Women's Soccer Southern Conference

Furman Downs Appalachian State, 1-0

Furman 1, Appalachian State 0

 

BOONE, N.C.-  Appalachian State University women's soccer dropped a hard fought match to SoCon rival Furman on a chilly Thursday evening, as the Mountaineers fell to the Paladins 1-0. With the loss, ASU drops to 5-4-1 overall and 1-2 in SoCon play, while FU improves to 8-3-1 and 2-1 in the conference.

 

The majority of the first half of action was played in the middle of the field, as both the Apps and the Paladins controlled the ball and maintained possession. The Appalachian offense eventually kicked into gear with 13 minutes to play, as it was able to earn two corner kicks, but was unable to convert either into a goal.

 

Caroline Lowe was a spark for ASU in the ending minutes of the first half, as she hit a hard cross across the mouth of the goal, but Furman goalkeeper Jessica Smith stopped the ball to keep the match scorless.

 

The Paladins were able to launch four shots in the first half, while freshman Jordan Horvath took the only shot for Appalachian.

 

Both teams headed into the break with the match tied at zero.

 

ASU came out strong in the second half, as Amy Zahirski proved to be an offensive threat, crossing the ball right in front of the goal, but Smith was able to make the save to keep the score at 0-0.

 

Furman's offense continued with its solid play, as forward Martha Hall scored what would be the lone goal of the night, just 13 minutes into the half. Hall trapped the ball that deflected off an ASU defender, then cut the ball back to the outside, beating the defender and hit a shot into the upper right corner of the net, to give FU the 1-0 lead. The goal was Hall's sixth of the season.

 

Furman continued with their offensive attack in the 74th minute as Hall took another shot, but this time ASU goalkeeper Caroline Clarke made a diving save to stop the ball from going into the back of the net.

 

Despite numerous chances, Appalachian was unable to answer Furman's goal.

 

Offensively, FU outshout ASU 11 to 2, with Horvath and Hannah Rosenbaum taking the App's only shots on the evening. The Paladins also earned five corner kicks compared to Appalachian's four.

 

Clarke played the entire 90 minutes in goal for the Mountaineers, making five saves, while Smith also played the whole match as well, making no saves.