Only a double-overtime loss to Saint Louis in the final of the Conference USA Tournament prevented the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last year.

        That left the Bearcats with a 16-6 season, which was OK, but UC coach Meridy Glenn challenged her players to do better. Let's see if you can make it to the NCAA Tournament next year, she told them.

        No problem. Not only did UC qualify for the NCAAs, it won its first-round game over Oakland and its second against powerhouse Notre Dame and now finds itself in the Sweet 16. The Bearcats play No.15 Virginia on Saturday at Charlottesville, Va.

        “This is the peak we didn't expect to see,” said senior forward Amy Simonson, a Princeton High graduate.

        Simonson is one of nine Cincinnati high school products who start for the most accomplished team in UC history, a team that serves as a testament to the quality of high school soccer in Southwest Ohio.

        Such a substantial vein of talent would appear to place Glenn in an enviable situation when it comes to recruiting. But UC isn't the only school that recognizes the talent in these parts, so the competition for players is fierce.

        “Unfortunately, there are 12 Division I schools in Ohio alone, all going after the same kids,” Glenn said. “If you think about it, the Dayton team is in the Sweet 16; Miami went to the top 32; Ohio State almost made it. North Carolina's got a Cincinnati kid on it, and then there's Northern Kentucky down the road. They're in the (Division II) final four.

        “We don't keep all of them. But it only takes one or two a year to come in and connect to the program. Soccer is a family sport. It's something you grow up with. The parents watch the kids from the sideline. They don't want to miss that opportunity. When they come here, the parents can watch them play.”

        Mom and Dad have been treated to quite a show this year following a UC team that thrives on defense. The Bearcats have allowed just 10 goals in 23 games, three of which resulted in 1-0 defeats, the only blemishes on a 20-3 record. Since falling to Butler 1-0 on Oct.4, UC has won a school-record 13 straight games.

        Led by senior goalie Christy Hoffman, a McAuley product who is the UC career leader with 33 shutouts, the Bearcats are first in the nation with a goals-against average of 0.43.

        UC shocked the women's soccer world last week when it knocked off sixth-ranked Notre Dame in the shadow of the Golden Dome, snapping the Irish's 39-game home winning streak. The Bearcats played as if they advance this far every year.

        “We thought Notre Dame was going to be a totally different atmosphere,” said senior forward Ann Thomas (Northwest). “We just came out like it's just another game for us.”

        No one was more surprised than the Irish.

        “When they were warming up, half their team didn't even have on their shin guards,” Simonson said. “When we scored the first goal, you could tell it on their faces, then 20 minutes later, we scored again and they were like, "Oh, God, it's 2-0!' It was a frenzy. You could tell they started moving things around. By that time, it was too late. When we went up 3-1, we packed in our defense.”

        The Bearcats aren't likely to benefit from the element of surprise against Virginia (16-3-2). By now, the word is out that UC can play. And the unranked Cavaliers should prove an interesting foe.

        “They're very technical and have great moves,” Glenn said. “They play our same formation, a 4-4-2. We haven't really seen that a lot. We're going to have to find a way to score against a back four. That hasn't come up too often this year, so technically we're going to be challenged.”

        So what else is new?

        “Every game we go into, we're the underdogs,” said midfielder Rachel Lieberman (Walnut Hills). “It's good to go into games like that. You don't have anything to lose. You just go out and ... play as hard as you can.”

UC women in soccer Sweet 16 Huggins-Spoonhour friendship endures

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