Furman 2, Clemson 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. ? Alexa Jones scored on a breakaway in the 64th minute to lift Furman to a 2-1 victory over Clemson in women’s soccer action before a crowd of 2,217 Friday evening at Stone Soccer Stadium.
With the match tied 1-1, Sara El-Shami lofted a long ball behind the Clemson defense to a charging Alexa Jones and the freshman slotted a low shot to the lefthand corner at 63:22 to score the eventual game-winning goal.
The win marked the first for Furman versus the Tigers in 13 all-time meetings. The Paladins improved to 5-2-1 on the season while Clemson slipped to 4-3-0.
“I am very proud of this team and the hard work they put in tonight to get the first victory over Clemson in the history of our program,” said Furman head coach Andrew Burr. “Our back line did a tremendous job and we took our chances well. It was great to have such wonderful crowd support and to have our fans add to the intensity.”
After a scoreless first half, Sarah Jacobs put the Tigers ahead at the
60:46 mark by collecting a loose ball behind Furman keeper Jessica Smith and finishing her shot into an open net for her first collegiate goal.
The Paladin wasted little time responding as Kate Myatt dribbled through the right side of the Clemson defense, used a deflection off of a defender and hammered the equalizer past keeper Paula Pritzen at 61:08.
Clemson held a 13-9 edge in total shots and 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. Both teams attempted four corner kicks. Smith, a freshman from Franklin, Tenn., stopped four shots to earn the victory in goal for the Paladins. Pritzen totaled two saves in the loss for Clemson.
Furman concludes non-conference play on Monday when it travels to USC Upstate. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Appalachian State 1, Winthrop 0
ROCK HILL, S.C.- For the second-straight match, Appalachian State University women's soccer was able to pull out a win, as the Mountaineers defeated Winthrop 1-0 off a Stephanie Balzano penalty kick. With the win, ASU improves to 3-2-1 on the season, while Winthrop drops to 3-4.
The Apps dominated the first half offensivley, as they were able to muster seven shots compared to Winthrop's four. The Mountaineers were also able to earn five corner kicks compared to the Eagle's four.
Despite playing a solid first half, both ASU and WU headed into halftime remaining knotted at zero.
The Mountaineers came out strong in the second half as well, as the Appalachian offensive front stayed busy, tallying 11 shots to Winthrop's six. The Apps also took four corner kicks, while Winthrop earned just two.
Similiar to Appalachian's match against Francis Marion, the deciding factor of the game was Balzano's penalty kick. In the 76th minute of play, Winthrop committed a foul in the box, thus giving ASU the free kick. Balzano hit the ball past Winthrop keeper to give Appalachian the 1-0 lead, scoring her second goal of the season.
ASU was able to hold off the Eagles the rest of the match and take home a 1-0 victory. The Mountaineers had not defeated Winthrop since 2003. This was the fourth meeting between the two squads, with the all-time series swinging in Appalachian's favor, improving to 2-1-1.
Offensively, junior Caroline Lowe stayed busy as she notched four shots with three of them on target. Paige Morrow also was an offensive threat for ASU as she took two shots with one on target. For Winthrop, Erin Foote and Chelsea White each had three shots with two on goal.
Defensively, Caroline Clarke played all 90 minutes in goal for ASU, recording six saves. Clarke now has 30 saves on the season. With the win, she also earned her second shut out of the season. Dimitra Poulos played the entire match for Winthrop in goal, also notching six saves.
The Mountaineers continue with their 2008 campaign Tuesday September 23, as they head to Asheville, N.C. to take on UNC Asheville at 4 p.m.
Elon 2, Maryland-Baltimore County 0
ELON, N.C. -- Susannah Gianakos scored her second consecutive game-winner and the Elon Phoenix women's soccer squad upended the Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers 2-0 in front of 462 fans from Rhodes Stadium on Friday night. The win moved Elon to 4-2-0 overall, the best six-game start for the program since beginning the 1996 season with the same mark. Elon was a NCAA Division II member at the time. The Phoenix, winners of three straight matches, have posted shutouts in all four wins on the year. UMBC dropped to 1-8-0.
This is also the first time that an Elon team has posted three consecutive shutouts since a string of three straight in 2001.
Elon dominated the first half, taking nine total shots in the first 45 minutes to just one for UMBC. Of those nine, five were on goal and one found the back of the net. With just 51 seconds remaining before the break, Gianakos struck for her second goal of the season. Katina Boozer started the play, bringing the ball down the right side of the field. Boozer crossed the ball through the box and Molly Calpin touched it on to Gianakos who blasted the shot into the back side of the goal for the tally.
