Furman 1, Presbyterian 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Sophomore Ashley Creavalle scored in the 70th minute to lift Furman to a 1-0 victory over Presbyterian in women’s soccer action Sunday afternoon at the Academy Sports Shootout in Spartanburg, S.C.
Creavalle, a preseason All-Southern Conference selection, dribbled through the Presbyterian defense and beat the Blue Hose keeper to the left at 69:58 to improve the Paladins to 4-2-1 on the season. Presbyterian fell to 1-5-0.
Furman dominated possession for most of the match and held a commanding 26-2 edge in shots, but were held at bay for most of the match by PC keeper Sarah Beth Anderson who totaled 16 saves. Paladin keeper Jessica Smith stopped one Blue Hose shot to notch her first career shutout in goal.
The Paladins put 17 shots on goal, including four from Creavalle and three from Lucy Martin, while holding a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Furman continues non-conference play on September 19, when it hosts Atlantic Coast Conference foe Clemson in a 7 p.m. match at Stone Soccer Stadium.
Appalachian State 1, Francis Marion 0
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University women's soccer finished their second annual Mountaineer Invitational with a 1-1 record, after defeating Francis Marion Sunday afternoon. UNC Wilmington won the invitational, finishing with the best record overall of 2-0, after defeating Francis Marion on Friday 1-0 and Longwood Sunday 2-0. Appalachian's win over the Patriots moves them to 2-2-1 on the season, while the Patriots fall to 0-7.
The Mountaineers dominated much of the first half, controlling the ball and being very aggresive on the offensive front, launching six shots compared to FMU's three. The Apps also earned five corner kicks while Francis Marion was unable to earn any.
Despite the solid play, ASU was unable to score, and both teams were tied at intermission.
The Patriots came out strong in the second half, as midfielder Angela Salem took a great shot on goal just four minutes into play, but Appalachian goalkeeper Caroline Clarke (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) made a nice save to keep the match scoreless.
With 20 minutes remaining in regulation, Appalachian finally got on the board as the Mountaineers were awarded a penalty kick. Junior Stephanie Balzano (Poland, Ohio/Duquesne) took the kick, hitting the ball in the lower right corner, right past Francis Marion's goalkeeper to give ASU the 1-0 lead. The goal was Balzano's first of the season.
Her goal proved to be enough for the Mountaineers as they were able to hold off a pesky Francis Marion team and grab the 1-0 victory.
Appalachian outshot the Patriots 13 to eight during the match and earned six corner kicks compared to FMU'sthree. Forward Caroline Lowe (Raleigh, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons) ed the Apps offensively, as she notched four shots on the afternoon, with two of them on target. As for Francis Marion, Salem took six shots with all of them being on goal.
Clarke played all 90 minutes for the Apps in goal, making seven saves, while Emily Brandenburg also played the entire match for the Patriots, recording five saves.
Next up for Appalachian is Winthrop, as the Mountaineers travel to Rock Hill, S.C., Friday September 19 to take on the Eagles at 7:30 p.m. ASU is 0-1 on the road so far this season.
Elon 1, Winthrop 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Susannah Gianakos connected on a penalty kick in the 36th minute for the game's only goal and the Elon Phoenix women's soccer team defeated the Winthrop Eagles 1-0 to claim the title at the 2008 Carolinas Border Classic hosted by USC Upstate on Sunday afternoon. The victory improved the Phoenix to 3-2-1 on the year while the Eagles dropped to 3-3-0 this season.
"The team really deserved this win today," said Elon head coach Chris Neal. "We had some great performances from a lot of players. After Friday, I was extremely excited about how we maintained possession and created chances going forward. After watching today's match, I'm even more excited. We have to polish some things up in front of the goal to finish a few more of our chances and get some rewards for all of our hard work."
Gianakos was awarded the PK at 35:34 after getting tied up with an Eagle defender inside the box.
Elon applied pressure all afternoon, blasting 18 total shots, seven of which were on frame. Eight of the Phoenix shots came off the foot of Katina Boozer.
