Texas Tech University Athletics
Thursday, September 24
Lubbock, Texas
7 p.m.
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Cincinnati
No. 25 Tech plays host to Cincinnati for Big 12 home opener
September 23, 2026 | Women's Soccer
The Red Raiders seek win No. 50 since the 2023 season
LUBBOCK, Texas โ No. 25 Texas Tech Soccer opens a three-game homestand Thursday night when the Cincinnati Bearcats pay a visit to the John Walker Soccer Complex.
First touch is set for 7 p.m.
Thursday's match against Cincinnati kicks off a big week for the Red Raiders who see No. 13/8 Colorado come to town on Sunday afternoon for a nationally-televised game on ESPNU.
Tech closes the three-match home stand next Friday (Oct. 2) night against Arizona State.
The Red Raiders opened Big 12 play last week in Orlando, playing then ranked No. 25 UCF to a 2-2 draw, despite taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1.
Tech outshot UCF 19-4 and failed to win for the first time in 30 matches when scoring twice. The Red Raiders did however extend their unbeaten streak to 52 (50-0-2) when reaching the back of the net twice. ย
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: No. 25 Texas Tech (4-0-4, 0-0-1 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-2-4, 0-0-1 Big 12)
DATE: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026
TIME: 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (John Walker Soccer Complex)
BY THE NUMBERS:
49: One of the best and most consistent programs in the country the last four seasons, Tech enters the seventh week of the 2026 season sitting at 49-9-16 (.774) over the programs last 74 matches (since the start of the 2023 season). Only five schools nationally have more wins than Tech over that span: Stanford (62), Florida State (57), North Carolina (55), Miss State (50) and Wake Forest (50). Tech leads the Big 12 over that pan.
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28: Over the past four conference seasons (202-25), Tech is second in the Big 12 Conference in total wins (28), notching three more wins than third-place WVU (25). TCU is the only Big 12 team with more wins (29). The Red Raiders 28-3-11 (.805) in Big 12 play over that span (42 matches) and are the only team in the Big 12 with three straight seven-plus win seasons. Tech's three losses in league play are also the fewest in the league, two clear of TCUs five total losses. Tech's 28 wins are tied for sixth-most.
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50: While putting the ball in the back of the net is the name of the game, scoring twice has been critical for the Red Raiders success as since the start of the 2022 season, the Red Raiders are now 50-0-2 when scoring two goals. When you expand that mark out to the beginning of the 2021 season, Tech is 59-2-2 when scoring twice in a match. The Red Raiders saw a 29-match winning streak when scoring twice snapped in Thursday's 2-2 draw at UCF.ย
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LAST TIME OUT:
Despite surging ahead both 1-0 and 2-1, No. 19/RV Texas Tech was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw Thursday night against No. 25 UCF at the UCF Soccer Complex.
In its Big 12 Conference opener, Texas Tech (4-0-4, 0-0-1 Big 12) got off to a dream start when fifth-year senior Taylor Zdrojewski muscled her way to her fifth goal of the season, 31st career and her 13th all-time Big 12 goal.
After taking a strong sliding feed from freshman Lauren Alvarez, who recorded her first career point Thursday, Zdrojewski dropped UCFs (5-1-1, 0-0-1 Big 12) Carli Crews and slipped a low shot past Knights keeper Kaina Cesar midway through the 16th minute of play.
Less than five minutes from heading to the break with the lead and surviving an eighth first half without conceding a goal and 13th-straight first half since 2025, Tech ultimately conceded with just four minutes and 30 seconds to play in the period.
Despite outshooting the opponent 8-2, the Red Raiders went to the break locked in a tie.
After neither side was able to really threaten in the first nearly 15 minutes of the match, the Red Raiders again cashed in a strong Eleanor Hays free kick, when a rising service from Hays deflected off and through the hands of Cesar before finding the foot of sophomore Raleigh Greason who buried the rebound for her first goal of the 2026 season.
The helper for Hays was her third straight match with a free kick point and comes after the senior buried a similar service in the 3-0 win last Friday night against Kent State.
Hays also tallied a pair of shots in Thursday's contest playing the full 90 minutes.
Armed with the ever-important second goal and up 2-1, the Red Raiders were yet again unable to hold onto the lead when Katsi Benoga buried a rising shot past Tech's Addie Todd and into the net for UCFs second equalizer of the night.
The goal marked the first time since Oct. 23, 2025, that Tech has allowed two goals, a span of 13 matches and marked the first time Todd has conceded twice as a Red Raider.
Locked in a scoreless game, Tech continued to surge forward seeking the knockout punch. The Red Raiders nearly went up by a goal for a third time when in the 79th Raleigh Greason ripped a low line drive shot that Cesar was able to make an acrobatic kick save on.
That attempt combined with a Kylie Bahr middle of the 18 off-target shot provided the lone two chances for Tech to score following UCFs second, as the Red Raiders for the fourth time in 2026 were forced to settle for a draw and saw a 29-match winning streak snapped when scoring twice.
Tech did however improve to 50-0-2 since 2022 when scoring twice and extended its unbeaten streak to 13 (6-0-7) dating back to the aforementioned Oct. 23 contest against then No. 22/7 Colorado in Boulder where Tech was defeated 3-0.
Despite enjoying a 19-4 shot advantage, the Red Raiders drew with UCF for the third-straight matchup (all since the Knights joined the Big 12 Conference).
Tonight's draw comes after Tech and UCF battled to a scoreless contest in Lubbock a season ago where the Red Raiders outshot the Knights 20-3. In 2023, Tech and UCF played to a 1-1 stalemate in Orlando after the Red Raiders conceded first before equalizing.
With the draw, Tech also moved its Big 12 opener unbeaten streak to eight-straight (4-0-4) dating back to a 2-0 loss in 2018 against West Virginia.
Tech also extended a 25-match unbeaten streak to 26 when scoring at least once (19-0-7). That streak dates back to a 2024 loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals in Kansas.
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QUICK KICKS:
โขย No. 25 Texas Tech welcome Cincinnati Thursday for the start of a season-long three-match homestand that also includes matchups with No. 13 Colorado (Sept. 27) and Arizona State (Oct. 2).
โข Ranked inside the top-25 of the United Soccer Coaches Association for the first time since the preseason poll, Tech also enters the week at No. 23 in the first RPI rankings that came out Monday.
โขย After finishing the season at No. 14 in RPI last season, Tech has moved up to 22 in the ranking ahead of Thursday's matchup with No. 159 Cincinnati.
โขย The Red Raiders enter Thursday's matchup with UC unbeaten in 13-straight matches (6-0-7) dating back to an Oct. 23 loss at No. 22/7 Colorado. Tech's 13-match unbeaten streak is the longest in the Power Four and the second-longest in the country trailing UNCW (19) and St. Mary's (13). Tech enters the week riding a 26-match unbeaten streak when scoring (19-0-7) in a game (.880) and are now 70-4-16 when finding the back of the net in a contest since 2021 (.867).
โขย Tech's last loss when scoring in a match came in the Big 12 Semifinals back in 2024 against Kansas (2-1). Having won all three all-time matchups with Cincinnati, Tech enters the week having been one of the best home teams in the country and riding a pair of impressive unbeaten streaks.
โขย The Red Raiders are 11-0-4 in their last 15 contests overall at Ft. Walker and have not lost in 18-straight matches (13-0-5) contested in the State of Texas. The Red Raiders last home loss and in-state loss are the same, a 2-1 heartbreaker to BYU in the 2024 (Oct. 25) regular season finale.
โขย One of the best "bounce back" teams in the country, the Red Raiders will have yet another bounce back opportunity following Thursday's draw against No. 25 UCF.
โขย The Red Raiders enter the week 18-1-1 since 2023 when following a loss or draw and are 2-0-1 (lone draw at SMU) following a draw this season. Returning home after setting two attendance records already this season, Tech enters the week fourth in the country in total attendance and second in percent to capacity (excludes Georgia's contest at Samford Stadium).
