Brown women do it again

Two days after toppling Penn State, Lady Bears hold No. 1 ranked UCLA to 0-0 draw

September 15, 2008

Junior tri-captain Brenna Hogue (Concord, CA) turned in another spectacular performance in net to help lead the Brown women’s soccer team (2-1-1) to a 0-0 tie against No. 1 ranked UCLA (5-0-1) in the Bears’ second game of the UConn Classic.

In its previous five games entering Sunday’s contest against Brown, UCLA had outscored its opponents, 16-1, and posted four straight shutouts.

Hogue made 12 saves for Brown, which was outshot, 34-7, including a 12-3 margin in shots on goal, as Hogue and the Bears earned their second straight shutout against teams ranked in the national top-15. Friday, Brown knocked off No. 11 Penn State, 1-0, in overtime.

“This is by far the biggest weekend of my coaching career,” said Brown head coach Phil Pincince. “To play two teams ranked in the top-15 and come away with a win and a tie is unbelievable. The players left everything on the field this weekend and were rewarded. This was truly a special weekend.”

The game was tough throughout with both Brown and UCLA battling not only each other, but the elements. After playing through the first 45 minutes, which saw the Bruins doubling up Brown on shots, 8-4, UCLA picked up its tempo during the final 45 minutes and into overtime, outshooting the Bears, 26-3, over the final 65 minutes.

Hogue once again made several game-saving stops to keep UCLA out of the net, including a save on Christina DiMartino with just two seconds left in the first overtime. She recorded her 12th and final save less than two minutes into the second overtime, and the Bears were able to hold on for the final eight minutes and the tie.

Senior tri-captain Lindsay Cunningham (Cumberland, RI) led the Bears with four shots, including two on goal, while senior tri-captain Jamie Mize (Washington, DC), sophomore Kate Scott (Medway, MA) and freshman Marybeth Lesbirel (Holmdel, NJ) each recorded one shot.

In addition to Hogue, the Bears’ defensive corps of Scott, sophomore Charlotte Rizzi (Bethesda, MD), and freshmen Allison Kagawa (Mililani, HI) and Joanna Price (San Juan Capistrano, CA) was instrumental to the win, blocking seven UCLA shots and forcing many others to go either high or wide.

With less than 12 minutes remaining, the Bruins fired off four consecutive shots. Hogue saved the first two, the third hit the post, and the fourth went wide as Brown forced overtime.

For the game, UCLA also held an 11-1 advantage in corner kicks, while the fouls were relatively equal with the Bruins committing eight to Brown’s seven.

The Bears continue action next weekend on the road when they travel to Minnesota to take on Minnesota (Friday, 8 p.m.) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Sunday, 11:30 a.m.) at the Minnesota Gold Classic.