Samford 1, Georgia Southern 0

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team secured its first Southern Conference regular-season championship Sunday as the Bulldogs defeated the Georgia Southern Eagles 1-0 at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. Samford's Adrianne Mancino scored the game-winning goal in the 20th minute.

"This was a great win for us because Georgia Southern is a really good team," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "Lindsey (Vanderspiegel) has done an outstanding job with them. They are very well-organized, they are difficult to break down and we were really happy to get the win."

With their sixth-consecutive victory, Samford (10-5-2, 8-0-2 SoCon) remained undefeated in conference play and secured the SoCon regular-season title when second-place UNCG lost at Appalachian State on Sunday, 2-1. The Bulldogs have accumulated 26 points in conference play this season and are four points ahead of both UNCG and College of Charleston, with one match remaining for every team.

Even if Samford was to lose at home against Chattanooga on Wednesday, neither UNCG nor College of Charleston would be able to get more than 25 points.

The Bulldogs' regular-season championship marks the first SoCon title in school history and Yelton's third at Samford. As members of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Bulldogs won back-to-back regular-season titles in 2003 and 2004.

"This is a great feeling, especially because we knew coming into this league how difficult of a challenge it would be," Yelton said. "This conference is very tough and there are tremendous coaches throughout this league. This was definitely quite an accomplishment for our team and I'm extremely proud of all of our players."

Samford also secured the No. 1 seed in next week's SoCon Tournament. The Bulldogs will host a first-round match Oct. 30, as they square off against the eighth-seeded team in the tournament at 4 p.m. (CDT) at Bulldog Field.

Despite the loss, Georgia Southern (6-9-2, 4-5-1 SoCon) secured a spot in the SoCon Tournament after Western Carolina, Wofford, and Chattanooga were all defeated Sunday.

Samford tallied its lone goal of the match at exactly 19:38 in the first half. The Bulldogs' decisive score was notched by Mancino who rifled a shot into the corner from nearly 40 yards out. On the game-winning play, junior Kaley Blanton sent a throw-in to Mancino on the right wing. She gathered the pass, took a step to her right and then unloaded a line-drive shot and perfectly found the corner of the net.

The goal was Mancino's second of the season.

"She really hit that one well and there wasn't much the goalkeeper could do on it," Yelton said. "When she strikes the ball right, there's always a chance she can score and I certainly think she's the best right back in the league. If she's not the best then she's certainly in the conversation."

Following Mancino's early goal, Samford's defense stepped up and only allowed a total of six Georgia Southern shot attempts. The Bulldogs rattled off 14 shots Sunday and also won the corner-kick battle 6-2.

"We were really good in defending, but we have to do better in possession," said Yelton. "We didn't connect as many passes as I would have liked, but I'm very proud of this defense and how they keep throwing up zeros. I also think they are gaining confidence as the season has gone on, because if you look at our preseason, we were a bit leaky in the back, so I'm happy with the way they've improved."

The Bulldogs' senior goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead registered her sixth shutout of the 2011 season Sunday and improved her school-record total in the category to 32. The previous career record in shutouts was held by former Samford-great Crystal Royall, who finished with 24.5.

"At the time, I didn't think that Crystal's shutout record would ever get broken, because she was a tremendous goalkeeper," Yelton said. "For Alyssa to have 32 shutouts is pretty amazing and we're not done yet this season. She's averaging eight shutouts a year right now and that's unbelievable. The amazing thing is that (Assistant Coaches) Jay (Yelton) and Andy (Stoots) have been such a big part in our goalkeeping this year. I think our players really realize how fortunate they are to have such great assistants that are on staff here."

With Sunday's victory, Samford reached the 10-win plateau for third straight season and for the ninth time in 10 seasons under Yelton. The Bulldogs also remained undefeated against Georgia Southern and improved to 6-0-1 against the Eagles.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs play host to the Chattanooga Lady Mocs in their regular-season finale to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

 

Appalachian State 2, UNCG 1

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Appalachian State's Sam McVeigh converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute as the Mountaineers stunned UNCG on Sunday, 2-1 at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.

With the game tied at 1 and overtime seemingly on the horizon, UNCG defender Stephanie Partenheimer played the ball back to keeper Kelsey Kearney in front of the Spartan net. ASU's Meggie Graham never gave up on the play, stealing the ball from Kearney just feet from the goal, and Kearney grabbed Graham as she went by and took her down, resulting in a red card for the Spartan keeper and a penalty kick for Appalachian State (6-10-2, 2-6-2 Southern Conference).
McVeigh stepped up and took the PK, getting it past Kearney's replacement, Alex Perry, for her second goal of the day,

"Very uncharacteristic mistake from Kelsey to even be in that situation," UNCG coach Steve Nugent said. "I feel for her. Unfortunately, I've been there before. It's a not an easy place to be right now. Our team will get with her and will pick her back up. She's a leader on this team and one of the reasons that UNCG soccer is where it is right now. I feel for her."

