College of Charleston 0, Francis Marion 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The College of Charleston women’s soccer team earned their first point of the season at home against Francis Marion, 0-0, at Patriot’s Point on Tuesday.
CofC (2-3-1) had five corner kicks in the first half, while Francis Marion (4-3-1) attempted one. CofC also had seven shots in the first half, in comparison to Francis Marion’s three.
Both teams increased their offensive efforts in the second half and had strong chances to score a goal in the match. Senior Caroline Wertis’ shot in the 76th minute hit the crossbar and almost gave the Cougars the lead.
“We definitely pushed our offensive attack in the second half of the match,” said CofC head coach Kevin Dempsey. “We’re happy to earn a point at home after the tough losses we’ve experienced the last three games.”
CofC had nine corner kicks overall in the match, while Francis Marion had one. CofC also had 15 shots in the match, while Francis Marion had only 11.
“The girls have continued to improve their skills every match and we will maintain our conference season preparations by playing tough and challenging matches.”
Freshman goalkeeper Sarah Wiggers played the entire match and had six saves in the match for CofC.
The Cougars return to action on Sept. 22, when they take on Charlotte at Patriot’s Point. The match will begin at 7 p.m.
Wofford 6, South Carolina State 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Junior Whitney Steelman set a Wofford school record with four assists, while the eight total helpers by the Terriers Tuesday night propelled the Wofford women's soccer team to a 6-0 triumph over South Carolina State at Snyder Field in Spartanburg, S.C.
Steelman topped the previous school record of two assists in one game, set by numerous players and which was last accomplished by Megan Snaider and Jessica Connett in the previous meeting with the Lady Bulldogs in Spartanburg, Sept. 15, 2004, in an 8-0 victory. The four assists are the highest in the Southern Conference in over two seasons and are one shy of tying the league record reached by a trio of players.
The Terriers struck first at 11:11 when junior Rachel Hyatt sent a pass to freshman Kendra Merchant near the top of the 18-yard penalty box from the right side. Merchant then took a couple dribbles and nailed her attempt past S.C. State (2-6) goalkeeper Ciji Sims. Later in the half, at 38:24, sophomore Jessie Kandl scored her second career tally after receiving passes from Steelman and junior Kelly Broderick. Broderick's pass skipped past Lady Bulldog defenders directly to the open feet of Kandl.
Wofford (2-3-2) continued its first half onslaught with its third score less than a minute later, at 39:01, as Steelman's initial shot was blocked by a defender. The ball found classmate Natalie Ferrara, who had turned her back towards the cage to receive the deflection and then used her back to push the ball into the net.
A long pass by sophomore Claire Burke set up the Terriers' fourth goal. Burke fed Steelman, who turned and placed the ball at the feet of senior Bernie Sikes for her second tally of the season at 41:37. The assist was Burke's first collegiate point after joining the team this fall.
Sikes then returned the favor a short time later as she assisted on the final score of the half, at 43:14, by Ferrara. The two goals in one game set a career best for Ferrara and eclipse her previous career tally set during her first two seasons.
Steelman posted her final assist of the evening early in the second half, at 51:40, when she set a crossing ball to freshman Laura Trent. Trent then beat a couple S.C. State defenders before knocking it home for her first career goal.
Senior Austin Somers played the first half in goal for Wofford, stopping one Lady Bulldog attempt. The second half was split between rookie Becca Maloney (29:10) and sophomore Sharayah Davis (15:50), who registered two and one saves, respectively. Davis was seeing her first action with the Terriers after transferring to the program this year after playing last year at Columbus State.
Also seeing action for the first time as a collegian tonight were freshmen Liz Blaz and Chrissy Mastry.
Wofford held a 23-7 shot advantage over S.C. State and a 12-0 edge on corner kicks. The Terriers, however, were called for 20 offside infractions against zero for the Lady Bulldogs.
The Terriers' eight assists also set a school record, surpassing the previous mark of six set four times in their history. The last time a Wofford squad collected six assists was versus Duquesne Sept. 17, 2000 in a 4-1 win.
Wofford will take the next 10 days off before returning to action Sept. 29 at UNC Greensboro in SoCon play.
Davidson 3, Charlotte 0
DAVIDSON, N.C.-- Freshman Suzanne Sittko (Greenwood Village, Colo.) scored her first career collegiate goal in the first half in helping lead Davidson women's soccer to its third win of the season in its home opener with a 3-0 shutout over Charlotte at Alumni Stadium, Tuesday night, Sept. 19. Davidson bumped its overall record to an even .500 at 3-3-1, while Charlotte saw its overall mark drop to .500 at 3-3-2.
The win mark the second straight year the Wildcats have beaten the 49ers after defeating them 2-1 last year on the 49ers' home field. In addition, Davidson improved to 4-3 since 2000 in home openers and also moved to 2-1 during that time when playing Charlotte for its home opener.
Davidson came out of the gates a much different team compared to last Friday night at Wake Forest, when it lost 3-0, as the Wildcats showed more aggressiveness. The Wildcats showed that aggressiveness on offense by out-shooting the 49ers 21-7.
After both teams played to a scoreless tie through the first 20 minutes of the opening stanza, the Wildcats broke the tie with a Sittko goal at the
21:12 mark. Sittko, who earned her first career start, found the ball near the six-yard box off a rebound and calmly kicked it in the back of the net to give Davidson a 1-0 advantage.
The score stayed that way till the Wildcats struck in the 60-minute mark of the second half. After a Charlotte foul, junior Nancy Haskell (Blacksburg,
Va.) lined up for a free kick just outside the 18-yard box on the right. She then bent a perfectly placed cross to fellow junior Kristen Koehrn (La Mesa, Calif.), who headed the pass in, right through the legs of Charlotte's goalie, Nicole Mercer, for her team-leading fifth goal of the season. It was Haskell's second assist on the year after picking up just one last season.
Sophomore Melanee Smith (Bloomfield Township, Mich.) finished off the scoring at the 73:02 mark with a left-footed blast from the middle of the box off a rebound. The goal was set up by a corner kick from Haskell, who sent the ball into the box and after it got knocked around a couple of times, Smith took control and fired it in to the right side of the net. It was her second goal of the season.
Charlotte threatened a few times in the second half, driving deep into Davidson's box and getting four of its seven shots in the half, but in the end, Davidson's defense held strong and came up with its third shutout of the year.
In goal for the Wildcats, junior Bevin English (Charleston, S.C.) came up with four saves to give her 29 on the season.
Mercer played the whole game for the 49ers, registering six saves.
Next on the docket for Davidson after its battle with Charlotte will be a match against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos from the Big West on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. After its first-ever meeting against the Gauchos, the Wildcats open Southern Conference play when it heads to Georgia Southern on Sunday for a 1 p.m. affair.