CINCINNATI, OH - Head Coach Keith Combs is pleased to announce the addition of Jackie Esterkamp to the women's soccer program. Jackie comes to CCU after a standout prep career at Oak Hills High School where she played for head coach Chuck Laumann. Esterkamp enjoyed a sensational senior season scoring 4 goals, 13 assists, as she helped lead Oak Hills to a 13-4-1. She was honored as 1st Team All Greater Miami Conference selection and also was awarded McDonalds Player of the Week honors in Cincinnati.
"Jackie will be a great addition to the CCU soccer team," said head coach Keith Combs. "She has played at a high level and has a strong desire to play hard at all times. She has a contagious determination that will help take the team to a higher level."
Jackie is also a model student athlete who will graduate with a 3.89 gpa while being ranked in the top 10% of her graduating class. Jackie will be majoring in Education this fall at CCU.
ASHVILLE, OH - Head coach Keith Combs is happy to announce the addition of Amy Hardbarger to the women's soccer program. Hardbarger comes to CCU after a spectacular prep career at Teays Valley High School where she played for head coach Mike Sowers. Under Sowers, Hardbarger helped lead the Vikings to an 11-5-2 record in her senior season including 4 victories by shutout.
Hardbarger leaves Teays Valley High School as a four year letterman. As a senior she tallied 159 saves on her way to being named to the All-Mid State League 2nd Team.
"We are thrilled to have Amy as the newest member of CCU soccer," said head coach Keith Combs. "We really felt that she was one of the best keepers in central Ohio and we think she will have a great college career with us over the next four seasons."
With the upgrades and reinforcements at the goalkeeper position, the Eagles will boast one of the best goalkeeping tandems in the KIAC this upcoming year. Hardbarger is the latest addition to an already stellar recruiting class that will lead the Eagles into NAIA competition next fall.
CINCINNATI, OH - Head coach Keith Combs is pleased to announce the addition of Lanie Reece to the women's soccer program. Reece comes to CCU after a sensational senior year at Colerain High School where she played for head coach Andy Jungkunz. Reece helped lead Colerain to an 11-6 record this year while she tallied 8 shutouts as goalkeeper. Reece is a gifted keeper that brings a rare combination of fast reaction time and a tall frame at 5'8".
"She generally plays mistake free soccer," said Colerain head coach Andy Jungkunz. "She seems to always make the right decision at the right time. She is a quiet leader that leads by example."
Reece will be majoring in Early Childhood Education as a student at CCU. She plans on becoming a Kindergarten teacher after college.
LEBANON, OH - Head coach Keith Combs is thrilled to announce the addition of Brittany Blanton to the women's soccer program. Brittany will be joining a talented recruiting class the looks to lead CCU soccer in the years to come. Blanton comes to CCU after a stellar high school career at Lebanon High School where she played for head coach Bruce Bingham. Under coach Bingham, Lebanon won back to back GWOC South Division Titles in 2007 and 2008. Blanton played a big role with Lebanon after being the leading scorer as a sophomore. In her Junior year she was selected as a team captain. During her senior season she received the Lebanon Scholar Athlete Award.
"Brittany is a quality young lady and a gifted athlete," said head coach Keith Combs. "We are excited to have her as a member our program over the next four years."
| |
1st Half |
2nd Half |
Final |
| CCU |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| JBC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Goals - Desi Mount (3)
Assists - B. Bridgers (2), M. Cinnamon (1)
KNOXVILLE, TN - The Golden Eagles used an all out assault against Johnson Bible College to earn a third straight regional championship by a score of 3-0. The CCU offense talled thirty shots on goal to overcome a resilliant JBC defensive effort. Desi Mount was once again sensational as she tallied a hat trick with three goals. Freshman Brittany Bridgers assisted on a pair of the goals and Melissa Cinnamon on another.
The CCU defense was once again stellar as they allowed only one true scoring opportunity in the entire game. Goalkeeper Taylor Nicholson and the CCU defense recorded their 5th shutout of the season in the win.
With the victory the Eagles are now 10-8-1 on the season and 5-0 against Mid East Region opponents. The Eagles will now prepare for the NCCAA National Championship next weekend in Florida. Seedings and schedules will be announced this weekend. CCU is looking to win their first Soccer National Championship in school history.
