Western Carolina 2, Stetson 0
Johnson City, Tenn. - Led by two second half goals by freshman Courtney Mallon, the Western Carolina women's soccer team kicked off day one of the East Tennessee State University Invitational by defeating the Stetson University Hatters, 2-0, Friday afternoon in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Mallon made the most of her time in the ballgame, substituting in at the 64:08 mark in the second half, and exactly one minute in, taking a misplayed ball in the Hatter backfield and put in her first goal of the season. Fans must have thought they had a case of d?j? vu when, a mere two minutes and four seconds later, Mallon again capitalized on a Stetson (1-2-1) defensive miscue and tallied her second goal. Mallon's line for the night: 12 minutes played, two shots, two goals.
Freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Williams stopped four shots, all in the second half, to record her second shut out of the season. Western (4-2-0) out fell behind on the shots in the second half, but was able to still hold onto an 8-7 advantage for the game. The season-long theme of spreading the offensive wealth held true Friday, when five players contributed to the shot total, and Mallon became the eighth different Catamount to register a goal. Her two in the game put her in a tie with Bri Cunningham for the team lead.
WCU's defensive prowess continued to impress in the win, shutting out an opponent in the second half for the fifth consecutive game. The Catamounts have not let up a goal in the second frame of a game since their season-opening match against Wyoming. They have also out scored their opponents 10-4 for the season.
The Catamounts will look to continue their winning ways Sunday, September 16, when they take on former Southern Conference foe and tournament host East Tennessee State. Kickoff for the match is slated for 4:00 p.m. in Johnson City.
College of Charleston 1, Jacksonville 0 (OT)
The Cougars’ women’s soccer team shutout Jacksonville 1-0 in game two of the College of Charleston Cougar Classic at Patriots Point Field in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Fri., Sept. 14.
“It was just a tremendous performance from first whistle to overtime,” said CofC head coach Kevin Dempsey. “I thought we deserved to win that game. I could be prouder of them, beating an NCAA tournament team from last year.”
CofC’s offense dominated the first half of the game with a shot a 9-1 shot advantage over the Dolphins, but played to 0-0 tie at the end of regulation. From the 35th to the 37th minutes the Cougars took four corner kicks in a row.
The Cougars’ best shot in regulation came late in the first half when Megan Manthey took a shot from 18 yards out that was snagged by Dolphins goalie Lorna Brownlie. CofC midfielder Danielle Jordan placed a corner kick in the middle of the goal box only to have in cleared out by Jacksonville defenders.
The second half saw the Cougars battling on offense through a solid Jacksonville defense. The team held a 16-5 shot advantage of the Dolphins. Brownlie had eight saves on the evening.
The game-winning goal came three minutes into over time when Julie Romanik broke through the Dolphins’ defense to the ball in to upper right corner of the net.
The Cougars will take on Francis Marion Sunday at 2:30 and Jacksonville will face UNC Wilmington at noon in game two of the Cougar Classic.
Clemson 2, Furman 1
Charlotte, N.C. -- Clemson’s Fraser Gerth found the back of the net in the 84th minute to help 17th-ranked Clemson escape Furman 2-1 in women’s soccer action Friday evening in the Carolinas’ Cup at Transamerica Field in Charlotte, N.C.
Gerth notched her first goal of the season on assists from Molly Franklin and Katie Vogel at the 83:16 mark to move the Tigers to 5-0-0 on the season while Furman slipped to 4-2-0.
After Furman had its share of possession in the opening 45 minutes and missed several opportunities to gain the lead, Clemson appeared to take control when Samantha Fortier’s six-yard shot beat Lady Paladin keeper Briana da Mota less than nine minutes into the second half.
The Lady Paladins turned up the pressure and equalized at the 79:54 mark.
Anna Betton’s through pass allowed Emily Krankowski to split Clemson’s defense and get a one versus one with the keeper and Krankowski slotted her shot into the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Da Mota and Tiger keeper Paula Pritzen each notched four saves while Clemson held a 13-6 edge on shots attempted.
Clemson tries to continue its unbeaten run facing host Charlotte on Sunday while Furman battles 16th-ranked South Carolina in the final round of the Carolinas’ Cup at noon on Sunday.
Wofford 1, Western Kentucky 1 (2OT)
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Wofford senior Whitney Steelman scored her second goal in as many games, this time on a return home to Bowling Green, Ky., as the Terriers earned a 1-1 tie at Western Kentucky Friday afternoon at the WKU Soccer Stadium.
Steelman’s score put Wofford (3-1-1) ahead at the 6:53 mark. Classmate Kara Bennewitz and junior Mary Rea were credited with assists on the goal, her 14th of her career and her 40th career point. Her 14 goals tie Debbie Boyce (1996-99) for eighth on the school’s all-time chart.
The Terriers were able to maintain the one-goal edge until 47:44 when Megan Meinke found Nikki Workman for the game-tying goal. Western Kentucky (2-1-1) continued to pour on the shots against the Terrier defense and finished the game with a 29-6 advantage.
Freshman goalkeeper Katie McChesney stopped 11 Hilltopper shots to tie a career best. She also had 11 saves in her last outing, at Kennesaw State Sunday.
Wofford will return to action back on the road Tuesday at South Carolina State in Orangeburg, S.C.
Lipscomb 1, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? The Chattanooga women’s soccer team fell 1-0 to Lipscomb Friday night at the North River Soccer Complex in the Lady Mocs’ home opener.