Winthrop managed just five shots (three on goal) in the 90 minutes of action under the scorching South Carolina sun.
Elon keepers Sydney Little and Lizz Johnson evenly split the 90 minutes. Little stopped two shots and Johnson one as the Phoenix shut out its third opponent this season.
Dimitra Poulos collected six saves for Winthrop.
The Phoenix earned 12 corner kicks while not allowing one all day.
Elon returns to the pitch on Friday night, playing host to Maryland-Baltimore County at 7 p.m. in Rhodes Stadium.
Western Carolina 2, Sacred Heart 1
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Western Carolina women's soccer team scored two first half goals and held on to a 2-1 win against Sacred Heart Sunday afternoon in the finale of the Yale Soccer Classic.
Western Carolina improves to 2-4 after the win, while Sacred Heart drops to 0-6.
Juniors Nikki Collins and Jenny Matteson were named offensive/ defensive MVP's for Western Carolina in the Yale Soccer Classic. Collins (offensive MVP) finished the tournament with five shots three of which on goal and scored a goal in a 3-1 loss against Yale. Matteson (defensive MVP) anchored a solid defensive effort over the weekend.
The Catamounts got started early when three minutes into the contest freshmen Kayla Beauduy beat the pioneer's keeper Meghan Reichelt to give Western Carolina a 1-0 lead. Beauduy took a cross from teammate Kellie Oberholtzer when Beauduy settled the ball and fired a shot into the right corner, earning her first collegiate goal for the Catamounts.
Thirty minutes later Western Carolina was attacking again when junior Nikki Lombardo took a cross from teammate Bri Cunningham and Lombardo beat Sacred Heart goal keeper Reichelt pushing the lead to 2-0 early in the first half.
The Catamounts ended the first half with a 6-to-4 shot advantage, while the Sacred Heart Pioneers did have two opportunities in the first half but sophomore goal keeper Caitlin Williams came up with the two saves.
The Pioneers did get on the board 10 minutes into the second half after a goal from Britney Dupee. Dupee beat the Catamounts goal keeper Williams after a blast from 25 yards out went into the right corner of the net to cut the lead to 2-1.
The Catamounts defensive would not let Sacred Heart get any closer, holding the pioneers to just three second half shots. Western Carolina finished the contest with an 11-to-7 advantage in shots.
Western Carolina will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee to take on the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday Sept. 19 starting at 7 p.m.
Wofford 1, Kennesaw State 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Sophomore Lauren Cozzarelli scored with 20 seconds remaining in regulation and the Wofford defense held on as the Terriers battled to a 1-1 draw against Kennesaw State Sunday afternoon at the Academy Sports Shootout at Snyder Field in Spartanburg, S.C.
Cozzarelli tallied the equalizer when she was left all alone on the far left side and buried the shot past Owl goalkeeper Staci Pugh at 89:40. Junior Cassie Rex set up the play with a long serve on a free kick from near the midfield stripe. Rex's serve found classmate Monica Ploetzke, who then turned and located Cozzarelli. The Apex, N.C., product collected and scored the loose ball for her first career goal.
It capped a furious second half in which Wofford (1-3-3) pressed forward on its offensive attempts, outshooting Kennesaw State 9-5 in the 45-minute period. Freshman Rachael Blackburn fired a rocket off the right post at 68:24 for the Terriers' best chance until Cozzarelli's goal. Blackburn had another attempt later in the game, but Pugh smothered it for a save.
The Owls put the game's first mark on the scoreboard following a scoreless first half at 57:55. Rachel Baer sent a cross from the right-side end line towards the goal mouth, which was knocked down by Katie Scott. Shelby Crosby then found the loose ball and placed it just over the outstretched leap of Wofford goalkeeper Katie McChesney into the top of the net.
Kennesaw State (4-2-2) had three attempts in the first overtime for the win, but none found paydirt. The Owls' Brittany Vining had the best chance for either team in the extra periods when her header hit the right post at 99:45.
