UNC Greensboro 1, #11 Duke 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? UNC Greensboro freshman Tabitha Padgett scored her first career goal in the 24th minute and keeper Kelsey Kearney and the UNCG defense made the lead stand as the Spartans downed No. 11 Duke on Friday night, 1-0 at the Carolina Nike Classic at Fetzer Field.
With the sides locked in an early defensive struggle, UNCG senior Heather Mitrisin sent a ball through the Blue Devil defense that caught Padgett in stride. The rookie forward easily beat Duke keeper Emily Nahas one-on-one to give the Spartans (1-1) the only goal they would need.
Duke (1-1) had several chances to find the equalizer in the first half, but the Spartan defense held tight. The Blue Devils’ Chelsea Canepa had perhaps the best looks, getting off a pair of close-range shots off a corner kick in the 30th minute. But a UNCG defender knocked down the first one and Kearney came up with a save on the second to keep Duke off the board.
With the Spartans holding the one-goal advantage at the half, Duke turned up the offensive pressure after the break. Canepa had another brilliant scoring chance just minutes into the second stanza, but Kearney made a nice save on a point-blank shot in the 48th minute, pushing it just wide.
The Blue Devils continued to control the run of play for most of the second half. UNCG dodged another bullet in the 71st minute, when Cody Newman’s shot from 25 yards out sailed just inches over the crossbar.
Duke continued to pepper Kearney late in the game, with Nicole Lipp booming a shot off a corner kick that the sophomore keeper was able to punch away. Lipp had another close call with just under two minutes left, as her rocket shot from 25 yards out was just high and wide.
The teams weathered a one-hour, nine-minute lightning delay. With 13:47 left in the contest, play was halted and the field and stadium cleared. Play finally resumed at 7:44 p.m. with the Spartans needing to hold off the Devils for just 14 more minutes to pick up their second win over a ranked opponent in two seasons. UNCG knocked off No. 15 Santa Clara by a 1-0 score last season.
Kearney finished with nine saves in recording her 12th career shutout and first this season.
Duke held a 22-5 advantage in shots and took nine corner kicks to just one for UNCG.
In knocking off the nation’s 11th-ranked team, UNCG beat its highest-ranked opponent since taking down then-No. 9 Duke 2-0 during the 2000 season.
“I’m proud of the team, we played very well,” UNCG coach Eddie Radwanski said. “We felt like we gave one away a little bit Sunday (a 2-1 loss to Wake Forest). We talked about winning the psychological battle, and I think we did that by closing out the first half and then coming back and closing out the second half after the delay.”
The Spartans will have just two days to savor the big win, as UNCG will take on defending national champion and top-ranked North Carolina in the final game of the Carolina Nike Classic at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Samford 3, Alabama 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday as the Bulldogs streaked to a 3-0 triumph in front of 786 fans at Bulldog Field. With the win, Samford evened its all-time record against Alabama at 1-1. The match was also the first time that the Bulldogs played host to the Crimson Tide.
"Once again, it was a fantastic atmosphere out here," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I thought our players came out strong from the beginning and were ready to go. We did a much better job tonight of connecting passes and that really helped us offensively. It was also nice to get on the board early and take a little pressure off ourselves."
In the victory, Samford (1-0-1) received goals from Sarah Wilkinson, Melissa Miller and Amber Cress. Hilary Samuels, Leah Leppert and Cress also provided assists in the Bulldogs' first all-time win against Alabama (0-2-0).
Samford's Alyssa Whitehead picked up her second shutout of the season Friday. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-3 sophomore from Hattiesburg, Miss., has not allowed a goal in the team's 200 minutes of game action this season.
"So far this season, we've played against the two schools that most people identify with in this state and we've finished with a draw and a win," said Yelton. "We are a school located in the Southeast and therefore we are often compared with schools from the SEC. When we win a game against those teams, it not only makes our players extremely proud, but also our entire University."
Samford quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead Friday with first-half goals from Wilkinson and Miller.
Wilkinson opened the scoring during the 12th minute of play as she gathered a rebounded shot from Samuels and slammed home the Bulldogs' first goal of the season into the right corner of the net. On the scoring play, Cress moved the ball down the left side of the field and crossed it over to the far side for Samuels.
Samuels gathered the pass, slid by an Alabama defender and rifled a shot attempt towards goal. The Crimson Tide's Justine Bernier made one of her two saves of the match on the ball, but it bounded out of her arms and directly to Wilkinson for the goal.
The Bulldogs' second goal of the match was scored by Miller during the 40th minute of the opening period. Miller, Samford's junior midfielder from Bradenton, Fla., tallied the score with a laser from 25 yards out into the upper left corner of the net. The goal was the second of Miller's career.
Early in the second half, Samford extended its lead to 3-0 with a dynamic goal from Amber Cress. Cress, the Bulldogs' speedy Preseason All-Southern Conference performer, tallied the score during the 53rd minute of play as she outran the Alabama defenders and beat Bernier one-v-one to the right corner of the net.
