If a game happens at a neutral site with no local rooting interest and no way for remote fans to watch, did it actually happen? The few pictures and final box score indicate that it did, and Arizona soccer got the result it wanted in a narrow 3-2 victory over UCF.
The game between the Wildcats and the Knights was supposed to be played in Orlando, but Hurricane Milton had other plans. The increased violence of the storm caused the relocation of the match.
With Houston out of town on Thursday and Arizona due to play the Cougars on Sunday, it was decided that UCF making a pitstop in Texas on its way to Colorado was a better option than holding the match in Tucson. The fact that Houston has a major airport probably played into that decision.
“We could have flown somewhere else, or they could have flown here, and we could have hosted them,” said Arizona head coach Becca Moros before the team left. “But I think Houston’s a pretty solid option for all of us.”
On the negative side, without the home team playing, the match was not streamed. Home teams produce the streams that go on ESPN+. Since there was technically no home team at the neutral site, there was no option for viewing the match.
Live stats and the box score indicate that Arizona controlled the first half. The Wildcats had five shots in the first 45 minutes. Two of them found the back of the net.
The goal-scoring was a friendly competition within the competition for UA teammates Nicole Dallin and Gianna Christiansen. Dallin went into the match with a team-high six goals. Christiansen was just behind her with five. Those five goals marked Christiansen’s career high for goals in a season.
The senior midfielder caught up with the fifth-year forward in the 13th minute. Christiansen scored her sixth goal of the season off the assist by freshman Narissa Fults.
In the 31st minute, Christiansen helped her teammate retake the lead. Dallin scored off the assist from Christiansen to put Arizona up 2-0.
Arizona should have felt pretty confident at that point. The Wildcats had given up more than one goal just once all season. In late August, UA gave up two goals to North Carolina, a team currently ranked No. 2 in the coaches poll and No. 1 in the RPI. The Tar Heels are 12-1-0 this season. The Knights came in at 3-3-4 overall and 1-2-2 in Big 12 play.
The records didn’t matter. The Knights weren’t going to go away so easily. Less than two minutes into the second half, they cut the lead in half with a goal by Honoka Hamano. Arizona just needed to play the kind of defense that it has for most of the season and it could maintain its one-goal lead.
Moros was asked about that defense earlier in the week. She had a great deal of praise for the organization and the depth.
“We have good vocal leadership and organization in the backline and in the goalkeeping, which is something that’s continued to improve year over year, even with different people in those roles,” Moros said on Tuesday. “So I think that that’s very helpful. And the amount of experience we have across the whole field—we’re defending from front to back. Organization is good. We have a couple different ways we can press. That’s been effective, which allows our back line to defend in spaces farther away from the goal, which is helpful. And then we’ve been strong. We have good competition in the positions. In the back, we probably have four starting center backs, and only two of them are starting. So I think that keeps them playing at their highest level because there’s a couple other top players that are right there. And I think that that’s really healthy for performance. Have that internal competition and standard throughout the team.”
The defense couldn’t keep the lead, though. In the 62nd minute, the Wildcats surrendered a second goal for just the second time all season. This time, it was to a team with an RPI of 123, a team Arizona really needed to beat if it wants to make its first NCAA Tournament in five years. While a draw might not proven disastrous, it would have made the Wildcats’ margin for error much smaller.
Time was running short. Megan Chelf became the second Wildcat to earn a yellow card when she was booked in the 75th minute. Brooke Ahern earned a card in the 41st minute. It seemed like nothing was going Arizona’s way.
In the 81st minute, salvation arrived in the form of a penalty kick. Christiansen stepped to the spot and put it away to put her team back on top.
The goal was Christiansen’s seventh of the season, tying her once again for the team lead. The two goals and one assist tie her with Dallin for the team lead in points with 16. The brace was the second of her career. She also scored two goals in Arizona’s 3-0 defeat of UC Irvine.
The three-goal output was a rarity for this year’s Wildcats. It was just the fourth time they had scored three or more goals. The last was at UCI on Sept. 1.
The Wildcats will now return to their hotel and await the return of Houston. The Cougars spent Thursday evening in Stillwater where they dropped a 3-0 match to Oklahoma State.
Arizona improved its record to 9-3-2 overall and 4-2-1 in Big 12 play. The overall wins are the most in Moros’ four years as the Wildcats’ head coach. The team needs one more Big 12 win to match its high for conference victories under Moros. The team won five Pac-12 matches in 2022.
UCF dropped to 3-4-4 overall and 1-3-2 in the conference. UH comes into Sunday’s match against the Wildcats at 3-9-1 overall and 0-7-0 in league competition.
Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics