College of Charleston 2, Georgia Southern 0

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's soccer team got past Georgia Southern in Southern Conference action at Patriots Point on Sunday afternoon. The Cougars monopolized possession and forced the Eagles to play defensive soccer to come away with the 2-0 win.

The win improves the Cougars to 7-9 (4-4 SoCon). Georgia Southern is 5-10 (2-6 SoCon) with the setback.

"We knew Georgia Southern would come here tough and throw off our rhythm, which is exactly what they did," said head coach Christian Michner. "We did a better job of controlling our pace as the game went on and came away with two great goals. Give credit to our girls for sticking to it and not getting frustrated."

CofC posted a 13-4 shot advantage and put six on frame compared to the Eagles' one.

The Cougars threatened early and often and finally broke through in the 36th minute when Swat Dash (Scottsdale, Ariz.) beautifully threaded a ball through the defense to a streaking Sarah Schaidle (Simpsonville, S.C.). Dash sent Schaidle in one-on-one with the keeper and she capitalized to the far post from 11 yards. The goal was Schaidle's team-high seventh of the year.

The Cougars solidified their lead in the 58th minute when Hannah Gmerek (Anderson, S.C.) sent a ball from the left touchline into Hope Atkinson (Rumson, N.J.) who scored her fifth of the season to put CofC up 2-0.

The Cougars stay at home to play Furman on Friday, Oct. 22 at Patriots Point. The SoCon bout is slated to start at 7 p.m.

GSU will look to stay alive in the chase for a top eight finish and a SoCon tournament berth when it hosts Chattanooga, Friday at 7 p.m.

 

Appalachian State 3, Chattanooga 1

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's soccer team, playing without two of its strongest players, fell 3-1 to Appalachian State Sunday afternoon in Southern Conference action.

The loss drops Chattanooga to 3-11-2 overall and 1-4-2 in SoCon play while the Mountaineers improve to 5-6-4 overall and earn their second league win with a SoCon record of 2-3-3.

Appalachian State put three goals on the board in the first half and led 3-0 at intermission. Hannah Coad scored her third goal of the year on a cross from Sydney Hill for a shot into the backside corner for the first goal of the game in the 16th minute.

ASU's Kara Buono scored the game winner at the 23:05 mark flicking it in from the left side. Before the half, the Mountaineers put up their third goal of the game on a shot from Sonia Sanchez who beat UTC keeper Taylor Mangrum (Franklin, Tenn.) to the left on a long pass from Michelle Jewell.

Chattanooga responded in the second half with a goal from sophomore Kelsey Swann (Hixson, Tenn.) who put back a rebound off a Mountaineer defender. However, that would be all the scoring the Lady Mocs could muster.

UTC was without scorer Donna-Kay Henry (Queens Village, N.Y.) after a collision with the keeper in Friday night's game sidelined her. Also missing from the lineup was senior midfielder Kelly Downs (Hixson, Tenn.) who missed all of the Lady Mocs' game against Western Carolina as well.

Appalachian State outshot UTC 17-9 with five from Buono. Swann led Chattanooga with three shots. Mangrum grabbed eight saves on the day.

The Lady Mocs will hit the road for the final road trip of the season beginning at Georgia Southern Friday, Oct. 22 in a 4 p.m. matchup. The final road game of the year will be at Davison on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. The Lady Mocs will return home for it season finale on Wednesday, Oct. 27 and will honor its seniors Serena Allen and Kelly Downs.

ASU will play its third consecutive road match, Thursday night at Elon, starting at 7 p.m.

 

The Citadel 3, Davidson 1

Charleston, S.C. - For the third time this season The Citadel recorded a hat trick performance, as freshman Nicole Levermann guided the Bulldogs past Davidson, 3-1. The Citadel's win is the first ever over the Wildcats, making this the fourth time this season a program first has been accomplished.

The Citadel now owns an overall record of 10-5-1 and 6-2-0 in the Southern Conference. Davidson drops to 5-8-3 overall and 1-4-3 in the league.

The first half started off slow with both teams only taking three shots, although, The Citadel was able to capitalize on two of their three shots to take an early lead. From the right side of the box, junior Miranda Johnson centered a pass to Levermann who was waiting on the left side. At the 24:43 mark, Levermann kicked the ball pass her defender and into the right side of the net giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

Maintaining control of the ball, freshman Vanessa Aponte attempted to extend the lead at the 30:23 mark, but the shot was too high. In the 42nd minute, Aponte sent a pass up the middle where Levermann and classmate Mariana Garcia teamed up against the Wildcats' goalkeeper. Levermann took the kick aiming it at the right side of the net, the ball passed the goalkeeper and rolled into the bottom right corner extending the Cadets lead to 2-0 going into the half.

Davidson turned up the intensity in the second period outshooting the Bulldogs 13-7. The Wildcats took the first shot of the half at the 48:32 mark, but the Bulldogs blocked the kick. In six minutes of action, Davidson took five shots and three corner kicks. It was at the 64:38 mark that Allison Drutchas took a corner kick for the Wildcats sending the ball into the box. Amanda Flink headed the free ball into the net cutting the Bulldogs lead to 2-1.

Davidson continued their offensive attack taking five straight shots, but none connected with the net giving junior Whitney Nave two saves and The Citadel defense a block. In the 86th minute The Citadel took control when senior Nicole Martinoli stole the ball just above midfield. At that spot she kicked the ball into an open space where Levermann was able to out maneuvered her defender and grab the ball. Levermann drove the ball all the way to the top of the box and with a hard kick sank the ball into the net for her third score of the match and the Bulldog victory.

"We had a great team effort both attacking and defending the whole match, which allowed us to pull off our 10th win of the season," said junior defender Hannah Warne.

The Bulldogs defensive efforts held Davidson to just one goal scored despite them taking 16 shots to The Citadel's 10. Nave finished the match with eight saves in 90 minutes of action. Goalkeeper Jessie Baxa began the match for the Wildcats and finished with zero saves in the first half, while teammate Ranae Carins came in as a relief and concluded with three saves. Levermann finished with a match high four shots to go along with her three goals. Drutchas, Flink and Julie Calhoun each tallied three shots to lead Davidson.

The Cadets continue to dive into the record books as Garcia is now tied at third for goals in a season with eight, she moves into fourth place for shots in a season with 42 thus far, and her 17 points is tied for fifth for most points in a season. Aponte has now earned a spot in history as her 36 shots are tied for seventh for most shots in a season.

The Bulldogs will continue their home slate and host SoCon opponent Wofford on Friday, Oct. 22 at WLI Field.

 

#20 UNCG 4, Furman 1

Greenville, S.C. -- Tabitha Padgett scored two goals to lead 20th-ranked UNC Greensboro to a 4-1 victory over Furman in Southern Conference women's soccer action on Sunday afternoon at Stone Stadium.

The win, UNCG's 10th consecutive triumph, improved the Spartans to 13-1-1 overall and 8-0-0 in SoCon play.  Furman dropped its second straight home match to fall to 8-6-2 overall and 3-3-2 in the league.

The Paladins took a surprise lead just 2:57 into the match when junior Martha Hall belted a left-footed shot from the top of the 18-yard box that found the right corner for her league-leading 10th goal of the season.

The Spartans pulled even in the 20th minute.  Kristen Schmidbauer played a cross into the box that Cat Barnekow redirected to the far post where Padgett punched home her first goal of the day. UNCG took the lead less than two minutes later when Barnekow pounced on a rebound from a Jenn Partenheimer shot and fired past Paladin keeper Jessica Smith at 21:03 to give the Spartans a 2-1 advantage.

UNCG kept the pressure on in the second half and put the game away with a pair of goals in the latter half of the period.  In the 75th minute, Partenheimer curled a through ball into the path of Padgett who dribbled around a charging keeper and finished for her second goal of the day.  Less than four minutes later, Barnekow delivered a pass behind the Furman defense and Schmidbauer placed a shot in the right corner to cap the scoring.

The Spartans held a 17-4 advantage in shots and held Furman to just one shot on goal.  Kelsey Kearney did not have to make a save while earning the victory in goal.  Smith stopped six shots for Furman.

The Paladins return to action on Friday when they travel to Mt. Pleasant, S.C., to face the College of Charleston Cougars.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

 

Samford 1, Western Carolina 0

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team used a second-half goal from true freshman Michelle Moll to defeat the Western Carolina Catamounts 1-0 on Sunday in a key Southern Conference showdown held at Bulldog Field. Moll's game-winning score came during the 81st minute of play and was assisted by junior Sarah Wilkinson.

"I can't say that we looked our sharpest today, but a lot of that has to do with Western Carolina and how hard they played," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I didn't think we were that clean in our offensive attack, but at the end of the day we were able to get a win, and on a Sunday they are sometimes hard to come by, so we are very thankful for it."

With the victory, Samford (10-5-1, 6-2 SoCon) extended its winning streak to six-consecutive matches and reached the 10-win plateau in a season for the eighth time in nine years.

Since dropping a hard-fought 1-0 decision against No. 20-ranked UNC Greensboro on Sept. 26, the Bulldogs have rattled off consecutive wins versus College of Charleston 2-0, The Citadel 7-0, Wofford 1-0, Furman 3-2 (OT), Appalachian State 1-0 (2OT) and Western Carolina (5-8-3, 2-4-2 SoCon) 1-0.

"There are no easy matches in this conference," said Yelton. "I think that five of six years ago, you would get any easy league game every now and then, but in this league that's not happening. Every match is hard and demanding, and if you slip up and are not ready to play, then you can find yourself with a loss."

Moll's game-winning score proved to be the first goal of her collegiate career. A native of Evansville, Ind., Moll has started in the last 14 matches for the Bulldogs and has proven to be a key workhorse for the team at the midfield position.

On Sunday's decisive goal, the play was started by Wilkinson at midfield as she gathered a loose ball and scooted by a pair of Western Carolina defenders. She then broke free 40 yards out from goal and then passed the ball out to the left flank to Moll.

Moll gathered the pass at the corner of the box and beat the Catamounts' last defender to the left side. She then faked to her right and slipped the ball past Western Carolina's goalkeeper, Caitlin Williams, to the bottom left corner of the net.

"Michelle has been fantastic this season and she has continued to grow and grow as a player," Yelton said. "I will give full credit to our players from the standpoint that they've never let all of our injuries get them down. We've continued to get positive results in a very demanding league and that speaks volumes about their character and determination."

Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead, who recently set the school's all-time record in shutouts as a junior, tallied her ninth of the 2010 campaign as she pulled down four key saves Sunday. Whitehead extended her career record in the category to 23 and is now only one shutout shy of tying her own school record in single-season shutouts with 10.

"I think the thing that's most special about Alyssa setting the career record as a junior is how many quality goalkeepers have played here before her," said Yelton. "We've had a list of goalkeepers that is not too shabby at all and for her to already eclipse that mark goes to show you a lot about her ability and how she ranks nationally."

With Sunday's victory against Western Carolina, Samford took a 2-1-1 advantage in the all-time series between the teams. Last season, the teams squared off at Bulldog Field and played to a 1-1 draw in the matchup.

Samford outshot the Catamounts 18-8 on Sunday with eight of its attempt being on goal. Four of Western Carolina's eight shot attempts were on goal. The Bulldogs closed out the match with six corner kicks, while the Catamounts tallied three.

"I think Western Carolina's Caitlin Williams is one of the top goalkeepers in the league," Yelton said. "Those two saves she made on Kelly Shaffer in the first half were pretty special, and we had a couple of other good chances, but I have to give full credit to Western Carolina. They were very committed today, played very hard and Chad (Miller) did a great job of getting them ready."

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin a critical regular season ending road trip against the Davidson Wildcats in Davidson, N.C. The all-important SoCon matchup will be held at Davidson's Alumni Stadium.

Western Carolina will visit No. 20 UNCG Thursday at 7 p.m.

 

Wofford 2, Elon 1

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford women's soccer program pulled together a crucial win Sunday afternoon, beating the Phoenix of Elon, 2-1. The win puts the Terriers back in position to grab a seed in the Southern Conference tournament coming up in the beginning of November. The win also gives Coach Kiah's team their first victory in conference play, after having four dramatic double overtime finishes that ended in draws to conference opposition.

The goals scored came from sophomore forward, Chelsea Ashworth, and junior midfielder, Anne Phillips.

