#4 Western Carolina 2, #1 Davidson 0
GREENVILLE, SC ? Behind a stout defensive effort and Meghan Reilly’s goal and assist, the Western Carolina Catamounts advanced to the championship game of the 2005 Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Championship with a 2-0 shutout win over the higher-seeded Davidson Wildcats at Stone Stadium on the campus of Furman University.
The win moves Western Carolina to 17-5 on the 2005 season, meaning the Cats enter the championship match with their most cumulative wins in a season in the history of their program.
All SoCon performer Alesha Row solidified her 12th shutout of the season with a couple late saves.
Western commenced the night’s scoring when they found their way onto the scoreboard in the 37th-minute. With the ball deep in Davidson’s backfield, Keevy Harris hurled a throw-in into the midst of the 18-yard box.
The ball was first touched by Heather Dittmer and then was kicked into the back of the net by the Catamounts’ Reilly. Harris and Dittmer were credited with assists on the play, while Reilly acquired her second goal of the 2005 season and gave the Cats a 1-0 lead.
The two teams went into halftime with Western holding that same 1-0 advantage.
The Catamounts added an insurance goal in the 82nd-minute after placing the ball in the net from a corner kick.
Lauren Atkinson started the play, kicking the ball short and wide of the goal, but teammate Reilly got just enough on the ball to send it towards the goal where Natalie Turgeon bent down and volleyed the ball into the net to give the Catamounts a 2-0 advantage.
The goal was Turgeon’s fourth of the 2005 campaign.
Western Carolina will face off against Furman in the championship match of the 2005 Southern Conference Tournament at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Stone Stadium on the campus of Furman University. They will try and become the first team to win the SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship with lower than a third seed.
#2 Furman 1, #3 UNC Greensboro 0, OT
GREENVILLE, SC ? For the second time in under a week the Furman Paladins and the UNC Greensboro Spartans could not settle the score in regulation, and for the second time in a week the Paladins emerged victorious, walking away with a 1-0, overtime win in semifinal action at the 2005 Southern Conference Championships on the campus of Furman University.
The goal was achieved when Furman’s Gena Villari crossed the ball into the 18-yard box from the right side of the pitch, connecting with Rachel Fry, who promptly headed the ball into the back of the net at the 99:30 mark leaving Greensboro stunned and the Paladins faithful elated.
For the second straight day Furman goalkeeper Andie Hinshaw ended the night with a clean slate to continue to pad her league-record shutout streak, which now stands at 36 games after the win against the Spartans. The shutout also adds to her season school record that now sits at 11.
The game itself was marred by inefficiency and timidity in the front of the net for a vast assortment of the contest, as neither team could find their way between the pipes.
The best chances in regulation time came through the Paladins efforts, with the first taking place in the 85th-minute on a through ball from Andre’a Morrison to Emily Krankowski.
UNC Greensboro goalkeeper Jennifer Stillman came out and made a tremendous sprawling save, denying Furman and Krankowski of the go-ahead goal.
A little over two minutes later with Furman continuing to apply pressure, Morrison once again was in the mix, but came up short again, knocking the ball over the crossbar from around the six-yard box.
UNC Greensboro tried their hardest to get on the board themselves during the final minutes, making Hinshaw make a tip save with just 10 seconds left in regulation.
Furman moves on to the championship match where they will square off against Western Carolina at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 6 at Stone Stadium.