UNCG 4, High Point 1
Aug. 11
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? UNCG got goals from four different student-athletes and had 21 players see action as the Spartans rolled past High Point in a women's soccer exhibition on Wednesday, 4-1.
Cat Barnekow, Jessi Gulledge, Jaimey Etten and Lauren Hein scored for the Spartans, who kicked off their 2010 campaign Wednesday.
Barnekow got the scoring started in just the 10th minute. UNCG freshman Kory Spotts ? one of three freshmen in the starting lineup ? corralled a failed High Point clearance and poked the ball ahead to Barnekow in the box. Barnekow easily beat High Point keeper Andrea Ritchie one-on-one to quickly put the Spartans up 1-0.
Gulledge made it a 2-0 contest in the second of three 30-minute periods, taking a short through ball from Jen Rincon at the top of the 18-yard box and dribbling in to beat Ritchie one-on-one in the 51st minute.
Etten made it a 3-0 game in the 63rd minute, collecting a loose ball at the top of the box and firing a rocket into the lower left corner through traffic. Her goal was unassisted.
Hein capped the UNCG scoring in the 75th minute, nodding home freshman Stine Schoening's long cross to make it 4-0.
The Panthers got a goal back in the 87th minute, as Kelli Joline converted Cary Ann Parrish's long free kick to spoil UNCG's shutout. Parrish lofted a beautiful ball into the box from about 35 yards out, and Joline one-timed it past UNCG keeper Kelsey Kearney from close range.
Both sides substituted liberally in the contest, as High Point had 23 players see action.
UNCG outshot the Panthers 15-5, with Jenn Partenheimer, Tabitha Padgett, Hein, Spotts and freshman Kaytee O'Brien taking two each. Joline led HPU with three shots.
Alex Perry picked up the win in the net for UNCG, as she worked the first 40:09, making one save. She stopped Sammy Vercellino's close-range attempt at the post in the 36th minute.
Kearney worked the final 49:51, allowing a goal and making a save of her own.
Ritchie took the loss in goal for the Panthers, as she allowed two goals and didn't make a save in 60 minutes of work. Jesse May came on for the final period, making a pair of saves and allowing two goals in 30 minutes.
The margin could have been bigger, but UNCG had two shots find the post. O'Brien's first shot drew iron in the 44th minute, while Padgett hit the post in the 79th.
Spotts, Schoening and Morgan Kennedy were the three freshmen that started, with all of them playing prominent roles in UNCG's revamped defense.
UNCG returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 14, when it will host Duke in an exhibition match at 7 p.m. That will be the Spartans' final exhibition before opening the 2010 regular season against East Carolina at home on Friday, Aug. 20.
College of Charleston 4, South Carolina State 0
Aug. 12
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston's women's soccer team competed in its sole exhibition match on Thursday night when it played host to the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State. The Cougars found the net four times while blanking the Lady Bulldogs in the contest.
CofC outshot SC State by a margin of 13-3 and put eight shots on target. The Cougars produced five corner-kick opportunities compared to SC State's one in the friendly.
"It was a good exhibition for us," said head coach Christian Michner. "We're only six days into practice but we saw some really good performances by some our players."
The game featured three periods of 30 minutes each with a running clock.
The Cougars opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Emilie Huser (Fort Wayne, Ind.) threaded a brilliant ball into the box between two crashing defenders and onto the foot of Sloane Levin (Hamburg, Mich.). Levin played the ball on a single touch past the sprawling keeper to make the score 1-0.
Huser displayed her field vision and creativity once again early in the second period when she played a ball deep into the box from the right side of the field. Haley Hutchens (Irmo, S.C.) found her way behind the defense to receive the entry pass and played a header off the crossbar and into the back of the net to make the score 2-0 in the 36th minute.
The Bulldogs saw their best attempt with a minute remaining in the second period. From a 30-yard set piece, SC State played a long ball into the box which pulled CofC keeper Cricket Wise (Walhalla, S.C.) off her line to snag the ball out of the air.
Sarah Schaidle (Simpsonville, S.C.) furthered CofC's effort in the 67th minute with a long run down the heart of the Bulldogs' defense. Schaidle split multiple defenders and ripped a shot from the top of the box into the top left corner of the net, well out of reach of the diving goalkeeper.