The Terriers were led by Blackburn with a game-high four shots, while Erika Bishop and Maggie McLaughlin each recorded three. Vining and Scott paced KSU with a trio of shots apiece.
The double-overtime affiar was Wofford's third straight and fourth overall this season. The Terriers have played a total of five overtime contests in the seven matches thus far in 2008.
In the first game of the day of the Academy Sports Shootout, Furman's Ashley Creavalle scored the only goal in a 1-0 Lady Paladins triumph over Presbyterian. Creavalle slid the ball under the Blue Hose's Sarah Beth Anderson from the short side to the near post at 69:58.
In the tournament, Wofford and Kennesaw State each finish 1-0-1, while Furman garnered a 1-1 record and Presbyterian ended 0-2.
The Terriers will return to action as they close the non-conference slate with a 7 p.m. Friday game at VCU in Richmond, Va.
Coastal Carolina 4, The Citadel 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Citadel women’ soccer team fell, 4-1 against Coastal Carolina at Washington Light Infantry Field on Sunday.
Both teams struggled on offense in the first half until Coastal Carolina’s Blair Monroe, assisted by Corie Coles scored the first goal of the game. The Bulldogs built a defensive wall but was unable to stop Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers scored their second goal twenty minutes later by Emily McColl, assisted by Maegen Hellberg. Coastal Carolina remained strong when they scored their third goal leading up to halftime 3-0.
The Chanticleers added another goal in the second half before Amy Loughran scored the first and only goal for the Bulldogs. This is Loughran’s second career and season goal. This is also the first goal that The Citadel has ever scored on the Chanticleers.
Head Coach Bob Winch applauds the Bulldogs efforts. “I cannot fault our physically performance today as the girls put for a fantastic effort. We just switched off mentally in a few areas and a good coastal team made us pay.”
The Citadel will host the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. Then the Bulldogs will finish their non-conference play at USC-Upstate on Sept. 19 at 5 p.m.
Jacksonville 4, Chattanooga 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. --- Jacksonville State snapped Chattanooga’s two-game win streak dropping the Lady Mocs 4-1 Sunday afternoon at the JSU Soccer Field to net its first win of the season.
The Gamecocks got on the scoreboard at the 15:57 mark on an unassisted goal from Brenna Horrocks. Just less than four minutes later Kaitlyn MacLellan nailed a free kick from the right side to put JSU up 2-0 at 19:32.
Chattanooga got to within a goal with 25:03 gone in the game on a free kick. Freshman Susanne Mader notched her first collegiate goal with a shot to the goal from the left side. However, despite outshooting JSU 11-8, that would be all the offense Chattanooga would muster.
Horrocks put Jacksonville State (1-4-2) up 3-1 at 27:46 on an assist from Brittany Garndner. In the second half, JSU’s MacLellan added an unassisted goal at 59:41 for the final mark of 4-1.
The Gamecocks’ keeper Kate Kelly had four saves and JSU had one team save while Chattanooga keeper Allie Preston recorded just one save on the day.
The Lady Mocs will return home to host Tennessee Tech Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m. at the North River Soccer Complex. Admission is free.
Stanford 2, UNC Greensboro 0
PALO ALTO, CA. ? The UNC Greensboro women’s soccer team gave up two first half goals to third-ranked Stanford in the first half and could not recover, dropping their final match of the Stanford/Nike Invitational 2-0, this afternoon.
Stanford picked up their first goal of the game in the 11th minute of play when Christen Press received a ball from Camille Levin, before taking on Spartan goalkeeper Kelsey Kearney one-on-one and finishing the ball into the back of the net. The Spartans came back just a minute later, but a shot by Katie Evans was saved by Stanford keeper Kira Maker.
UNCG had three chances in front of the net in the 19th and 20th minute of play. Kristin Player sent the Spartans’ only corner kick of the game into the box, but a shot from Jenn Partenheimer went wide of the net. Nicole Danford took her first and only shot of the game a minute later, but her effort was denied by Maker.
