College of Charleston 2, Elon 0

ELON, N.C. - The College of Charleston women’s soccer team won their first SoCon match of the season Friday afternoon against Elon, 2-0.  The win gives CofC four consecutive victories over Elon in four years.

 

Both teams played to a scoreless first half, with CofC (3-4-2 Overall, 1-0-0 SoCon) taking six shots, while Elon (3-7-0 Overall, 0-2-0 SoCon) attempting only three shots.  Each team also had three corner kick attempts in the half.

 

In the 58th minute of action, CofC attempted a corner kick that was knocked down by an Elon defender.  Sophomore midfielder Danielle Jordan netted the rebound for her second goal of the season to give CofC the lead, 1-0.

 

“Our entire midfield played an excellent game,” said CofC head coach, Kevin Dempsey.  “Danielle’s (Jordan) goal off the corner kick showed the game skills awareness we need to win matches.”

 

Junior forward Kelly McGinty scored her second goal of the season in the 61th minute off of a free kick to give the Cougars the advantage, 2-0.

 

“We practiced free kicks at the end of our last training session,” said Dempsey.  “I’m happy that Kelly (McGinty) was able to execute the play and give us that second goal.”

 

Overall, CofC attempted 11 shots and took five corner kicks, while Elon attempted 10 shots and three corner kicks.

 

Freshman Sarah Wiggers had four saves in the match and received credit for the shutout, her third of the season.

 

CofC has won three consecutive SoCon road openers.  On Sept. 25, 2005, the Cougars won at UNC Greensboro, 2-1, and on Sept. 8, 2004, Cofc won at The Citadel, 4-1.

 

“It’s difficult to win any road matches in our conference, especially the first one of the season,” said Dempsey.  “This win will hopefully give us momentum for our SoCon home opener Sunday.”

 

The Cougars will return to action Oct. 1 against Appalachian St. (6-4-0 Overall, 2-0-0 SoCon) at Patriot’s Point.  The match will begin at 1 p.m.

 

 

Georgia Southern 4, The Citadel 1

Charleston, S.C. ? Ashley Toussaint netted two goals to lead Georgia Southern past The Citadel, 4-1 in women’s soccer action Friday afternoon at WLI Field.  The Bulldogs tied it up in the second half off a penalty kick, but the Eagles answered with three more goals to earn their first Southern Conference victory of the season.

 

Georgia Southern (3-6-1, 1-1 SoCon) notched a goal in the first half to take a 1-0 advantage before the break.  Toussaint pulled Bulldog keeper Emily Green away from the net and knocked it in the open goal in the 24th minute.  Michelle Carlson earned the assist on the play.

 

The Citadel (1-10-1, 1-1 SoCon) evened the score in the 63rd minute after a handball was called on Georgia Southern inside the box.  Freshman Rachelle Ornelas took the penalty kick and blasted it in the back of the net for her team-leading fifth goal of the season. 

 

“We played some good soccer at times and I was pleased with the teams’ work rate,” said head coach Bob Winch.

 

The Georgia Southern offense then came to life as they answered back with three goals.  Heather Smith fed the ball to Susanne Rogers for her first goal of the year and what proved to be the game-winner at the 66:36 mark.  The Eagles tacked on some insurance three minutes later as Toussaint again pulled Green from the goal and fired it in the open net.  The final goal was a 30 yard blast by Heather Smith that fell into the net over the head of Green with 10 minutes left in regulation.

 

“After we tied the game, to GSU credit they shifted gears and we stayed the same which was disappointing,” added Winch.  “We did not match their desire.”

 

The Eagles outshot the Bulldogs 20-7 and enjoyed a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.  Green made four stops in front of the net while GSU keeper Lauren Santos had four saves as well.

 

Next up, The Citadel travels to Davidson, N.C. to take on the Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium before returning home to host Wofford on Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. at WLI Field.

 

 

UNC Greensboro 1, Wofford 0

GREENSBORO, NC ? Senior Shannon Donovan scored late to give UNC Greensboro a 1-0 win over Southern Conference rival Wofford on Friday night.

 

UNCG controlled the first half by outshooting Wofford 11-1 and played solid defense to keep the ball on the Wofford end of the field. The Spartans had good looks on goal but were unable to connect and the two teams went into the break in a 0-0 tie.

 

The Spartans got on the board in the 87th minute when Donovan connected on a pass from junior Karla Davis. Davis took the ball past midfield and sent it to Donovan. Donovan dribbled past two Terrier defenders and shot it 10 yards out past Wofford goalkeeper Austin Somers for her second goal of the year. The Spartans put up a solid defense for the final three minutes to secure the 1-0 victory.

 

“It was a good win for us. We held our level of concentration all 90 minutes,” quoted UNCG head coach Eddie Radwanski, “We need to get better at putting away our chances still but we persevered through it tonight to get the win.”

 

UNCG finished with a 17-4 shot advantage. Both Donovan and Davis recorded three shots on the night.

 

The Spartans will host Western Carolina on Sunday for a 2 pm match up.

 

 

Furman 2, Western Carolina 0

Cullowhee, N.C. - The Furman Lady Paladins netted a goal in each half and keeper Briana da Mota notched her second straight shutout as Furman blanked Western Carolina 2-0 in women's soccer action Friday evening at the Catamount Athletic Complex in Cullowhee, N.C.

 

Furman jumped out on top in the tenth minute of the match utilizing a perfectly placed free kick off a Western foul. Junior Gena Villari was on target from 25 yards outside the box, beating Catamount senior keeper Alesha Row to the upper right corner of the cage, to tally her fourth goal of the season..

In the second half, Villari made a bid for a second long goal in the 53rd minute, uncorking a shot from over 30 yards out that Row made a one handed lasso save on, keeping the Catamounts within one.

 

Five minutes later, inside the 58th minute, Western had one of its best flurries of the night unleashing back-to-back shots by freshmen Nikki Lombardo and Shanna Schmoker with each being deflected by the Furman defense. The ball bounced loose between several players before finally being cleared out where a third rookie, Jenny Matteson, drilled a shot that had to be deflected over the cross bar by the Lady Paladin keeper, Briana da Mota, to keep WCU off the board.

 

Furman added to its lead in the 79th minute capitalizing on a Western defensive miscue. Chelsea McKie played a ball into the offensive zone that the Catamounts seemed to have controlled, but the defense turned the ball over and an opportunistic Rachel Fry gathered the bouncing ball and fired a shot to the left of the outstretched hands of Row for the 2-0 lead.

"It was a hard fought win tonight against a very good opponent," said Furman head coach Andrew Burr. "Both teams had solid goalkeepers and we were fortunate to score two outstanding goals."

 

The Lady Paladins compiled a commanding 7-2 advantage in shots on goal while Western Carolina held an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. Row tallied five saves in the loss. Da Mota was forced to stop just two shots for the Lady Paladins.

The win improves Furman to 4-6-0 overall and 2-0-0 in Southern Conference play while the host Catamounts dip to 5-5-1 overall and 1-1-0 in the league.

 

Western Carolina hits the road for three-straight contests beginning this Sunday, Oct. 1 visiting SoCon preseason favorite, UNC Greensboro at 2 p.m. Furman returns home to host league foe Elon on Sunday at 2 p.m.