The Retrievers got off more attempts in the second half (4-3), but again it was the Phoenix who notched a score. In the 78th minute, Brittany Hallberg scored her first of the year after Amanda Jones took the ball off a UMBC defender and played the ball up the field.
In goal, Elon's Sydney Little went the distance and grabbed three saves. The Phoenix defense stopped another Retriever shot on goal.
UMBC's Mo Van Vlerah made seven saves in her 90 minutes of work.
Elon out-shot UMBC 12-5 overall and 9-4 on goal while also earning more corner kicks (3-1) and committing fewer fouls (5-9).
Up next for the Phoenix is a trip to the newest Southern Conference member in Samford. Elon will tackle the Bulldogs in an 8 p.m. contest from Birmingham, Ala. on Sept. 26. That road swing will also see the Phoenix visit Chattanooga on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m.
Georgia State 1, Georgia Southern 0 (OT)
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer team holds Georgia State scoreless but loses 1-0 in overtime off a breakaway shot by Apryl Goodwin five minutes into the overtime period.
The Eagles fall to 2-3-1 and the Georgia State Panthers advance to 7-1-0 on the season.
“I thought we played well today,” said Head Coach Ashley Hart. “We had a couple of people step up. We played hard and a lot better as a cohesive unit today. We were just unable to put it in the back of the net today.”
Ashley Toussaint picked up two shots on goal in the match.
“Ashley created lots of problems for them. I thought Danae Kaumuloa played well up top for us today,” said Coach Hart.
Lauren Santos played the full game in goal for the Lady Eagles and made five saves. Freshman, Candace Marshall took the Lady Eagles’ only other shot on goal.
Michelle Berard, Jenny Anderson and Molly Nepote all took a shot in the match.
Georgia Southern took one more corner kick than its opponent. The Lady Eagles took five corners on the day, while the Panthers took only four corner kicks. The Lady Eagles return to action Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against High Point.
Wake Forest 3, UNC Greensboro 0
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. ? Despite seven saves from freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Kearney, the UNC Greensboro women’s soccer team could not find the back of the net, falling to No. 15 Wake Forest, 3-0, this evening in Winston Salem.
UNCG (5-4-0), who is currently ranked eighth in the southeast in the NSCAA/adidas poll, was led by Jenn Partenheimer and Nicole Danford who finished with two shots a piece. The Spartans as a team totaled seven shots, the only two on goal coming from Mary Kate Towne and Kristin Player.
Katelynn Donovan rounded out all Spartan shooters with one look on the evening. Player has now placed 10 of her 15 shots on goal this season while Towne has placed nine of 16 on net.
“We started the game very well, we were on top of the game but probably should have used our chances better,” said head coach Eddie Radwanski.
“The first goal was a shot that deflected off of someone and found its way into the back of the net. It was bad luck and theres not much you can do about that.”
UNCG held an early 4-1 advantage on shots, but it was the Demon Deacons
(7-1-0) who struck first, finding the back of the net in the 28th minute of play on just their second shot of the evening. Amy Smerdinski gave Wake Forest a 1-0 lead when she ripped a shot from 22 yards out, deflecting the ball off a UNCG defender into the net.
The Spartans would not have an answer, heading into the half trailing 1-0. Wake Forest wasted no time in the second half, giving themselves a 2-0 cushion just two minutes into play. Jill Hutchinson sent her corner kick just outside the box, finding the feet of Kaley Fountain who took a shot from 19 yards out, finding the left side of the net.
“You don’t want to fall behind 2-0, let alone that early in the second half, so we changed some things up, and tried to get forward,” said Radwanski. “The kids did a good job the next 10-15 minutes but we couldn’t get anything going. You have to make the goalkeeper work and that wasn’t something that we were able to do. The first two goals were bad luck and we couldn’t find a way to respond. They managed the game well and it’s a credit to Wake Forest.”
Despite taking three shots over the course of the second half, the Spartans could not find the back of the net. Wake Forest would strike again in the 82nd minute of play as Bianca D’Agostino notched her third goal of the season off a Kaley Fountain assist.
Wake Forest held the advantage in nearly each area of the stat sheet, out-shooting the Spartans, 29-7 and holding a 6-3 advantage on corner kicks.
The Spartans will remain idle for the remainder of the weekend before wrapping up their five week road swing at Chattanooga on September 26. The game will serve as the opener of the conference slate for the Spartans.
UNCG has not lost a regular season conference game in their last 23 matches, a streak that dates back to September 24, 2006. Match time is set for 7:00 pm.
USC Upstate 2, The Citadel 1 (2OT)
Spartanburg, S.C. ? The Citadel soccer team fell short, 2-1 against USC-Upstate Friday night in Spartanburg, S.C.
