The Cincinnati Bearcats’ women’s soccer team maintained their status as one of the AAC’s top clubs in 2016. In 2015, Cincinnati took home the conference championship, winning three straight games in Dallas as the fourth seed to capture the AAC crown. The 2015 Women’s Soccer team posted a 13-6-5 record and, as AAC champs, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they were eliminated by Virginia Tech in the first round. The Bearcats’ appearance in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament was the program’s first since 2002.
Achieving similar success in 2016 seemed like a daunting task. The Bearcats lost a half-dozen feature players from their 2015 championship team. Despite these hardships, the Bearcats posted an 11-5-4 record, good enough for 5th place in the highly competitive league, a remarkable feat for a club whose roster included 12 freshman. Much of the credit for the team’s steady performance must be given to their coach, Neil Stafford, who has revived the program during his four years on campus.
The Cincinnati Women’s soccer team is poised to compete once again for the AAC crown in 2017. The Bearcats will return three players that garnered All-Conference honors. Defender Vanessa Gilles, a junior from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, earned All-Conference First Team Honors, her second straight appearance on the All-AAC roster. Junior forward Julie Gavorski, a native of Madison, Ohio who led the Bearcats in scoring in 2016, was named to the All-Conference Second Team. Defender Bri Costigan, a freshman from Fenton, Michigan, was named to the AAC All-Rookie Team.
Come out to Gettler Stadium in 2017 to support the Bearcats’ Women’s Soccer Team. This club is going to accomplish some big things next year.