UNCG (8-8-1, 7-2-1 SoCon) had dominated the game to that point, but had just a single goal to show for it. That goal came in the early going, as the Spartans pounced on the Mountaineers with a Kristin Player strike just 2:11 into the contest.

Freshman Ashley Stokes got the play going on the left wing, sending a cross into the box for Player. The redshirt senior collected the ball and banged it home from about 6 yards out for her team-best eighth goal of the season.

The Apps got off just one shot in the first half, but they made it count. After an ASU corner kick, Callie Johnson ended up with a loose ball at the top of the 18-yard box. Her pass attempt was deflected to McVeigh, whose shot from the top of the 18 found the back of the net in the 17th minute to pull the Mountaineers level.

UNCG had several solid scoring chances go begging shortly after halftime. In the 52nd minute, Karin Sendel found Stokes with a pass on the left wing. Stokes then lofted a cross into the box that Lauren Hein nodded on, but her shot hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced back into play. Casey Godwin's follow attempt went wide.

Just minutes later, Player sent a corner kick into the box that Sendel scalded on frame, but ASU keeper Amy Kolowsky was just able to reach back and punch the shot over the bar to keep the game tied. The Spartans were unable to get off a shot attempt on the ensuing corner.

Kolowsky finished with four saves as UNCG outshot ASU 11-5 on the afternoon. Kearney had just one save, but it was a big one, coming on Katy Dodd's point-blank shot in the 73rd minute. Sonia Sanchez's follow shot was blocked in traffic.

Perry was saddled with the tough-luck loss after allowing the PK goal in just 1:39 of work.

"This league is a tough league," Nugent said. "You let teams hang around, and they'll hurt you. Appalachian State did make the best of their first chance, their only chance in the first half, and they put it away. I've got to give them a lot of credit. They came here with an army of players and a great cheering section, and their team and their fans were really into it. They willed them to a good victory for App State today. For us, we don't make any excuses. We're not looking for moral victories. We're not looking for anything other than what we get out of the game. And today, we deserved what we got by putting ourselves into a situation where it was 1-1 in the 80th minute, and it shouldn't have been."

The loss snaps UNCG's seven-match unbeaten streak, as the Spartans had been 6-0-1 since a 1-0 setback to league-leading Samford on Sept. 26. For Appalachian State, the win was its first over UNCG since 2002, breaking a 10-match losing streak in the series. It was also the Apps' first-ever win over UNCG in Greensboro.

UNCG wraps up the regular season Wednesday when it hosts Elon at 7 p.m. The contest will serve as Senior Day for Kearney, Player, Godwin, Perry, Jaimey Etten and Nicole Danford.

 

Davidson 2, Chattanooga 1 (OT)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- On a sunny, crisp fall afternoon at Finley Stadium, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's soccer team fell 2-1 in overtime to Davidson in Southern Conference action as the Mocs bid farewell to seniors Danielle Barr and Donna-Kay Henry.

The Wildcats' Julia Singley scored unassisted for the Golden Goal in the 94th minute to move Davidson to 8-8-2 overall and 6-4 in league play. The Mocs closed out the home slate with the loss and fall to 6-9-2 overall and 1-8-1 in SoCon action.

Chattanooga, depleted by injuries, had to play from behind from the start after giving up a goal in the third minute. Rachel Newmister took a pass from Stephanie Piperno in the box and slid the shot into the bottom left of the goal for the score.

"It's been the same story for the last eight games," UTC Head Coach J.D. Kyzer said. "We talked about it in the lockerroom before the game that we didn't want to give one up early, but it happened again and we had to play catchup the rest of the game."

Chattanooga got the equalizer just before the halftime break when Henry was streaking toward the goal. She got past the Davidson defenders and was pulled down from behind in the box drawing the penalty. Junior Becca Smith (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was called upon for the fourth time this year to take the penalty shot and she easily got it past Davidson's keeper to tie the match at 1-1.

"D.K. does a great job," Kyzer said. "She's the 12th, 13th and 14th person on the field. They can't keep up with her one-v-one so she draws two and three defenders and that leaves someone else open. She gets fouled so often and gets beat up out there and then Becca steps up to take the PK."

With just three subs on the bench, Kyzer played all players available for the game today.

"We've been without our entire midfield since the conference schedule started," Kyzer said. "We were 5-5-1 through the non-conference and then we started getting hit by injuries and we've been down 25 percent of our team for several weeks.

"I'm proud of them. They haven't complained. They haven't said they're tired. They get out there and fight. They train hard every day. I'm very proud of them and their attitude day in and day out."

Prior to the game, the Mocs said farewell to Barr and Henry.

Danielle joined the team in her sophomore year at Chattanooga and by her second year stepped up to become a starter.

