in its final four decisions.
-Five different Mustangs have registered at least three goals, led by Kaitlyn Eidson who has five. SMU has been outshot 274-257, but has outscored opponents 27-21.
-Courtney Webb has played all 1,867 minutes in goal, amassing seven shutouts and a 1.01 GAA.
No. 5 Rice Owls
Overall Record: 8-8-3
C-USA Record: 5-3-3
C-USA Regular Season Titles: 0
C-USA Championship Titles: 1
-Rice got off to a great start in C-USA, winning its first five matches in the league. But the Owls went 0-3-3 down the stretch to earn the No. 5 seed.
-During the winning streak, Rice outscored teams 9-2, yet in their last six outings they trailed in goals, 5-2.
-The Owls rank in a tie for 10th in C-USA with 19 goals, and are fourth with a 0.96 GAA.
-Kate Edwards leads Rice with four goals, while Hope Ward has three goals and seven assists for 13 points.
No. 6 Marshall Thundering Herd
Overall Record: 7-8-3
C-USA Record: 5-5-1
C-USA Regular Season Titles: 0
C-USA Championship Titles: 0
-Making its first appearance in the C-USA Championship, Marshall won its final three matches including a 1-0 overtime win over East Carolina to clinch a spot in the postseason in the last game of the regular season.
-The Thundering Herd are tied for 10th in C-USA with 19 goals, while they have given up 20 goals on the year.
-Erika Duncan paces all Marshall players with five goals and 14 points.
-Marshall has used three keepers this season, but Lexa Hughes has seen time in 11 matches, recording four shutouts and a 0.91 GAA.
C-USA Notes
-UCF's Tishia Jewell leads all players in the tournament field with 10 goals, 12 assists and 32 points.
-UAB's Laura McCalla finished the regular season as the league's top goal scorer with 12, however the Blazers missed the postseason.
-In fact, only two of the eight players in C-USA who notched at least 20 points this year reached the postseason, and both are from UCF: Jewell and Kim Newsome (9-6--24).
-While a lot of the star offensive players are missing from the field, the focus will likely be on the goalkeepers. All six teams have keepers ranked in the top seven in goals-against average, with Rice's Catherine Fitzsimmons leading the way with a 0.64 GAA.