The Bulldogs put up a good fight in the first half of the game. Jessa Scott opened the game with the first shot for both teams. The Spartans got one shot in before Caitlin Robinson put the first score on the board for USC-Upstate. The Citadel remained scoreless as they took four shots before Nikki Mares took her second shot for a goal 27 minutes into the game. Amy Loughran assisted Mares with that goal. The Bulldogs and the Spartans went into halftime tied up.
The second half was a hard run for both teams but neither team could get into the net. The Bulldogs out-shot the Spartans 6-1 but still was not enough to avoid overtime. Dianna Martin was a key player in this half due to her two shots and one on goal.
Overtime was not much different than the second half. Both defenses played their game and couldn’t put out a winning goal. This led to a second overtime. Loughran and Mares were the only Bulldogs who shot in the first overtime.
USC-Upstate began the second overtime with two shots and then The Citadel followed with two shots. But Crystal Hackett from USC-Upstate scored the winning goal to upset the Bulldogs with one minute left on the clock. The Citadel falls 2-4-1 on the season.
Mares records her fifth career and season goal at The Citadel and she totaled four shots with two on goal. Loughran earned her first career and season assist and also had four shots with two on goal. Martin finished the game with three shots and one on goal. Emily Green had six total saves for the game, her first saves of the season.
Head Coach Bob Winch had much to say about his Bulldogs. “We came out after a long week of soccer. Considering we had three games in five days, overall we did well. We came out a little sluggish at the beginning. I thought the girls responded great in the second half. The leadership was great. We had a chance to win the game. As long as we had an opportunity to win, that’s all that matters. Key players Jessa Scott and Leah Hawkins came out of the game due to injury. Jessica Stewart missed one in close range in the second overtime but we were drained. Both teams did a great job out here. I am proud of the Bulldogs for attaching well.”
The Bulldogs will host their first Southern Conference match Friday, Sept. 26 at 4 p.m. against Western Carolina then The Citadel will turn around and host Appalachian State on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.
Kennesaw State 3, College of Charleston 0
KENNESAW, Ga. --- Three second half goals paced Kennesaw State to a 3-0 win over the College of Charleston on Friday night in women's soccer action.
With the loss, the Cougars suffer their first defeat of the season and fall to 7-1-0 on the year. Kennesaw State improves to 5-2-0 with the win.
After a scoreless first half, Kennesaw St. got on the board in the 57th minute with a goal by Kristin Kranick off a cross from Rachel Baer. The Owls made the score 2-0 with a goal by Brittany Vining. Beth Meadors and Caroline Austin were credited with assists on the goal.
The Owls rounded out the scoring on the night when Lauren Ruggini scored an unassisted goal in the 81st minute to make the final tally 3-0.
For the Cougars, Megan Manthey led the team, recording five shots on the night.
The Cougars will return to action on Monday, September 19, when they take on cross-town rival Charleston Southern in the annual Sliver Cup match in North Charleston. The match is set to start at 4:00 p.m.
Tennessee 3, Western Carolina 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ? The Western Carolina women’s soccer team were unable to overcome a late first-half goal by Tennessee, proving to be the game winner as the Catamounts fell 3-0 against Tennessee Friday night.
Western Carolina drops to 2-5 after the loss, while Tennessee improves to 3-5 after the victory.
The Lady Vols scored late in the first half when Kylee Rossi found the net after beating Catamounts goalkeeper Caitlin Williams for her fourth goal of the season. Rossi took a pass from Chelsea Hatcher and scored inside 15 yards right under the crossbar to give Tennessee the early 1-0 lead.
The first half ended with the 1-0 Tennessee lead thanks a great defensive effort from Catamounts keeper Williams. Williams kept Western Carolina in the game with four saves at numerous times in the first half.
Western Carolina had an opportunity to even the contest when junior Shanna Schmoker had a shot on goal but goal keeper Jaimel Johnson came up with the save.
After two more saves by Catamounts keeper Williams, the Lady Volunteers struck again in the 64:00 minute mark when Alissa VonderHaar scored to give Tennessee the 2-0 advantage. VonderHaar took a cross from teammate Mick Imgram and beat Catamounts keeper Williams in the lower right corner of the net for her first goal of the season.
Western Carolina had some chances in the second half when freshman Kayla Beauduy had a shot on goal but Tennessee keeper Johnson made the save. Then in the 73:00 minute of play junior Bri Cunningham had two chances when her shot hit off the cross bar, followed two minutes later another shot by Cunningham where Tennessee keeper Johnson made the save.
A late score with a minute left in the game by Tennessee Devon Swaim made the final a 3-0 victory for the Lady Volunteers. Swaim took a cross from teammate Emily Dowd and scored from 12 yards out for her first goal of the season.
