The Rice Thresher

Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/sports/2007/10/05/soccer_defeats_cardinals

October 5, 2007 > Sports > Owls outshoot Cardinals 42-0 en route to easy win

Owls outshoot Cardinals 42-0 en route to easy win

By Bobby McFarlane | Thresher staff

In sports, the way to ease the pain of a beating is simple: Play a winless opponent. The soccer team took this route Friday, demolishing Lamar University 5-0 in its final tune-up before launching into their conference schedule.

Rice (6-3-1) will face the University of Houston tonight at 7 p.m. at the Rice Track/Soccer Stadium to open conference play. The Cougars (4-4-1) are coming off a 1-0 overtime loss to Texas Christian University last Sunday, a team Rice beat by the same score a month ago in double-overtime. UH also lost 3-1 at home a week ago to the University of Texas-San Antonio, and will be looking to get back on track tonight.

The Cougars, unlike the Cardinals, will be a challenge. However, Lamar most definitely was not. The scoring started early when sophomore midfielder Shelley Wong zipped a pass across the keeper’s box and found senior forward Clory Martin in the third minute. Martin found an opening and blasted a shot to the opposite corner, netting her fourth goal of the season.

The Owls would quickly add to their lead in the 14th minute when Wong delivered a cross to freshman forward Korey Taylor on the right wing. Taylor needed just one touch to settle the ball before blasting a top-shelf shot past the diving Lamar goalie Kelsie Binetti.

The goal was Taylor’s first of the season, mainly because she was finally back at her primary position of forward. Taylor had been playing defender in place of injured sophomore defender Kellen Schugart, who returned against the Cardinals.

The scoring barrage continued for the Owls in the 16th minute when Martin launched one of a season-high 12 corner kicks far over the keeper’s box. The ball found the feet of sophomore defender Katelyn Ostendorf, who then sent the ball to sophomore forward Erin Scott. Scott broke clear of nearby defenders and blasted a goal from close range to give the Owls a 3-0 lead. Rice then pushed that lead to 4-0 when Taylor wove the ball through the middle of the field and scored unassisted in the 20th minute.

The early goals were a good sign for the Owls, who had previously struggled with converting early scoring attempts. However, the team has been having an easier time scoring late, and last Friday was no different. The final goal of the night came in the 71st minute when Scott corralled a Martin cross near the seven-yard mark and stoned the keeper with a corner shot. It was Scott’s third goal of the season and Martin’s fourth point of the game.

The five goals tied for the fourth highest goal output in program history, while the 42 total shots were fifth most.

“Something we’ve been working on is converting on opportunities,” Huston said. “In past games we were getting a lot of opportunities, and when it should have been 3-0 or 4-0 it was 1-0 and the other team was still in it.”

Lost amid the Owls’ offensive explosion was their solid defense, which didn’t allow a single shot on goal en route to the shutout. Ostendorf, who played for the full 90 minutes, earned C-USA Defender of the Week honors for her efforts.

End of article

Back to top