Appalachian State 1, UNC Asheville 0
BOONE, N.C. - Sydney Hill scored her first collegiate goal and that was all Appalachian State University women’s soccer would need as the Mountaineers hung on for a 1-0 victory over UNC Asheville (0-1) Sunday afternoon in the home opener at Appalachian Soccer Stadium.
Hill got Appalachian (1-1) on the board in the 14th minute when she took a pass from Meggie Graham from the left side and beat the Bulldogs’ goalie to the far right post. The assist went to Graham, as the freshmen earned her first collegiate.
From there the ASU defense held strong behind another strong performance from goalkeeper Caroline Clarke, along with defenders Leigh Morrow, Lindsay Jaffe, Amber Hill and Katy Dodd. Clarke made two saves in her 10th career shutout.
Taylor Dunlap and Sydney Hill led Appalachian offensively as the pair had three shots apiece as the Mountaineers outshot the Bulldogs 7-6. McKenzie Stockhausen had three shots for UNC Asheville.
The Mountaineers return to action Wednesday night as they host Coastal Carolina at 6:00 p.m. at Appalachian Soccer Stadium.
The Citadel 14, Alabama State 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Citadel soccer team set school records as they defeated Alabama State, 14-0, in front of a hundred-person crowd on Sunday afternoon at WLI Field on The Citadel’s campus. This is the first time in history that the Bulldogs have won their home season-opener.
The Citadel’s Nicole Martinoli led the Bulldogs on the field earning her first four career goals and adding two assists and six shots. Martinoli opened the first half scoring within the first three minutes with Dianna Martin tallying the assist. About 30 seconds later, senior Nikki Mares, assisted by Amy Loughran, drove in the ball for a goal. The Bulldogs became an unstoppable force as they recorded five more goals before Martinoli and Leah Hawkins assisted the eighth goal from a corner kick to Angela Foyt to close the first period, 8-0. Monique Sylvester took the Hornets’ lone shot in the first half.
The Citadel returned to the field continuing to dominate Alabama State. Mares scored back-to-back goals while Dominic Snyder and Miranda Johnson picked up their first career goals. This left Martinoli and Loughran to clinch the school record in goals per game and shots per game. The Bulldogs outshot the Hornets 42-2. Alabama State’s goalkeeper Veronique Lamontagne ended the game with 12 saves while the Bulldog’s Laura Serafino and Whitney Nave recorded one save each.
Mares finished the day with three goals and her first career assist and Loughran totaled two goals and two assists. Senior Kristine Devine earned her first career goal and another assist to her records while Martin tallied one goal and two assists. Foyt started her career records with one goal and one assist and Johnson also had her first two career assists. Couch totaled three assists and Hawkins earned her first two career assists.
“I thought the team moved the ball very well,” said head coach Bob Winch. “Our communication throughout the game was also very good.” Martin also had something to say about her team’s success today. “The team communicated well and we kept our composure throughout the entire game. We look forward to applying those skills to our next game against South Carolina State.”
The Citadel travels to Orangeburg, S.C. to face South Carolina State on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 7:00 p.m.
Samford 3, Francis Marion 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team remained undefeated Sunday as the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-0 victory at home against the Francis Marion Patriots. Samford's Natalie Fleming, Amber Cress and Sarah Wilkinson all scored goals in the win, while Alyssa Whitehead extended her shutout streak to 279 minutes.
Samford (2-0-1) has not allowed a goal this season and recorded its second straight 3-0 victory Sunday. The Bulldogs also registered an identical 3-0 win against Alabama on Friday. In its season-opener last week, Samford fought to a 0-0 draw versus 25th-ranked Auburn.
With the loss, Francis Marion (0-4) remained winless on the season and concluded its two-match road swing with a pair of defeats. On Friday, the Patriots were outlasted by Kennesaw State 2-1.
Francis Marion was outshot by Samford, 14-5, but was paced offensively by midfielders Angel Salem and Jennifer Dyer. Both of the aforementioned Patriots finished with two shots attempts Sunday.
Samford quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead during the sixth minute of play as Fleming scored her first goal of the season. Cress, the Bulldogs' senior forward from Zionsville, Ind., earned the assist on the game-winning score. It was her second helper of the 2009 season.