Swat Dash added a goal with 12:32 remaining in the final period when she made a long run up the left side of the field. She battled through the left side of the box before chipping the ball over the keeper's head from 15 yards away and a virtually impossible angle along the end line.
"Everyone on the team held themselves accountable and we scored some great goals along the way," Michner said. "We certainly have some things to touch on and work on that we haven't had time to get to yet, but it was a great 90 minutes for our kids."
The Cougars will open the 2010 regular season on Friday, Aug 20 with a home match against Kennesaw State at 7 p.m. at Patriots Point.
Samford 1, Belmont 0
Aug. 12
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team earned a 1-0 exhibition victory against the Belmont Bruins on Thursday as the Bulldogs opened competitive play in its 2010 season at Bulldog Field. In the victory, Samford’s Sabbath McKiernan-Allen scored the game-winning goal during the 17th minute of play.
“I was glad that we won today, but it was just another typical exhibition for us,” said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. “We were sloppy at times, and good at times, but I thought there were definitely some bright spots from our freshmen and from a lot of the sophomores that really didn’t get to play too many minutes last season. They were big positives for us tonight.”
The Bulldogs’ goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead tallied three saves en route to a complete-game shutout. Samford outshot Belmont 12-6 on Thursday and registered four corner kicks compared to zero for the Bruins.
“This was a quality opponent for us to exhibition against and we were fortunate to get the win,” Yelton said. “Sabbath’s goal was a big lift for us and it’s always good to be playing from in front than from behind. It makes things a lot easier and you never want to be chasing a game, you’d always rather be ahead early, and I thought it did take a little bit of the pressure off of us.”
Sophomore defender McKiernan-Allen gave the Bulldogs their early lead as she tallied the match’s lone goal at exactly 16:34 in the first half.
McKiernan-Allen’s score came on a corner kick sent in from the left side by Leah Leppert. The ball was centered perfectly into the box and bounded neatly to McKiernan-Allen only five feet from the goal. On the kick, she timed it perfectly and placed a lofting shot over the goalkeeper’s head for the score. Leppert was awarded with an assist on the play.
At the half, Samford led 1-0 and only allowed a single Belmont shot attempt. The Bulldogs accumulated five of their 12 shots in the opening period.
“I thought that we were really good in the first half,” said Yelton. “In the second half, I didn’t think that we knocked it as well as we wanted to. I have to give full credit to Belmont. I think they are a really tough team to play against and they put a tremendous amount of pressure on us. Belmont is an extremely well-coached team and I think (head coach) Lisa (Howe) does a great job with that program.”
Samford true freshmen Shanika Thomas and Michelle Moll both registered three shots apiece to lead the Bulldogs, while Belmont finished the contest with six individual players tallying one shot each.
“We closed it out with a win today and now we need to start preparing for a really good Alabama team,” Yelton said. “I think they are going to be much improved from last year and it’s their home opener, so I know it will be a tough match for us.”
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a season-opening contest against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The 2010 season opener will be held at the UA Soccer Complex. Last season, Samford earned a 3-0 victory against Alabama in a match held at Bulldog Field.
Wofford 2, Winthrop 1
Aug. 14
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford women’s soccer team fought through a washout to take a 2-1 advantage over the Winthrop Eagles before the exhibition match was called due to lightning. The match was cancelled in the second 30 minute period around the 55 minute mark. The contest was scheduled to consist of three 30 minute periods.
Despite damp and muggy conditions, the Terriers had a strong showing against the Eagles. The squad revealed good ball movement even though the ball was slick on a wet field. Early in the first period Anne Phillips flew past the opposing defense and caught the goalie off guard with a goal from beyond the 18’ box. She showed her speed again in the second period as she took control of a throughball on a run toward the left side of the field and scored off a shot that tickled the crossbar. The backfield held Winthrop scoreless in the first period through the help of Katie McChesney. McChesney recorded four saves in the first period.
In the second period of play, the Eagles were able to answer with a goal of their own from Rachel Webster off Tricia Vensel’s assist. A short time later the game was postponed due to lightning. After close to 25 minutes of delay, the game was cancelled due to extreme weather.
