The Citadel 2, Wofford 1
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Soccer held off a pesky Wofford Terriers team to win, 2-1, on Friday afternoon at WLI Field in front of 321 fans.
The Citadel Soccer got off to a quick start taking four early shots, the fourth a goal by senior captain Nicole Martinoli. Freshman Nicole Levermann dribbled up the middle of the field and sent a quick pass to Martinoli, who made the shot from 35-feet out for the score to put the Bulldogs up, 1-0 three minutes into the match. After Wofford committed a foul, freshman Vanessa Aponte shot a free kick straight to the goalie who fell attempting to make the save. At the 18:24 mark, freshman Mariana Garcia came in and sent the deflection past the goalie and into the bottom right corner of the net to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the 26th minute, the Terriers took three consecutive shots trying to cut the Bulldogs' lead. Nikki Siebert's first shot was blocked, then Alex Kachulis's shot hit the crossbar. Siebert kicked the deflected ball but again the shot was blocked. The Citadel took three more shots before the end of the half but none were successful, taking their 2-0 lead into halftime.
Wofford came off the bench determined in the second period, outshooting the Bulldogs, 9-3. At the 55:04 mark, Megan Polson took a corner kick sending the ball into a clutter of players. Chelsea Ashworth grabbed the ball on the far end of the box and shot into the net cutting The Citadel's lead, 2-1.
Garcia again tried extending the Bulldogs lead but her shot at the 83:30 mark, fell into the hands of goalkeeper Kimberly Cohn. Wofford went on a spree of shots at the end taking three shots with just over a minute left in regulation. Lauren Cozzarelli's shot was blocked before Emily Bougas' two shots were first blocked and then saved. The Citadel goalkeeper Whitney Nave took the saved ball and kicked it into open space allowing the Bulldogs to play keep away as the match drew to an end.
"We played some nice soccer for 45 minutes," said head coach Bob Winch. "As a group though, I think we thought that was enough. Wofford outplayed us in the second half. It was good for us though to be uncomfortable and win."
The Citadel now owns an impressive 11-5-1 overall record, while maintaining a 7-2-0 winning record in SoCon action. Wofford falls to 6-6-4 overall and are 1-4-4 in league competition. Garcia led the Bulldogs with five shots, three on goal, while Siebert and Bougas paced the Terriers' offense with three shots a piece. Nave and Cohn each finished the match with three saves while defending their respective nets.
The Bulldogs will complete the home portion of their season by hosting Furman on Sunday, Oct. 24 at WLI Field on Senior Day. For more information on The Citadel Soccer, visit the official website of Bulldog Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
Wofford continues its Lowcountry swing with a 1 p.m. match at College of Charleston on Sunday afternoon.
Chattanooga 4, Georgia Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern held the halftime lead with a goal from Courtney Collins (Mason, Ohio), but four Chattanooga second half goals lifted the Mocs past the Eagles 4-1 Friday afternoon (October 22) at Eagle Field. Donna-Kay Henry scored three of the Mocs' four goals to secure the Southern Conference win for Chattanooga.
Collins and Sara Oland (Evans, Ga.) teamed up to put the Eagles (5-10, 2-7) in front 1-0 in the first half. Oland set up a nice cross pass to Collins in position who found the back of the net with a shot up the middle at 14:40. The goal marked Collins' first of the season.
The Eagles moved to defensive mode for the remainder of the first half, limiting Chattanooga to five shots, only two of which were on goal. Georgia Southern took two additional shots on goal in the first half.
Chattanooga (4-11-2, 2-5-2) took control in the second half, unleashing four goals to secure the conference win. Just over two minutes into the second half, Anna Cusick tied the game at 1-1 scoring on a shot off a free kick taken by Lauren Wilson. The Mocs took the lead 2-1 in the 50th minute when Henry found the back of the net for the first time in the contest. Henry carried the ball from midfield and beat the keeper for her seventh goal of the season.
Georgia Southern took two shots and a corner kick before Henry's second goal at 59:11. Wilson took the free kick for the Mocs and Henry scored on a header into the right side of the goal. Henry's third goal of the contest came in the 77th minute of play. Henry scored during a scramble in the box for the final 4-1 score. Wilson was credited with the assist, her third of the game.
The conference matchup marked the beginning of Georgia Southern's final three-game homestand of the regular season. The Eagles play host to Samford on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. In addition to Junior Eagle Club Day, Sunday's match will mark Senior Day for Jenny Anderson (Birmingham, Ala.).
Chattanooga is at Davidson Sunday, starting at 2 p.m.
Davidson 0, Samford 0 (2 OT)
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Junior goalkeeper Jessie Baxa (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) stopped five shots and the Wildcat defense held strong as Davidson, playing in its second-to-last home game of 2010, earned a 0-0 draw in double-overtime versus visiting Samford on a cool Friday evening at Alumni Stadium in Southern Conference women¹s soccer action.
The Wildcats earned their seventh shutout of the year as they saw their record run to 5-8-4 overall and 1-4-4 in SoCon action. The four ties is the most they have had in a season.
With its tie, Davidson matches the program's longest home unbeaten streak at 11 games (6-0-5), which was set during the 2005 and 2006 season.
Samford, coming in riding a six-game winning streak at the start of play, moved to 10-5-2 and 6-2-1 in league play.
Davidson concludes its 2010 home schedule with a 2 p.m. contest against Chattanooga on Sunday. The 'Cats will honor their four seniors as part of Senior Day.
College of Charleston 0, Furman 0 (2 OT)
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's soccer battled Furman to a scoreless, double-overtime draw on Friday night at Patriots Point. The Cougars controlled much of the match but couldn't capitalize on the chances they created en route to the draw.
The Cougars idle to 7-9-1 (4-4-1) and remain one point ahead of Furman (8-6-3, 3-3-3 SoCon) in the Southern Conference standings as the teams battle for positioning and home-field advantage in the opening round of the upcoming SoCon Tournament.
"Furman is a tough team and we play a very similar style of soccer," said head coach Christian Michner, "which is why this game was so close and we're so close in the standings.
"We created a ton of chances and fired 24 shots but we just have to do a better job of finishing. You have to give credit to Katie Tate [CofC goalkeeper] and our backline for sticking with it and keeping the blank slate, but at this level we need to do a better job of finishing up in the box."
The Paladins came out threatening in the early going but the Cougars seized control of the match roughly midway through the opening period.
CofC dominated most of the play, registering a 24-5 shot advantage but couldn't use it to their advantage.
The Cougars continue in SoCon action on Sunday, Oct. 24 when they host Senior Day against Wofford at 1 p.m. at Patriots Point. Seniors Amanda Raymond (Richmond, Va.), Morgan Benz (Clifton, Va.) and Annie Pease (Marietta, Ga.) will be honored for the outstanding careers at CofC.