After scoring at the 5:48 mark in the first half, Samford didn't score again until the 64th minute of play.
The Bulldogs' Cress and Wilkinson tallied their goals less than three minutes apart in the second half. Cress scored her second goal of the season at 63:54, while Wilkinson gave Samford its decisive 3-0 lead at 66:37. Wilkinson's score was also her second of the 2009 season.
Sophomore Mary Shelton Bryant tallied the assist on Cress's goal, while junior Kelly Shaffer earned the assist on Wilkinson's goal.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs play host to the Texas State Bobcats in a nonconference matchup at Bulldog Field.
Elon 0, Winthrop 0
ELON, N.C. -- Despite a dominate attacking performance, the Elon women's soccer team was forced to settle for a 0-0 tie against Winthrop University in the 2009 season opener at Rudd Field on Sunday evening. The Phoenix (0-0-1) rocketed 21 shots, compared to only seven by Winthrop (0-1-1) and took 13 corner kicks compared to three by the Eagles, but was unable to score the winning goal.
"Obviously, we are upset to allow a team to get a result on our home field this early in season," said Elon head coach Chris Neal. "Our areas of improvement will be very obvious after we view the film. We need to keep improving and learning how to finish. We had 21 shots to their seven and 13 corners to their three but couldn't find the back of the net. Credit their defense with a strong performance."
Elon saw some of its best chances on goal at the opening of the first overtime, sending a flurry of shots at Eagle keeper Kelsy Weavil and her back line. An early corner kick by freshman Ceci Jensen opened up opportunity for the Phoenix attack. Senior Molly Calpin, junior Megan Deutschle and sophomore Andrea Keller each had an opportunity, but blocks by the Winthrop defense and a save by Weavil kept them from scoring the golden goal. Elon talled six shots in the first overtime and held Winthrop without an opportunity on goal.
The teams showed signed of fatigue in the final 10 minute overtime period, both squads struggling to get their first win of the year. The Phoenix had one final chance in the waning seconds of the second overtime when Calpin’s header sailed over the goal.
The Phoenix played the majority of the game in their attacking third of the field. Elon set the tone early, outshooting Winthrop 8-2 and holding a 5-0 advantage on corners in the first half. Elon keeper Sydney Little picked up four saves in the contest while Weavil stopped a career-high nine Phoenix shots.
Calpin had a team-best five shots and five other Phoenix players tallied two attempts apiece. Elon rookies saw plenty of action in the season opener with five freshmen earning a starting nod.
Elon will get its next chance at a victory when it travels to the High Point Invitational this weekend. The Phoenix will battle Temple for the first time in school history on Friday, September 4 at 5 p.m.
#1 North Carolina 1, UNC Greensboro 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Sophomore keeper Kelsey Kearney turned in another fantastic effort in the net, but No. 1 North Carolina scored in the 57th minute and made it stand up as the Tar Heels edged UNC Greensboro 1-0 on Sunday in the final game of the Carolina Nike Classic at Fetzer Field.
After a hard-fought first half that saw the Spartans’ defense keep the nation’s top-ranked team off the board, North Carolina (3-0) finally broke through when Nikki Washington found the back of the net with 33:30 left in the contest. Meghan Klingenberg got the play started with a cross in from the right wing, and Ali Hawkins tapped the ball to Washington, who pounded home the finish.
That was all Kearney would allow on the day, as the second-year keeper made eight saves ? most of them of the outstanding variety ? to keep the Tar Heels at bay.
With the teams locked in a scoreless draw and the first half coming to a close, the Spartans (1-2) drew a corner kick with just under a minute to play. Jen Bronson’s kick bounced around perilously close to the North Carolina goal, with Lauren Lopez and Jessi Gulledge getting bodies on the ball, before it was cleared by the UNC defense. The clear resulted in another UNCG corner kick with just seconds left in the half, but the Tar Heels were again able to clear a Jenn Partenheimer look to keep the game knotted at 0 at the break.
The Tar Heels threatened early and often in the first half, with All-Americans Tobin Heath and Casey Nogueira ripping shots just wide in the opening 15 minutes. UNC had four corner kicks in the early going, with the last two nearly finding the back of the net if not for the efforts of Kearney.