Cress's score was set up beautifully by a deep pass from Leppert. The assist was Leppert's first of the 2009 campaign.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs continue their current four-match homestand with a nonconference contest against the Francis Marion Patriots. The matchup will be held at Samford's Bulldog Field.
Furman 6, Presbyterian 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Sophomore Alexa Jones matched the Furman and Southern Conference single-game records with four goals to spark the Paladins to a 6-2 triumph over Presbyterian in non-conference women’s soccer action Friday evening at Stone Soccer Stadium.
The Lawrenceville, Ga., product came off of the bench to tally a pair of goals in each half, including the eventual game-winner on a header in the 41st minute, to tie former Paladins Danielle Petro (vs. Wofford 10/4/01) and Melissa Sutton (vs. UTC 9/14/96) for single-game scoring honors at Furman. She also equalled the single-game mark established by four other SoCon players.
The Paladins, who held an 18-5 advantage on shot attempts for the night, raced out to a 3-0 halftime lead. Sophomore Martha Hall opened the scoring at 17:36 as she deposited a shot from inside the six-yard box after Lucy Martin’s effort from the right side clattered off of the right nearside post.
In the 33rd minute, left back Graham Marchman played a long ball down the left side to Claire Richards and Jones chipped a shot past Blue Hose keeper Abby Young on Richard’s cross to up the lead to 2-0. The pair teamed up again at 40:27. Richards lofted a corner towards the edge of the six-yard box and Jones bounced a header past Young and into the back of the net to increase the margin to three goals.
Furman continued its assault on goal early in the second half. After drawing a foul just outside the box on the left side, sophomore Katya Gokhman rocketed a free kick over the wall and into the right side netting at 53:11 to give the Paladins a 4-0 lead.
Kate Baker put PC on the board in the 56th minute as her 23-yard shot cleared the outstretched hands of Furman keeper Jessica Smith, but Jones scored off of a rebound less than five minutes later to push the lead back to four goals. The striker capped Furman’s scoring at 63:27 when she collected a loose ball near the top of the box and lined a shot into the left side of goal for her fourth tally of the night.
Presbyterian’s Emily Davis grabbed a late consolation goal with 19 seconds remaining for the final 6-2 margin.
Young took the loss in goal for the Blue Hose (0-1) while Smith captured the victory for Furman. Smith, who had recorded five consecutive shutouts entering the match, had her school record streak of consecutive minutes without allowing a goal snapped at 557:43.
Furman, 2-0 on the season, begins a seven-match string away from home when it travels to face Jacksonville University on September 4, at 7 p.m.
Chattanooga 3, Tennessee Tech 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. --- Freshmen Becca Smith and Taylor Davidson posted stellar performances in their collegiate debuts as the Lady Mocs (1-0) posted a 3-0 shutout over Tennessee Tech (0-2) at the Tech Soccer Field in Chattanooga's season opener Friday afternoon.
Forward Becca Smith netted a hat trick while keeper Taylor Davidson posted a two-save shutout. The Lady Mocs got off to an explosive start as Smith netted the game-winner in the second minute off an assist from the team's leading scorer last season, sophomore D.K. Henry. Neither team would find the net the remainder of the half, but Chattanooga would outshoot the Golden Eagles 10-4 in the first half.
"We had not yet been tested, so we had no idea how we were going to play," Lady Mocs Head Coach J.D. Kzyer said. "But I was very proud of them. After we scored the first goal, we kept our composure for the next 30 minutes. There is a possibility that you can get too relaxed after a score, especially one that early."
It would be nearly 20 minutes into the second half before Smith would score again, but she would get back-to-back goals in a span of 1:35. At the 64:11 mark, Smith took a free kick from five yards outside the box to put UTC up 2-0. She would nab the hattrick in the 66th minute as she took a pass from freshman Anna Cusick and beat out TTU keeper Kaitlyn Thacker to tap it in for the 3-0 lead.
The Lady Mocs outshot the Golden Eagles 23-7 and had seven corner kicks to Tech's six. Davidson grabbed just two saves as the Lady Mocs defense held off the Eagles. Thacker had nine saves on the day.
UTC's Smith and Henry each shot eight times and combined for eight shots on goal. Kelly Downs had two shots with both on goal while five other Lady Mocs each had one shot. Seven Tech players each took one shot with freshmen Leigh Heffner and Jacquie Watkins each having one on goal.
The Lady Mocs will host Lipscomb to open the home portion of its schedule Friday, Sept. 4 at the North River Soccer Complex. The match will kick off at 7 p.m.
Western Carolina 2, East Tennessee State 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Nikki Lombardo tapped in the game winning goal with less than two minutes remaining, lifting the Western Carolina women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over East Tennessee State Friday, in front of an announced crowd of 328.
Lombardo scored her third career game winner with a one-timer that was brushed to her by Shannon Fowkes. Fowkes was able to corral the ball after Kayla Beauduy's shot ricocheted away from the ETSU goalkeeper.
The Catamounts improved to 2-0-0 for the first time since going 3-0-0 in WCU coach Tammy DeCesare's inaugural season in 2005.
