Associate head coach Blair Quinn (left) and head coach Diego Bocanegra (right) have the Cougars in their best position in years. The team has four wins with one game left before it enters conference play. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar
Houston took on the Air Force last night on the road and earned its first draw of the season.
Both teams had many opportunities to end the 2-2 game with a win and took more than 30 shots combined, but neither could find the back of the net for a third goal.
The Cougars asserted control of the field for the first 15 minutes and dominated the midfield.
Junior forward Amy Nguyen was persistent with her attacking efforts and put two shots on goal within a span of 10 minutes. Houston and Air Force both had shots on goal in minute 16, but were saved by goalkeepers.
Despite Houston’s pressure, Air Force got on the score sheet first in minute 23 when freshman defender Keelyn Osoba curled a free kick inside the box to senior forward Taylor Cobb, who headered it into the net.
The Falcons gained momentum from the one-goal advantage and piled on the pressure for the next five minutes.
However, fortune befell the Cougars in minute 28 when a corner flung in by sophomore midfielder Mia Brascia was mishit by junior defender Erin Speer into the back of the Falcons’ net.
The control of the game began to balance out in the closing minutes of the first half and both teams received limited opportunities.
In minute 40, freshman defender Cassidy Formanek made a grievous mistake. She tried to dribble past the Air Force forward but lost the ball. Then, as she tried to fix her error, she fouled the attacker and gave the Falcons a penalty kick.
Senior forward Kaitlyn Cook took advantage of the situation and slotted home the shot to put Air Force up 2-1 to end the first half.
Houston piled pressure onto the Falcons defense to start the half, but the home team withstood it for the first 30 minutes.
In minute 75, the Cougars’ efforts were rewarded with a goal when freshman forward Natalie Anderson slotted home an inch perfect pass to score her first collegiate career goal.
The two teams exchanged shots and corners in the final stages of regulation, but ended the first 90 minutes in a draw and sent the game to over time.
Both teams packed on the pressure and put three shots each on goal in extra time. None of the efforts were enough, though, as the game came to an end.
The Cougars were more accurate with its shots and recorded 11 shots on target compared to seven by the Falcons.
UH will face Air Force’s neighbor, Colorado College, on Sunday before returning home to face Connecticut on Sept. 20 in the conference opener.
sports@thedailycougar.com
—
“Soccer draws against Air Force after overtime” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar