HOUSTON – Sophomore Delaney Schultz scored the lone goal of the match in the 84th minute and the Owl goalkeeping tandem of Bella Killgore and Maya Hoyer made the 1-0 margin stand up as the Rice soccer team defeated visiting Charlotte in the Conference USA opener for both teams Sunday afternoon at Holloway Field in Houston.

Rice improved to 4-4-0 on the season and 1-0-0 to start C-USA league play. After the opening weekend of conference action the Owls are in an early six-way tie for first place in the C-USA standings with three points. Charlotte is now 5-3-0 overall and 0-1-0 in conference.

The Owls held firm under a steady Charlotte attack throughout contest. The 49ers held an 11-2 advantage in shots in the first half and adding ten more in the second stanza. Neither Killgore nor Hoyer, the Rice keepers who for the most part have been splitting duty this season, wilted in the heat.

Killgore posted a season high six saves working 45 scoreless minutes in the first half. Hoyer followed with a season-high four saves and an identical clean slate to close out the C-USA victory.

Rice got forward to take seven shots in the second half, but neither team had anything to show for it on the scoreboard until almost the end of regulation. In the 84th minute, Charlotte had a foul inside their own 18 that set up an Owl penalty kick. Shultz confidently stepped forward to take the first PK attempt of her collegiate career, and blasted the ball to the back of the 49ers' net for the narrow 1-0 lead. The score was Schultz' second goal of the season. She led the Blue & Gray with three shot attempts while playing a total of 86 minutes.

The Owls have concluded the current homestand and are next back out on the road. Rice plays C-USA league matches at Middle Tennessee on Thursday (Sept. 26) followed by state rival UTSA next Sunday (Sept. 29).