October 22nd, 2008
CCU Defeats KCU to Finish Undefeated in Conference Play
CINCINNATI, OH - The CCU women's soccer team defeated KCU on Tuesday night by a score of 5-0. It was a cold night on the campus of Xavier University but the Eagles were on fire as they scored five goals and tallied their 4th shutout of the season in the win. With the victory on Tuesday night, the Eagles now stand at 9-8-1 on the season and 4-0 in conference play. The Eagles have earned the #1 seed in the Regional Tournament which will be held this weekend at Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Eagles are looking to win their third straight Mid East Regional Championship and continue their march towards thier first ever NCCAA National Championship.
October 22nd, 2008
Desi Mount Named NCCAA Student Athlete of the Week
NCCAA NATIONAL OFFICE, SOUTH CAROLINA - Desarae Mount, junior forward for Cincinnati Christian University (OH) had a phenomenal week. In an important conference match against Johnson Bible College, Desarae led the way with a hand in all 3 goals (2 goals, 1 assist) in the 3-0 win. On the following Saturday, Desarae had another standout performance again achieving 2 goals and 1 assist in a disappointing 4-3 OT loss to Bryan College from NCCAA DI. With 4 goals and 2 assists, it was an incredible week for Desarae.
October 2nd, 2008
Eagles Ranked #5 in latest NCCAA National Poll
NCCAA National Poll - 10/2/08
1. Baptist Bible College (PA) – 47
2. Southeastern University – 44
3. Maranatha Baptist Bible College – 39
4. Lancaster Bible College – 34
5. Cincinnati Christian University – 27
6. Toccoa Falls College – 25
7. North Central University – 20
8. Manhattan Christian College – 12
9. Northland Baptist Bible College – 10
10. Philadelphia Biblical University – 8
September 27th, 2008
CCU Defeats Taylor University Fort Wayne in 4-0 Shutout
CINCINNATI, OH - The CCU women's soccer team (6-4 overall, 2-0 region) took on Taylor University Fort Wayne Saturday evening and came away with a 4-0 shutout victory. The Eagles were led by Desi Mount who tallied a hat trick with three goals. Erin Tillman also found the back of the net with her first goal of the season to give CCU a 4-0 lead.
The Eagle defense did a phenomenal job of limiting Fort Wayne opportunities as they surrendered no goals. Goalkeeper Taylor Nicholslon was solid in the net for CCU as she recorded her second shutout of the season.
CCU will now face three consecutive KIAC teams from the NAIA in what will be a big test for the team. The games will be be a sneak peek of what the conference schedule will look like next season as the Eagles make the jump to NAIA next fall.
The first of these three games will take place on Monday night as the Eagles go on the road to take on Midway College for a 4:00PM start.
September 17th, 2008
CCU Defeats Anderson University 1-0 in Spectacular Shutout
CINCINNATI, OH - The CCU women's soccer team avanged a 4-0 loss to Anderson University last season as the Eagles came away with a 1-0 shutout victory on Wednesday night. The first half was a defensive battle as both teams went into the half with the score tied 0-0. CCU was more aggressive in the second half and worked the ball inside to earn a penalty kick at the 65 minute mark. The Desi Mount penalty kick hit the bottom of the cross bar and dropped straight down just shy of the goal. Anderson was able to clear the ball and the CCU threat was denied. Just five minutes later Desi Mount would redeem herself with a spectular play at the 70 minute mark. Mount worked through the middle and created space with a barrage of moves to create an opening for her shot. Mount went left of the keeper to find the back of the net to give CCU a 1-0 advantage. The Eagle defense would deny Anderson in the final minutes to hold on for the shutout victory. Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Nicholson tallied 5 saves in the win.
"This is a big win for us," said head coach Keith Combs. "We were able to come out on top in a closely contested game against a quality opponent and we were able to overcome a little adversity to get this win. I couldn't be more proud of our squad for their effort tonight."
The Eagles (5-2) are back in action on Saturday as they travel to Indiana to take on Grace College at 3:00PM.
September 9th, 2008
CCU Dominates Rival Kentucky Christian 11-2 on the Road
GRAYSON, KY - The Golden Eagles continued their winning ways on Tuesday night in impressve fashion as CCU scored 11 goals en route to their first region win. CCU jumped out to an early 4-0 lead with goals by Rachel Ryan, Melissa Cinnamon, Brittany Bridgers, and Dani Mount with all scores coming in the opening 27 minutes of the first half. KCU would rally back with scrappy play in the final 20 minutes and score twice to make the score 4-2 at halftime.