โขย Through four home matches the Red Raiders are averaging 2.704 fans and are filling Ft. Walker to the tune of 135.2 percent to capacity.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders continue a three-match homestand on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against No. 13/8 Colorado. The match will be airย live on ESPNU. ย
ย
First touch is set for 7 p.m.
Thursday's match against Cincinnati kicks off a big week for the Red Raiders who see No. 13/8 Colorado come to town on Sunday afternoon for a nationally-televised game on ESPNU.
Tech closes the three-match home stand next Friday (Oct. 2) night against Arizona State.
The Red Raiders opened Big 12 play last week in Orlando, playing then ranked No. 25 UCF to a 2-2 draw, despite taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1.
Tech outshot UCF 19-4 and failed to win for the first time in 30 matches when scoring twice. The Red Raiders did however extend their unbeaten streak to 52 (50-0-2) when reaching the back of the net twice. ย
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: No. 25 Texas Tech (4-0-4, 0-0-1 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-2-4, 0-0-1 Big 12)
DATE: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026
TIME: 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (John Walker Soccer Complex)
BY THE NUMBERS:
49: One of the best and most consistent programs in the country the last four seasons, Tech enters the seventh week of the 2026 season sitting at 49-9-16 (.774) over the programs last 74 matches (since the start of the 2023 season). Only five schools nationally have more wins than Tech over that span: Stanford (62), Florida State (57), North Carolina (55), Miss State (50) and Wake Forest (50). Tech leads the Big 12 over that pan.
ย
28: Over the past four conference seasons (202-25), Tech is second in the Big 12 Conference in total wins (28), notching three more wins than third-place WVU (25). TCU is the only Big 12 team with more wins (29). The Red Raiders 28-3-11 (.805) in Big 12 play over that span (42 matches) and are the only team in the Big 12 with three straight seven-plus win seasons. Tech's three losses in league play are also the fewest in the league, two clear of TCUs five total losses. Tech's 28 wins are tied for sixth-most.
ย
50: While putting the ball in the back of the net is the name of the game, scoring twice has been critical for the Red Raiders success as since the start of the 2022 season, the Red Raiders are now 50-0-2 when scoring two goals. When you expand that mark out to the beginning of the 2021 season, Tech is 59-2-2 when scoring twice in a match. The Red Raiders saw a 29-match winning streak when scoring twice snapped in Thursday's 2-2 draw at UCF.ย
ย
LAST TIME OUT:
Despite surging ahead both 1-0 and 2-1, No. 19/RV Texas Tech was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw Thursday night against No. 25 UCF at the UCF Soccer Complex.
In its Big 12 Conference opener, Texas Tech (4-0-4, 0-0-1 Big 12) got off to a dream start when fifth-year senior Taylor Zdrojewski muscled her way to her fifth goal of the season, 31st career and her 13th all-time Big 12 goal.
After taking a strong sliding feed from freshman Lauren Alvarez, who recorded her first career point Thursday, Zdrojewski dropped UCFs (5-1-1, 0-0-1 Big 12) Carli Crews and slipped a low shot past Knights keeper Kaina Cesar midway through the 16th minute of play.
Less than five minutes from heading to the break with the lead and surviving an eighth first half without conceding a goal and 13th-straight first half since 2025, Tech ultimately conceded with just four minutes and 30 seconds to play in the period.
Despite outshooting the opponent 8-2, the Red Raiders went to the break locked in a tie.
After neither side was able to really threaten in the first nearly 15 minutes of the match, the Red Raiders again cashed in a strong Eleanor Hays free kick, when a rising service from Hays deflected off and through the hands of Cesar before finding the foot of sophomore Raleigh Greason who buried the rebound for her first goal of the 2026 season.
The helper for Hays was her third straight match with a free kick point and comes after the senior buried a similar service in the 3-0 win last Friday night against Kent State.
Hays also tallied a pair of shots in Thursday's contest playing the full 90 minutes.
Armed with the ever-important second goal and up 2-1, the Red Raiders were yet again unable to hold onto the lead when Katsi Benoga buried a rising shot past Tech's Addie Todd and into the net for UCFs second equalizer of the night.