The Catamounts goal keeper Williams finished the contest with nine saves on the night.
Western Carolina will head back home to face 22nd ranked South Carolina on Sunday starting at 2 p.m.
VCU 5, Wofford 1
RICHMOND, Va. -- The Wofford women's soccer team closed its non-conference schedule with a 5-1 loss at VCU Friday evening in Richmond, Va.
The Terriers were held to six shots, compared to 22 for the host Rams. VCU (3-4) outshot Wofford 11-3 in each half.
Freshman Maggie McLaughlin netted her team-leading second goal of the season for the Terriers' only score. At 47:42, she gathered a loose ball and shot it past Ram goalkeeper Kali Van Covern from 15 yards out to break the shutout.
June Hartman got the scoring started for VCU at 5:25 on assists from Stephanie Power and Azania. Power added her second assist later in the stanza when she fed Francesca Gioeli, who passed to Megan Flanagan for another tally at 39:50.
Power added a score of her own at 53:33 when Flanagan returned the favor, pairing with Laurel Pastor on assists. The Ram offense was at it again just over minutes later, at 59:00, when Pastor and Power were credited with assists on Flanagan's second goal of the game.
Pastor added a mark in the scoring column for herself at 79:18 on an unassisted score.
McLaughlin paced Wofford (1-4-3) with three of the team's six shots, while Monica Ploetzke had two and Nikki Siebert added one.
Flanagan led all players with six attempts, doubling the effort of her next closest teammate, June Hartman.
The Terriers will return to action when they open Southern Conference play against Georgia Southern at 6 p.m. Friday at Snyder Field.
Auburn 3, Samford 0
AUBURN, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team finally concluded its season-opening, eight-game road trip Friday against the regionally-ranked Auburn Tigers. In the in-state matchup held at the Auburn Soccer Complex, Samford dropped a 3-0 decision on the road.
Samford (1-7) is in the midst of its toughest schedule in season history.
The Bulldogs fell to 0-6 on the road this year and will play its first home match Friday, Sept. 26, against Elon. Next week’s game will also mark a momentous day in Samford history due to the fact that it will be the school’s first-ever Southern Conference duel.
With Friday’s victory, Auburn (4-4-1) extended its winning streak to two-straight games, both of which were shutouts. The Tigers’ goalkeeper Alison Whitworth finished the match with five saves and tallied her third shutout of the 2008 season.
Auburn entered the contest as the 13th-ranked team in the talent-laden Southeast Region.
The Tigers’ three goals Friday were scored by Chelsea Yauch, Rebecca Howell and Monica Afanador.
Yauch notched the first goal of the game during the ninth minutes of play. The score was her third of the season and it was assisted by both Katy Frierson and Jenn Johnson. Howell recorded the Tigers’ second goal of the match and it was also assisted by Frierson. The score was Howell’s second of the 2008 season.
Late in the second half, Afanador tallied Auburn’s third goal of the match, her second of the season. The Tigers’ final goal of the game occurred during the 84th minute of play.
With its loss, Samford fell to 0-5 all-time against Auburn.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sept. 26 as the Bulldogs host the Elon Phoenix for the school’s first-ever Southern Conference game. The match will also be Samford’s first home contest of the 2008 season and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., at Bulldog Field.
Alabama 5, Chattanooga 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --- The Chattanooga women’s soccer team fell 5-0 to host Alabama at the Crimson Tide Classic Friday night in Tuscaloosa.
The Tide let loose a barrage of shots that Chattanooga’s defense could not hold. Freshman keeper Allie Preston had 15 saves, sixth-most all-time at UTC, but five shots made it past her for Alabama goals.
The scoring started early for Alabama who has struggled all season. Kailey Corken sent a cross from the right side for her first score of the game with assists from Kelsey King and Jessica Deegan at the 10:16 mark. With 22:31 gone in the game, Deegan picked up a loose ball close in and sent a header past Preston for the Tide’s second goal of the first half.
In the second half, Alabama piled on three more goals with one from Corken at 69:23 from 18 yards out and a penalty kick from Deegan at the 84:27. In the 73rd minute, Victoria Frederick tallied her third goal of the season.
The Lady Mocs took 14 shots, second most this season, and had six on goal. Katharina Rheinheimer led the Lady Mocs with four shots and one on goal. Chelsea Hurst took three shots and had two on goal as did fellow junior Marlee Jenkins. Jessica Dugger had three shots on the night and had one on goal.
The Tide outshot Chattanooga 37-14. Four yellow cards were distributed with the Tide collecting three. The Lady Mocs will remain in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the second game of the Crimson Tide Classic. UTC will face the Jacksonville Dolphins in a 1 p.m. Eastern Time matchup Sunday afternoon.