The Cardinal added to their total in the 41st minute of play as Kristin Stannard curled her shot through traffic deep in the Spartans’ defensive end, finding the netting on the left side of the goal.
The score would remain that way until the final whistle, thanks to some excellent defending and goalkeeping from the Spartans. Jamie Corti and Lauren Lopez each totaled 90 minutes on the pitch for UNCG in front of Kearney to turn away a total of 19 second half shots from Stanford.
Despite giving up the two first half goals, Kearney came away from the game with a total of 10 saves, eight of which were made in the second half.
Two second half shot attempts from Katelynn Donovan and Partenheimer found their way wide of the net for the Spartans. Partenheimer led all UNCG shooters with her two shots on the afternoon, while Evans and Danford managed the only two shots on goal for the Spartans.
UNCG will return to Greensboro for the week before traveling to Winston Salem to face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest on Friday. Last season the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie through double overtime. Game time is set for 7:00 pm.
UAB 1, Samford 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team suffered its third-consecutive 1-0 defeat Sunday as the Bulldogs dropped a heart-breaking decision against their cross-town rival UAB Blazers in the final match of the 2008 UAB Nike Classic at West Campus Field.
In the hard-fought loss, Samford (1-6) rattled off eight shots on goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Bulldogs registered four corner kicks in the second half of play and finished with four players taking multiple shot attempts.
Leading Samford’s offensive attack were Leah Leppert, Cindy Spiker, Hilary Samuels and Tori Delmonico. All four players finished the match with two shot attempts apiece, with both of Leppert’s shots being on-goal.
With the win, UAB (2-5) improved its all-time record against Samford to 1-1. The Blazers registered 16 shots in the game, but only seven were on target. Junior Danya Barsalona led her team with seven shots and five shots on goal.
UAB’s most important shot on goal occurred during the 87th minute of play.
With less than four minutes remaining in the contest, Barsalona took the ball down the left flank and sent a downfield pass up ahead to Tiffini Turpin near the penalty box.
Immediately following the perfectly placed pass, both Turpin and Samford goalkeeper Cayley Winters converged on the bounding ball. Turpin, the Blazers’ speedy freshman from Birmingham, reached the ball first and sidestepped Winters to her left. With the empty net in front of her, Turpin lofted the ball into the far corner of the net for the game-winning goal.
The score was Turpin’s first of her collegiate career and the assist was Barsalona’s first of the 2008 campaign.
UAB’s last-minute victory was its second in as many games. On Friday, the Blazers defeated Wright State 1-0 with a game-winning goal scored with one second remaining.
Samford’s 1-0 loss was its third straight. Last week, the Bulldogs suffered a 1-0 (2OT) defeat against Arkansas in the championship match of the 2008 adidas Gamecock Classic. Then on Friday, Samford dropped another 1-0 road loss to Alabama.
Samford’s Winters played all 90 minutes in goal Sunday and tallied five saves.
The teams played to a scoreless first half with both squads having minimal opportunities for goals.
UAB tallied eight shot attempts in the opening 45 minutes of play, while Samford finished with four. Three of the Blazers’ shots were on-goal.
The Bulldogs registered a pair of scoring opportunities in the first half. On Samford’s initial attempt, Leppert sent a screaming header towards the left post from seven yards out at 23:18. On Leppert’s header, UAB goalkeeper Kate Blankenship made a diving save to her right. The save was her second of the first half.
Later in the first half, Samford’s Delmonico barely missed out on a goal as her header sailed just left of the post during the 38th minute of play. The shot attempt was Delmonico’s first of the match.
The Bulldogs’ Samuels paced the team with two shot attempts in the first half. The Blazers’ Barsalona led her team with three shots in the opening 45 minutes of play, two of which were on-goal.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs face off against their third-straight in-state opponent, the Auburn Tigers, at the Auburn Soccer Complex in Auburn, Ala.