Cougar Soccer to Honor Seniors
10/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 28, 2004
Prior to the University of Houston women's soccer team hosting the Charlotte 49ers in its final regular season game of the 2004 campaign on Friday, Oct. 29, at Robertson Stadium, the team and its coaches will honor its four seniors - Nikki Hawkins, Sherika Hardaway, Anne Gasser and Nicole Oliver.
Hawkins, Hardaway and Gasser have been teammates at Houston for the past four years, while Oliver joined the squad this season after four years as a defensive standout for the Lady Cougar basketball team.
Since 2001, team captain Hawkins has etched her name into the record books as perhaps the best player in Houston's program history. A two-time All-Conference selection, the Plano, Texas, native has started every match during her four years as a Cougar, and has led the team in virtually every offensive category in each of the past two seasons. Her 26 points on the 2004 campaign are a career high - not to mention the most by a Cougar player ever in school history - while her 11 goals this season are the most recorded in a single season by a Cougar since the 2000 campaign, as well as the second-most in program history. She wraps up her collegiate career as Houston's all-time leader in goals and points, currently appears in the top 10 in all five offensive categories among Conference USA leaders for this season and ranks among C-USA's all-time Top 25 in goals, shots and points.
Also a team captain, Hardaway has also been a staple on the Cougar squad throughout her four years in Red and White, first on offense at the forward position before moving over to play defense the middle of her sophomore season in 2002. The Sparks, Nevada, native has been a team leader both on and off the field and wraps up her collegiate career having amassed 14 shots, two goals and two assists, while contributing to nine shutouts since 2002.
Gasser, the third captain, has also been a stalwart on defense for the Cougars throughout her four-year career. Prior to this season and an injury, which sidelined her for five matches, Anne has started every game the past four years and leaves Houston ranking among the school's all-time leaders in shots, matches played and matches started. A great leader and known for her energy, she set a career best with 15 shots during her sophomore season in 2002, and notched a career-high two goals last year in 2003.
The newest "veteran" of the squad this season, Oliver has proved to be a valuable commodity and a quick study in only one season in the net. After taking over the starting role early this season, she has recorded a total of 75 saves on the year, currently ranking her fifth among Houston's all-time leaders for saves in a single season, while her 1210 minutes played are the fourth-most ever played by a goalie in program history. In addition, the 75 saves place her third among Conference USA leaders, and her 5.00 saves-per-game average leads the league. She has notched two shutouts this season (Sept. 19 vs Prairie View A&M and Sept. 26 at Southern Miss), and held opponents to one-or-fewer goals in eight games this season.
The Cougars enter the final match of the season with a 5-13-0 overall record this season, including 2-7-0 in Conference USA. The match will kick off at 7:00p.m. at Robertson Stadium.