Kearney was up to the challenge both times, making a trio of outstanding saves to keep the game scoreless. On a corner in the 13th minute, Nogueira sent a ball into the box that bounced around a bit before Whitney Engen got off a close-range shot that Kearney was able to boot away amid the scrum.
In the 15th minute, Nogueira played another nice corner into the box, with Engen nodding a shot on frame. Kearney made the save but Hawkins came up with the rebound and lofted a shot that a backpedalling Kearney was able to corral in traffic.
The Spartans’ first scoring chance came in the 12th minute, when Kristin Player and a UNC defender headed the ball in the direction of the UNC goal as they jockeyed for position. North Carolina keeper Ashlyn Harris came out and snatched the ball from the air as Player collided with her without getting a shot off.
North Carolina once again nearly got on the board in the 28th minute, when Emmalie Pfankuch got a head on the ball behind the Spartan defense. Her shot found the side netting to keep the game scoreless.
The Tar Heels had several close calls in the second half. Alyssa Rich came within inches of making it a 2-0 affair in the 65th minute, as she got a breakaway chance but sent her shot just wide of the left post.
Pfankuch had another excellent chance in the 68th minute, as Engen played a perfect ball over the top of the Spartan defense to find her in stride. Kearney made yet another stellar save, sliding out of the goal and kicking the ball out of bounds.
Just seconds later off the ensuing corner kick, Rich redirected a UNC shot with a backheel inside the 6-yard box, but Kearney again came up with the huge stop as the score remained 1-0.
Jones seemed to have found the back of the net in the 84th minute, but the Tar Heels were called for an offside violation, negating the goal.
UNCG has surrendered just three goals in its first three games, all of which came against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The Spartans knocked off No. 11 Duke 1-0 in the opening game of the Carolina Nike Classic on Friday night and fell to Wake Forest 2-1 in the season-opener on Aug. 23.
UNCG returns to action on Friday, Sept. 4, when it hosts Stanford (No. 4 NSCAA, No. 2 Soccer America) in the first round of the UNCG Spartan Classic at 7:30 p.m. Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth open the tournament at 5 p.m. that day.
South Carolina 2, Western Carolina 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Two early first half goals by South Carolina were too much for the Western Carolina women's soccer team, as the Catamounts fell 2-0 to the regionally-ranked Gamecocks on Sunday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.
Sunday's loss was the Catamounts' (2-1-0) first of the season, as South Carolina (2-0-0) evened the series between the two programs at 1-1. Coming into Sunday's match, the Gamecocks were ranked fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCCA) South Regional Poll.
South Carolina jumped in the lead at the 22-minute mark in the first half as sophomore Kayla Grimsley broke away in the midfield, striking the ball past Catamount goalkeeper Caitlin Williams to give USC the 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later, senior Kim Miller tallied the second Gamecock goal as she scored from a deflected Sam Diaz-Matosas shot.
WCU stonewalled the Catamounts in the second half, keeping South Carolina away from striking the back of the net.
Williams recorded a season-high five saves in the contest. The Liberty, S.C. native now has 160 career saves, which is third on all-time WCU saves list.
South Carolina held the offensive advantage with 11 shots, while Western Carolina unable to obtain an opportunity.
The Catamounts will continue their four-game road trip with a two-game set in the University of Miami (Fla.) Invitational on Friday. WCU will face host Miami at 7:30 p.m. in Miami, Fla., before wrapping up tournament play with Dayton at 1:00 p.m. next Sunday afternoon.
VCU 3, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford women’s soccer team fell to VCU 3-0 in their first home game of the 2009 season on Saturday afternoon at Snyder Field. The Rams scored one goal in the first half and added two more goals in the second half.
Wofford is 0-2 on the season, while the Rams move to 1-1. Wofford was outshot in the contest 11-2. The Rams were led by June Hartman with two goals and an assist and Riley Jasmine with a goal and an assist.
The Rams had the first strong chance at goal at the ten minute mark when Jasmine Riley had a break-away down the center of the field, but the shot was saved by a Terrier defender. VCU took a 1-0 lead into halftime after forward Jasmine Riley scored inside the box to the left corner of the net with an assist from midfielder June Hartman at 26:34.