The goal marked the first time since Oct. 23, 2025, that Tech has allowed two goals, a span of 13 matches and marked the first time Todd has conceded twice as a Red Raider.
Locked in a scoreless game, Tech continued to surge forward seeking the knockout punch. The Red Raiders nearly went up by a goal for a third time when in the 79th Raleigh Greason ripped a low line drive shot that Cesar was able to make an acrobatic kick save on.
That attempt combined with a Kylie Bahr middle of the 18 off-target shot provided the lone two chances for Tech to score following UCFs second, as the Red Raiders for the fourth time in 2026 were forced to settle for a draw and saw a 29-match winning streak snapped when scoring twice.
Tech did however improve to 50-0-2 since 2022 when scoring twice and extended its unbeaten streak to 13 (6-0-7) dating back to the aforementioned Oct. 23 contest against then No. 22/7 Colorado in Boulder where Tech was defeated 3-0.
Despite enjoying a 19-4 shot advantage, the Red Raiders drew with UCF for the third-straight matchup (all since the Knights joined the Big 12 Conference).
Tonight's draw comes after Tech and UCF battled to a scoreless contest in Lubbock a season ago where the Red Raiders outshot the Knights 20-3. In 2023, Tech and UCF played to a 1-1 stalemate in Orlando after the Red Raiders conceded first before equalizing.
With the draw, Tech also moved its Big 12 opener unbeaten streak to eight-straight (4-0-4) dating back to a 2-0 loss in 2018 against West Virginia.
Tech also extended a 25-match unbeaten streak to 26 when scoring at least once (19-0-7). That streak dates back to a 2024 loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals in Kansas.
ย
QUICK KICKS:
โขย No. 25 Texas Tech welcome Cincinnati Thursday for the start of a season-long three-match homestand that also includes matchups with No. 13 Colorado (Sept. 27) and Arizona State (Oct. 2).
โข Ranked inside the top-25 of the United Soccer Coaches Association for the first time since the preseason poll, Tech also enters the week at No. 23 in the first RPI rankings that came out Monday.
โขย After finishing the season at No. 14 in RPI last season, Tech has moved up to 22 in the ranking ahead of Thursday's matchup with No. 159 Cincinnati.
โขย The Red Raiders enter Thursday's matchup with UC unbeaten in 13-straight matches (6-0-7) dating back to an Oct. 23 loss at No. 22/7 Colorado. Tech's 13-match unbeaten streak is the longest in the Power Four and the second-longest in the country trailing UNCW (19) and St. Mary's (13). Tech enters the week riding a 26-match unbeaten streak when scoring (19-0-7) in a game (.880) and are now 70-4-16 when finding the back of the net in a contest since 2021 (.867).
โขย Tech's last loss when scoring in a match came in the Big 12 Semifinals back in 2024 against Kansas (2-1). Having won all three all-time matchups with Cincinnati, Tech enters the week having been one of the best home teams in the country and riding a pair of impressive unbeaten streaks.
โขย The Red Raiders are 11-0-4 in their last 15 contests overall at Ft. Walker and have not lost in 18-straight matches (13-0-5) contested in the State of Texas. The Red Raiders last home loss and in-state loss are the same, a 2-1 heartbreaker to BYU in the 2024 (Oct. 25) regular season finale.
โขย One of the best "bounce back" teams in the country, the Red Raiders will have yet another bounce back opportunity following Thursday's draw against No. 25 UCF.
โขย The Red Raiders enter the week 18-1-1 since 2023 when following a loss or draw and are 2-0-1 (lone draw at SMU) following a draw this season. Returning home after setting two attendance records already this season, Tech enters the week fourth in the country in total attendance and second in percent to capacity (excludes Georgia's contest at Samford Stadium).
โขย Through four home matches the Red Raiders are averaging 2.704 fans and are filling Ft. Walker to the tune of 135.2 percent to capacity.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders continue a three-match homestand on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against No. 13/8 Colorado. The match will be airย live on ESPNU. ย
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Players Mentioned
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