U of H: QUALITY BELIES FINISH (Blog date Nov 27, 2012)

Although a clear underdog this year to their crosstown rivals Rice, the University of Houston Cougars had plenty of quality that belied their eighth place Conference USA finish. Two of my favorite defenders, Danielle Muñoz and sweeper Kaci Bush, anchored their back line. Kaci's sheer grit and tactical intelligence made her the Coogs' most solid and most consistent defender, while Danielle was highly effective in disrupting an opposing drive in the middle third of the pitch. However,  the Cougars were most vulnerable whenever Ciara Slayton would venture forward into the midfield from her left back position. Ciara did provide the Coogs an offensive spark with her speed down the line, but the defensive rotation pulled Kaci to the left and Danielle had to drop to cover the center, taking both of them out of their element. During those instances in transition when Ciara couldn't quickly get back from a deep offensive drive was when I felt Houston was most precarious, as the back line would at times be outnumbered and out of position.

While Kaci's graduation will leave a big hole to fill in the middle of the defense, center-midfielder Kylie Cook will enter her senior year looking to expand her coverage of the pitch, a strength no doubt which helped to earn her a third team All-C-USA spot. Standing at 5'10" Kylie was not only excellent in the air, but she also had no trouble bringing the ball down in a crowd, finding space with creative ball-control and producing opportunities with precise feeds to the likes of speedy forward Katelyn Rhodes, and Jasmine Martinez who led the Coogs with eight goals on the season.

Offensively, Houston is looking really good next year. With Kylie the midfield general, and Jasmine the offensive threat returning, Head Coach Chris Pfau will have a stellar senior core to work with. Surrounding them will be upcoming juniors who have made their mark with some valuable playing time - Alexis Weaver, Kayla Walker, and my candidate for 12th Woman of the Year, Kelsey Zamora coming off the bench for some game-changing minutes on top.

With two starters graduating from the back line, I am looking for second team All-C-USA keeper Cami Koski, Sami Sackos, an Academic All-Conference selection with a 3.82 grade point average in mathematical biology, and Danielle, as the seniors in the back, to step up, take charge and inspire the defense to prevent a repeat or worse of this year's -6 goal differential. This will be the key to Houston's return to the post-season. If they can do that, the Coogs are in good position to better their eighth place Conference finish.

Two stellar center-midfielders face off at Robertson Stadium - Rice's Quinney Truong (21) and U of H's Kylie Cook (2).

The Cougars' Kaci Bush (4), Danielle Muñoz (3) and Sami Sackos (11) push back the Rice Owls' Holly Hargreaves (12) and Lauren Hughes (7).

(All photos by Kokoy Severino.)

Kokoy Severino has been coaching junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for 19 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master in Educational Leadership degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk students. He returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and conducts soccer training sessions for economically disadvantaged youths.

"This blog is to document the intensity, the depth, the passion, the strategic and tactical nuances, the stars, the spectacular play that I witness in the women's teams at the college level. And in doing so, it is my hope that others might be inspired to discover for themselves the beautiful game brought by the women." (Kokoy, from blog entry dated Nov 4, 2012)