In the 64th minute, Halie Proffitt picked up a loose ball in the box after a corner kick and lifted the ball into the top left corner of the net to put the Lady Bison on 1-0. Both teams battled throughout the game keeping the ball clear of each others’ net.
Chattanooga’s best chance to score came in the second half on a cross from Chelsea Hurst to Marlee Jenkins. Jenkins, in the box, wasn’t able to get a clear shot to the goal as the Lipscomb defense cleared the ball.
The Lady Mocs outshot Lipscomb 13-7 with five on goal to the Bison’s three. Chattanooga tallied four corner kicks to Lipscomb’s three. UTC keeper Milla Junni notched just a pair of saves on the year while Lipscomb’s Katie Shelton pulled in five.
Remnants of hurricane Humberto passed through Chattanooga earlier in the day, dumping nearly an inch of rain on the area, but cleared a few hours before the kick off. The evening was pleasant and a light fog was rising from the field by the end of the game.
The win was the first for the Bison who improve to 1-4-0 on the season. Chattanooga drops to 0-3-1 on the year and will travel to High Point, N.C., Friday, Sept. 21.
Mercer 2, Georgia Southern 1 (2OT)
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern’s Ashley Toussaint scored the first goal of the match in the 18th minute, but after the Bears tied it up, Mercer’s Kacie Hudson scored the go-ahead goal in the second overtime to take the 2-1 win, Friday night, at Eagle Field.
Hudson’s game-winner, her first goal on the season, came after knocking in a loose ball six yards out in the 107th minute.
The win improves Mercer’s record to 2-2-1 overall, snapping a two-game skid. The Eagles fall to 0-4-0.
The Eagles came out focused in the first half attacking strong on offense. After a pair of shots early on, the Eagles took advantage of a loose ball, an intended pass to the Mercer goalkeeper. Ashley Toussaint (Warner Robins, Ga.) was quick to the ball and tapped it in at the 17:06 mark for the first goal of the game, and her first of the season.
Mercer came back 10 minutes later to tie up the game at 1-1. Mercer’s Kaytie Vander Vos broke away from the defense on the right side and fired a shot from 18 yards out, connecting in the left corner of the goal. It was Vander Vos’ first goal of the season.
Both teams continued to apply pressure up front, which yielded a total 13 first-half shots. Mercer led the shots tally by a 7-6 margin and both teams went into the break with a 1-1 stalemate.
Mercer came out strong in the second half and made three more shots. Senior goalkeeper Laura-Ashley Harris (Jonesboro, Ga.) stopped a pair of shots in the second stanza, which ushered in the end of regulation.
Mercer added another trio of shots in the first overtime, but the two teams remained at a deadlock until the second overtime when the Bears broke the scoring drought and garnered the win.
“I think we definitely fought hard and our defenders did a great job,” said head coach Ashley Hart. “We’re just not consistent yet for a full game. It’s a tough loss. Mercer’s definitely organized.”
Mercer’s Jean Worts, who pulled in three saves, earned the win, while Harris, playing a full 106:01 minutes for the Eagles, tallied a total seven saves on the day.
“I think she (Harris) has done a good job,” said Hart. “She’s really stepped up for us and she’s doing a good job organizing things in the back.”
The Bears led the Eagles in total shots (15-6) and corner kicks (9-5).
The Eagles will look to break the four-game skid as they open up Southern Conference play against The Citadel, Wednesday, Sep. 19. The match, which is the second of a three-game homestand, is slated for 2 p.m. at Eagle Field.
Mercer will travel to Davidson, N.C. to play the Wildcats, Sep. 16 at 2 p.m.
Presbyterian 5, The Citadel 0
Charleston, S.C.- The Citadel soccer team dropped their regular season home opener to Presbyterian, 0-5 in Friday night action at W.L.I.
The Blue Hose jumped on the scoreboard quickly after Millie Green followed a deflected shot from Tricia Bryan just 1:38 into the match. Bulldog goalkeeper, Lisa Wilson made a diving save and Bryan’s shot was sent to the six yard line where a wide-open Green placed the ball in the back of the net. Presbyterian struck again six minutes later when Christy Howard layed a pass off to Bryan who struck the ball from outside of the 18-yard box into the upper corner of the net past Wilson.
Presbyterian came out swinging just 45 seconds into the second half, after a ball sent by Lytle Cannon found its way to Kate Baker, who then beat a Bulldog defender to find herself one-on-one with new goalkeeper, Britni Bunnell and sent the ball past her. They continued their scoring run when Alicia Keel found a wide-open Baker in front of the net who slotted it past Bunnell. They finished the score when Cannon found Maggie Carruth on top of the 18-yard line ready to chip the ball past Bunnell.
The Bulldogs garnered 11 shots on goal, a season high, to Presbyterian’s 17. Seven of the shots came during the second half when the Bulldogs went on a shooting spree. Their best chance of scoring came in the 80th minute of play when the Bulldogs had back to back corner kicks, both of which bounced around the six yard line. Emily Haller had four shots while Jessa Scott added three. Rachelle Ornelas, Dianna Martin, Liza Akesson and Nicole Martinoli each notched a shot.
Wilson tallied six saves and Bunnell added two in the contest. Presbyterian goalkeepers Erin Sinkuler and Abby Young combined for five saves.
“Today we played well for 75 minutes,” said head coach Bob Winch. “We had some defensive breakdowns that we will continue to work on. Presbyterian made the most of their chances.”
The Bulldogs will travel to Georgia Southern September 19 to play at 2 p.m. For more information on Citadel soccer visit www.citadelsports.com.