The Ram’s second goal of the game was netted inside the box from 10 yards out by Hartman with an assist from Heather Hovanesian at 48:43. At the 60:20 mark, Riley sent the ball across to Hartman who scored on the right side of the net. The Terriers had their best chance on net with five minutes remaining in the game on a shot from 30-yards out by Daniella Fatti that was just high of the cross bar.
For the Terriers, goalie Erika Christensen played 90:00 and allowed three goals with four saves. Wofford also had one team save. VCU goalie Chenae Nelson did not make a save in the shutout. VCU had a 2-1 advantage on corner kicks. While three Wofford players were given yellow cards; VCU had 13 fouls to Wofford’s 8.
Wofford will return to the pitch on Thursday, September 3, when the Terriers host UNC Asheville at 6:00 pm. It will mark the second home game for Wofford.
Georgetown 3, Georgia Southern 0
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Georgia Southern Women's Soccer team (0-3) wrapped up the D.C. Invitational Sunday. The Eagles sported youth in the starting eleven and an even younger rotation in a 3-0 loss to Georgetown (3-0).
Krystin Smith played the full 90 minutes and recorded a shot on goal. Smith, a sophomore transfer, has been impressive in the early going, recording two shots on goal and a goal scored in three starts. Also playing the full 90 were Morgan Springer, Michelle Carlson, Caroline Scales and Kate Boardman.
Christy Naife and Candace Marshall both recorded shots on goal off of the bench.
Lauren Santos recorded seven saves and has upped her total for the season to 23. Missy Meyer made her first career appearance in goal for the Eagles at the 72 minute mark. Meyer did not allow a goal in 18 minutes of action.
Georgetown recorded two goals in the first half. Michaela Buonomo recorded the first goal in the 11th minute off of a cross from Ingrid Wells. Buonomo headed the pass into the right side of the net. Catherine Cabot added the second goal in the 44th minute.
Camille Trujillo gave the Hoyas a 3-0 lead in the 56th minute. Trujillo headed in a cross pass from Wells for the goal. Wells finished the day with four shots on goal and two assists.
The Eagles take on North Florida and Jacksonville in the JU / Coaches for a Cure Classic next time out. The first game will be against North Florida Friday at 5 p.m. Women's soccer home opener is set for September 18th at 4 p.m.
UNC Wilmington 4, Davidson 0
WILMINGTON, N.C. ? Looking to close out their three-game road trip to open the 2009 season on a winning note, the UNC Wilmington Seahawks spoiled that for the Davidson women’s soccer team, taking a 4-0 decision on Sunday afternoon at the UNCW Soccer Stadium.
On its longest road trip to open the year since the 2006 season when it opened with six road contests, Davidson dropped to 1-2 on the season. UNCW evened its overall mark at 1-1 after picking up the home-opener win. The Seahawks also pushed their winning streak in the all-time series against the Wildcats to three straight.
The Seahawks’ Meagan Simeone gave her team all the scoring it needed by netting two second half goals, while goalkeeper Chandler Follett held the Wildcats scoreless for all 90 minutes.
Davidson hung with UNC Wilmington until the 32nd minute when Laura Wilson knocked in a loose ball off a free kick for a 1-0 Seahawk lead.
The score would remain that until Simeone scored in the 59th and 75th minutes for a 3-0 advantage. Stephanie Rose then finished off the scoring for UNCW with a goal at the 89:09 mark for the final margin of 4-0.
The Wildcats were held to four shots, putting three of them on goal. Seniors Blakey Low and Lauren Conner along with freshman Rachel Barnett were credited with a shot on goal.
Goalkeeper Jessie Baxa registered a game-high five saves, while senior Loring Ward picked up two saves in relief of Baxa. The Seahawks’ Follett stopped all three of Davidson’s shots on goal.
Davidson returns home to open its 2009 home schedule at Alumni Stadium with contests against Villanova, Sept. 4, and Francis Marion, Sept. 6. The ?Cats have never faced Villanova and will square off against the Wildcats next Friday night at 7 p.m.