"We really showed improvement in the first few minutes of the second half," said DeCesare. "We controlled the ball more and held the tempo."
The Catamounts struck the back of the net first within 19 seconds of play in the second half. Lombardo connected to senior forward Rachael Shomper, who cleared a 23-yard shot in the far post to give WCU a 1-0 advantage. The goal was Shomper's eighth of her career. ETSU quickly answered when senior Jordan Monty split two WCU defenders just 20 seconds later, tying the match at 1-1.
"Once we scored our goal, our team lost focus," noted DeCesare. "You can't do that against a good team because they will pop one in."
Western Carolina held the advantage in shots as the Catamounts collected 20 shots compared to the Buccanners' three. Lombardo led the WCU squad with five, followed by Shanna Schmoker with four and Jenny Matteson with three.
Catamount goalkeeper Caitlin Williams (2-0-0) earned her second win of the year after deflecting one save. ETSU's Megan Masch recorded a career-high five saves.
Western Carolina's victory over ETSU was the first since a 1-0 shutout over the Buccaneers in 2002. The Catamounts now lead the series 5-2-1.
The Catamounts will face regionally-ranked South Carolina on Sunday. The Gamecocks shut out the College of Charleston, 2-0, on Thursday evening.
Sunday's match with the Gamecocks kicks off at 2:00 p.m. in Columbia, S.C. Live audio and video will be provided for a fee via GamecocksOnline.com.
American 2, Georgia Southern 0
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Georgia Southern women's soccer team (0-2) sported youth in the starting eleven and an even younger rotation in a close loss to American (2-0) Friday. Lauren Santos recorded eight saves for the Eagles but they fell 2-0 to American in the opener of the D.C. Invitational.
Krystin Smith, who scored a goal in the first game of the season, tallied two shots to lead the Eagles' attack. Michelle Carlson added a shot and Sara Oland recorded a shot on goal.
Freshmen Morgan Springer and Courtney Collins made their first starts for the Eagles.
American tallied a goal in each half to earn their second victory of the season. Carleigh Morba knocked in a crossing pass from Brooke Sheppard in the 13th minute of play. Kelsey Brasher gave American a 2-0 lead with a high arcing shot over the head of Santos in the 68th minute.
The Eagles wrap up the D.C. Invitational Sunday against Georgetown at 12 p.m.
Charlotte 1, Appalachian State 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's soccer was unable to get on the board in the regular-season opener, falling at Charlotte 1-0 Friday night at Transamerica Field.
The 49ers got on the board with the matches only goal in the 30th minute when Whitney Weinraub scored off an assist from Hailey Beam.
The goal was the only one ASU junior keeper Caroline Clarke would let in, as she made nine saves to keep Appalachian in the game as the Mountaineers did not register a shot.
The 49ers outshot ASU 22-0 and held a 9-2 edge in corner kicks.
Appalachian returns to action on Sunday, as they host UNC Asheville in the home opener beginning at 2 p.m.
NC State 4, Davidson 1
RALEIGH, N.C. - Tanya Cain of N.C. State scored a career-high three goals to lead the Wolfpack to a 4-1 decision over the Davidson Wildcats in women’s soccer action on Friday evening at a rainy Dail Soccer Field.
The Wildcats dropped their first contest of the 2009 season, falling to 1-1, while the Wolfpack made it three straight wins to open the season at 3-0.
Cain?s hat trick was the first since former Wolfpack Lindsay Vera accomplished the feat in a 5-1 win against Davidson back in 2007.
The Wolfpack sophomore gave her squad all the scoring they would need with back-to-back strikes in the 12th and 15th minutes of the first half. After Davidson opened the game with three shots on goal in the first eight minutes, nearly getting a score when Callan Elswick hit
a shot off the post, N.C. State started working the ball down the field to set up Cain?s two scores.
Cain?s first goal was nearly halted by Loring Ward as she made a diving attempt, but the shot grazed off her finger tips and rolled past the goal line at the 12:57 mark. Paige Dugal helped set up the first goal, recording the lone assist on the night.
Then at the 15:34 mark, Cain added her second goal of the half by gathering in a deflection and squaring the ball between the pipes from about 10 yards out.
N.C. State added one more score in the half and held a 3-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Down by three, Davidson broke through thanks to the foot of junior Amanda Flink in the 61st minute to bring the OCats within two at 3-1. The junior defender, who registered her seventh career goal last week at Winthrop, drilled home a deflection off a free kick for her second score
of the season.
Cain would then cap off her career night, and erase any Wildcat comeback, with her third goal of the game, fourth on the season, with a strike from 15 yards out in the 63rd minute to seal the 4-1 win for the Pack. She was very efficient with her shots, scoring three times on five attempts.
N.C. State held a 10-6 advantage in shots and recorded the only two corner kicks of the evening.
Ward finished with two saves in goal for Davidson, while Kim Kern of the Wolfpack was credited with three stops.
The Wildcats wrap up their three-game road trip to open the season with a stop at UNC Wilmington on Sunday, Aug. 30 for a 5 p.m. game.