Wofford improves to a 6-5-4 regular season standing, and the win gives the team a 1-3-4 record in the Southern Conference. Elon drops to 9-6-1 on the year and falls to a 4-4 record in the Southern Conference.

With a determination to play an entire 90 minutes and get must-have points in the conference standings, the Terriers produced their most efficient offensive production in conference play. Emily Bougas started things up, nearly putting a goal in early in the first half at the six minute mark. Rachael Balckburn sent a low cross in from the right side and Bougas swung through the ball, one-timing the opportunity just over the cross-bar.

Elon answered the shot attempt with a few of their own, with their best opportunity in the first half coming from a string of attacks in the 30th minute. Wofford goalkeeper Kimberly Cohn saved a shot taken by Alanna Winsper and the ball rebounded toward the left side of the 18 yard box to the foot of Lindsey Nusdeo. Nusdeo fired a shot into the outstretched leg of a Wofford defender and the ball returned to Nusdeo. Nusdeo tried again from the same spot, only to have another Wofford defender produce the same result and block the shot before it threatened the net.

In the 34th minute, Chelsea Ashworth nearly put the first goal on the board with an opportunity from just inside the left side of the box. Ashworth lined up a shot with a clear path to the goal available, but Elon's keeper Kristen Haney made a save to keep the scores blank.

Ashworth redeemed herself minutes later giving the Terriers their first goal of the match. Anne Phillips pushed forward a streamline through ball to Nikki Siebert on the run. Siebert took the ball in stride and shot the ball toward the Phoenix net. Haney had to stretch to save the shot fired from Siebert, but the ball ricocheted to Ashworth, who had followed the run inside the box. Ashworth knocked the ball into an open net, giving Wofford a one goal lead. Ashworth tallies her second score of the season and Siebert and Phillips were awarded the assist.

At the end of the first 45 minutes, the score stood at 1-0, Wofford. The Terriers had four shots, with three of the shots being on target. Cohn grabbed three saves in the period to keep the Phoenix off the board.

Wofford kept their momentum rolling in the second half, scoring in the first three minutes after exiting the locker rooms. Lauren Cozzarelli set up the Anne Phillip's goal by dribbling in the box and taking a shot toward the Phoenix net. Haney made a saved to keep Cozzarelli's shot out of the goal, but Anne Phillips was there to take advantage of the rebound, knocking in a ball in the net with a similar fashion to the first Terrier's goal. The score accounts for Phillip's third goal of the season.

With the score 2-0, Wofford, the Phoenix looked to get back in the game with a few shots, but Cohn was there to fend away all attacks, until the 76th minute, when Elon's Jaclyn Wood put the Phoenix on the board. Wood took a pass from Brittany Hallberg and shot the ball from the right side of the 18'. The shot just slipped by Cohn and put Elon just one goal away from tying up the match.

The Wofford defense held strong in the last 14 minutes, holding the one goal lead and giving the Terriers the win. Maggie Bosely, Sydney Reed, Megan Wellborn, and Erin Stephenson started and finished the match for the Terriers at the defensive spots, and each player had strong play to keep the lead for the entire 90 minutes. Cohn was a key player for Coach Kiah's team, saving five Elon attempts and playing strong in the air keeping Elon crosses and corners attempts at bay.

At the end of the match, the final score was 2-1 Wofford. Anne Phillips was a key contributor in the game, accounting for a goal and an assist. Phillips commented on the teams' play, stating, "We're just taking it one step at a time right now. We have three games left after this one and they are all winnable games. Our word of the week was 'believe', and that is what we have been doing. We believe we can make it into the conference tournament, and get even higher than seed No. 8."

Lauren Cozzarelli and Nikki Siebert each had strong performances, with both players posting assists and a shot on goal. Wofford tallied six different shots, with five being on frame, giving the Terriers a .83 shots on goal average and a .33 goal average.

Before today's match, Wofford stood in 12th place in the conference. The win will bump the team to ninth, just one point behind the No. 8 spot, Western Carolina. Only the top eight teams in the Southern Conference advance to the tournament, so the outcome of Wofford's last three matches will determine whether or not the Terriers advance to the coveted tournament.