The second half would prove to be all CCU as the Eagles scored seven unanswered goals. The depth of the CCU bench proved to be a valuable asset in the second half against a KCU team that only played eleven players. Desi Mount would lead the charge with 3 goals in the second half for the hat trick. Katie Felten found the back of the net twice in the second half with one coming off of a beautiful corner kick from Brittany Bridgers. Bridgers would go on to score her second goal of the game with five minutes remaining in the contest. Dani Mount rounded out the second half scoring with her second goal of the game.
"We really played well as a team and overcame some first half complacency," said head coach Keith Combs. "Our eight assists tonight speak volumes about how well we were passing. I am proud of our team for being unselfish and working together to always look for the best opportunity to score."
The Eagles are now 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in region play. CCU is back in action on Saturday as they take on the University of the Cumberlands. The game will be played at Xavier University.
September 5th, 2008
Eagles Soar Over the Patriots of St. Catharine 3-1
ST. CATHARINE, KY - The Eagles traveled to Kentucky on Friday evening to take on the Patriots of St. Catharine College. The Eagles jumped out in front over their NAIA opponents early as senior Rachel Ryan found the back of the net from 35 yards. "Rachel took advantage of their keeper being out of position and it gave us some big momentum early." said head coach Keith Combs. The Ryan goal gave CCU a 1-0 lead in the first half. The Patriots would battle back as they regrouped and tallied a goal to make the score 1-1 as both teams headed into halftime.
CCU came out for the second half and worked the ball inside as Melissa Cinnamon capitalized as she scored off of a sliding kick to make the score 2-1. The Eagles defense locked up the Patriots and would shut them out in the second half. CCU wasn't done as Katie Felten found the back of the net to score her first goal of the season and give Eagles a 3-1 lead. The win gives the Eagles a 2-1 record heading into their next game with KCU on Tuesday night.
September 3rd, 2008
CCU Comes Up Short on the Road Against Bluffton
BLUFFTON, OH - The Eagles traveled to Bluffton to take on the Beavers on Wednesday evening and came up on the losing end of a 3-1 score. CCU kept things close with their NCAA Division III opponents through most of the game. Bluffton got things started first as Meghan Forquer scored in the opening minutes to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead. Fifteen minutes later Bluffton would score again as Kourtney Lewis put in an unassisted goal at the 18 minute mark. With CCU trailing by two, the Eagles would tighten up the defense and work to get back into the game. The effort paid off as Dani Mount (pictured above) broke free and found the back of the net in the closing minutes of the first half to make the score 2-1.
The second half was a defensive struggle as both teams went back and forth. Taylor Nicholson tallied 8 saves to keep the Eagles within reach. CCU fought desperately to try and tie the game in the second half but came up short. Bluffton added a late goal with just two minutes remaining to take a 3-1 lead and hold on for the win.
"We did some good things out there against a really good Bluffton team," said head coach Keith Combs. "We were competitive and kept the game really close into the final minutes against a quality NCAA Division III program. We are pleased with our effort but we are not satisfied."
Up next for the Eagles(1-1) on Friday are the Patriots of St. Catharine College(1-3). CCU will travel to Kentucky for the 4:00PM start.
September 1st, 2008
CCU Scores Five 2nd Half Goals to Defeat Atlanta Christian 6-1
CINCINNATI, OH - The CCU women's soccer team worked hard on Labor Day to come away with a convincing 6-1 win over Atlanta Christian from the South Region. In the first half it was a defensive battle as CCU held Atlanta Christian scoreless in the first frame. A Desi Mount goal in the first half sent the Eagles into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
In the second half, Atlanta Christian came out and tied the came just seven minutes into the half with a goal. With the scored tied 1-1 and the heat and humidity beating down, CCU kicked it into high gear. Desi Mount found the back of the net for her second goal at the 65 minute mark to give CCU a 2-1 lead. Just six minutes later, freshman phenom Melissa Cinnamon would score as the Eagles continued to build momentum and take a 3-1 lead. Christina Sullivan then scored just five minutes later as the offensive assault continued. A pair of Brittney Bridgers goals would finish the barrage as CCU came away victorious 6-1 in their season opener.
"We worked hard in the offseason and preseason to get in the best physical condition possible," said head coach Keith Combs. "What we saw today was how that hard work pays off and how you reap what you sow in preparation. With the heat and humidity this game came down to conditioning and our legs were there when we needed it in the second half."
CCU (1-0) will now travel to take on Bluffton University this Wednesday in non-conference play. Bluffton competes at the NCAA Division III level and is a member of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Goals - Desi Mount (3)