The Terriers continue preseason practice this week as they face Troy on August 22. The squad will travel to Troy, Alabama to face the Trojans at 3:00(CT).
Duke 1, UNCG 0
Aug. 14
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Duke's Marybeth Kreger found the back of the net in the 78th minute and the Blue Devils made the goal stand as UNCG fell 1-0 in its final exhibition tune-up before starting the regular season.
Jenn Partenheimer led UNCG with five shots. Kelsey Kearney had seven saves in 76 minutes in goal.
With the teams locked in a scoreless draw, Duke finally got on the board at the 77:54 mark. Kreger picked up a loose ball near the top of the 18-yard box and fired a shot that beat UNCG keeper Alex Perry top shelf.
The Spartans put six of their eight shots on the night on frame, but could never find the back of the net.
Partenheimer had perhaps UNCG's best scoring chance of the night with 36 minutes left, as Katie Durst found her mid-stride with a perfectly placed pass into the box. Partenheimer got off a shot from close range, but Duke keeper Emily Nahas made the near-post stop to keep the game scoreless at that point.
The Blue Devils had just missed drawing first blood moments earlier, but Callie Simpkins' shot went just wide after she beat Kearney one-on-one on a breakaway.
Kearney made a phenomenal save in the 60th minute, diving to her right to knock away Carey Goodman's close-range attempt.
All five of Partenheimer's shots on the night were on frame, but Duke's three keepers, Tara Campbell, Meghan Thomas and Nahas, were there to stop every one.
Campbell, who worked the first half, had four saves, while Thomas and Nahas had one each.
Sophomore Tabitha Padgett, the Southern Conference's reigning freshman of the year and co-player of the year, had UNCG's other shot on goal, as her attempt in the 96th minute was saved by Thomas.
The teams agreed prior to the game that they would play a 15-minute overtime, regardless of the score at the end of regulation.
Just like in Wednesday's win over High Point, UNCG substituted liberally, with 21 players seeing action. Duke did the same, with 24 Blue Devils getting playing time in the final preseason contest for both teams.
The four-time defending SoCon regular-season champion, UNCG begins its quest for a fifth straight when it opens regular-season play on Friday, Aug. 20, against East Carolina at 7 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
Georgia Southern 0, Armstrong Atlantic 0
Aug. 15
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Women's Soccer Team opened the 2010 season with a scoreless draw against No. 19 Armstrong Atlantic State University in a exhibition match Sunday. The weather-shortened game was called due to inclement weather with 12:53 left in the second half.
Sophomore Morgan Springer (Mandeville, La.) led the Eagles with three shots, but Holly Dyer, a sophomore from Auburn, Ga., had the only shot on goal for the Eagles, which was saved by Armstrong Atlantic goalkeeper Tracey Mitchell.
Sophomore Missy Meyer (Alpharetta, Ga.) started the game in goal for the Eagles, making two saves in the first half. Freshman Katie Merson (Albuquerque, N.M.) stopped three shots, playing the shortened second half.
The Eagles got 20 of the 23 players on the roster into the game, including eight of 11 freshmen with two starting the match, Paige Grant (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Sydney Seer (Gambrills, Md.).
"Overall, it was good to see some of our freshman get out there and play, and see the chemistry of our team," Head Coach Ashley Hart said after the match. "There are definitely some things we need to work on. Defensively, we were shaky at times, and we didn't always attack as a group, but we did see some of our upperclassmen step up and create some problems up top."
The Eagles next match is scheduled for August 20 when they open the regular season at home against Winthrop. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Eagle Field.
Gardner-Webb 1, Western Carolina 0
Aug. 15
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Western Carolina women's soccer was edged 1-0 by Gardner-Webb, in the Catamount's lone exhibition match of the season., Sunday at Greene-Harbison Stadium.
Gardner-Webb struck early to score the only game of the game. At the 6:01 mark, Jessica Casper took a cross from Stephanie Benshooof 15 yards out and scored from five yards.
The Runnin' Bulldogs had seven shots on goal and senior Catamount goalkeeper Caitlin Williams picked up six saves. Western Carolina had four shots on goal, two taken by Laura Greb and one each by Katie Salmons and Emily Lynn.
The Catamounts officially open the season Friday, August 20 at Campbell. The match is set for 7 p.m.