HOUSTON – Rice junior goalkeeper Bella Killgore recorded a complete game shutout with a season high three saves and her game-winning goal in 70th minute lifted the Owls soccer team to a 1-0 victory over visiting UTSA Thursday evening at Hollow Field.

As both the Houston area temperature and rain began to drop over the course of the game, a 0-0 stalemate on the scoreboard seemed entirely plausible. Steady as ever, Killgore was again playing well while while making her 35th career start in goal. The visiting Roadrunners were also sound and solid applying offensive pressure and denying Rice shot attempts to keep the game scoreless two-thirds of the way through the contest.

A Rice innovation that made its debut in the 2-1 seasoning opening win against McNeese over the weekend was Killgore coming forward to take free kicks, even if the attempts were on the opponents' half of the field. The result Sunday was Killgore ended up leading both teams in shot attempts, including one near miss that rattled off the post.

Thursday Killgore was again back on free kick duty and game two proved to be the charm. In the 70th minute, the Houston native from Memorial High School blasted away from the visitor's half of the midfield circle on the right side. The ball found the back of the UTSA net as the Roadrunners hustled to defend.

"Bella commanded her area, and her free kicks continue to pose issues for opponents," said Rice head coach Brian Lee. "The back line and our overall team defending is getting close to where we want to be.

"Today was another positive step forward for us," he added. "We've made progress in attacking and getting into good spots to make something happen. We are not where we want to be yet, but the team's toughness and grit - while not in ideal conditions tonight - is a great sign for the future."

Killgore is the first Owl goalkeeper to score in a game, and she is the 24th player in program history to have her first career goal prove to be the game-winning goal. The 23rd time it happened was with true freshman Mikala Furuto vs. McNeese just four days before.

Rice held a 10-8 advantage in shots and finished with a 5-0 margin in corner kicks. The Owls improved to 2-0 on the young season. UTSA dropped to 1-1. Rice is next scheduled to host crosstown for Texas Southern on Sunday (Feb. 14). Start time vs. Tigers is set for 1 pm at Holloway Field.

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