"Danielle provides that stability for us," Kyzer said. "She is so important to this team both on and off the field. We have so many young players and she has become a mother figure to them - even early on. It's a role that she embraced. On the field, she provides leadership and and stability. She will be greatly missed."

D.K. has been a force on the field since her arrival as a freshman. She is a three-time all-conference performer and is second on UTC's all-time charts in scoring and goals and third for assists. She is ranked among the best in the Southern Conference and the NCAA.

"D.K. is irreplaceable," Kyzer said. "Defenses can't contain her and she pays the price in getting beaten up on the field. She is a playmaker and has had a great impact on Chattanooga soccer."

The Mocs return to action Wednesday when they travel to Birmingham, Ala., to close out the season at league-leading Samford. The match will kick off at 7 p.m.

 

Elon 2, Western Carolina 1 (2 OT)

ELON, N.C. - Simi Dhaliwal's header with nine seconds remaining in double overtime landed inches behind the Western Carolina goal line to lift the Elon women's soccer team to a thrilling 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 23, on Senior Day at Rudd Field.

With the clock ticking down, Dhaliwal leaped in the air near the left post on a well-placed 35-yard cross from Olivia Mackey and headed the ball into the WCU net. Western Carolina goalie Katie Jacobs managed to snag the ball, but was too deep in the net, giving Elon the golden goal and a 2-1 win.

"Today was an unbelievable way to win a game, especially on senior day. I am so happy that our seniors Andrea Keller and Noell McCain had the chance to end their home careers with a win like this," said Elon head coach Chris Neal. "Western Carolina is a very good team and I give them credit for battling back from a goal down on the road and putting a lot of pressure on us."

Elon improves to 7-7-4 overall and 5-3-3 in league play with the win, while the Catamounts drop to 8-9-1 (3-7-0) with the setback.

The Phoenix outshot the Catamounts 14-11 in the win and held a slight 5-3 edge in corners. The two teams combined for a total of nine shots in the final 20 minutes of action.

The goal for Dhaliwal was her second of the season, while Mackey's assist was her third. Jaclyn Wood netted Elon's first score on a penalty kick in the ninth minute to give the Phoenix an early 1-0 lead.

The Catamounts tied it in the 71st minute after a header by Samantha Hodge following a shot off the crossbar landed in the back of the net to make it a 1-1 game.

Shannon Foley nearly gave the Phoenix the lead in the 86th minute, but Jacobs made a great save for the Catamounts to keep the match knotted at one apiece.

Kate Murphy played 110 minutes between the posts for Elon, totaling one save.

The Phoenix has won four out of its last five matches, including three straight, heading into its regular-season finale on Wednesday night, Oct. 26, at UNCG. Kick is set for 7 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. The first round of the 2011 SoCon Tournament begins next Sunday, Oct. 30, on campus sites.

 

Furman 2, The Citadel 1

Greenville, S.C. -- Freshmen Ali Simpson and senior Rachel Shelnutt each delivered a long range strike in the final half hour as Furman rallied from a 1-0 deficit to down The Citadel 2-1 in Southern Conference women's soccer action on Sunday afternoon at Stone Stadium.

The Senior Day victory over The Citadel (4-11-3, 2-6-2) improved the Paladins to 10-7-2 overall and 5-3-2 in SoCon play. Furman enters Wednesday's regular season finale against Wofford in fifth place, just one point behind fourth place Davidson. The top four teams in the final regular season standings receive home matches in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament next weekend.

For the second time in as many matches this weekend, Furman found itself facing a first half deficit when Hannah Ware's cross drew Paladin keeper Jessica Smith off of her line and Jaslene Thiara tapped a loose ball into the back of the net from close range at the 22:10 mark.

Furman had failed to create many scoring opportunities in more than an hour of action, but Simpson leveled the match against the run of play at 69:39 with a driven strike into the upper-left corner from 30 yards out. The screaming strike came on India Robinson's seventh assist of the season and marked Simpson's fourth goal of the campaign.

The equalizer brought the Paladin attack to life and Shelnutt pushed Furman in front less than nine minutes later with her team-leading 11th goal of the season. Shelnutt played the ball towards the top of the box and unleashed a 21-yard, left-footed strike over the outstretched hands of Citadel keeper Whitney Nave at 78:18 to give Furman a 2-1 advantage. The goal, Shelnutt's 22nd career tally, represented her ninth career match-winning score.

"We were certainly not at our best today, but we didn't quit and were able to pull out a win in the end against a solid Citadel squad," said Furman head coach Andrew Burr. "Ali Simpson and Rachel Shelnutt scored two outstanding goals and Jessica Smith came up with a tremendous stop late to help us hold on. It's always great to get a win on Senior Day."

The Citadel pushed everyone forward in the final minutes and Smith was forced to make several saves, including a diving stop of Nicole Levermann's strike with just minutes remaining. Smith totaled eight saves for the match while Nave stopped three shots for the Bulldogs.

Furman was outshot by a 16-12 margin and The Citadel earned four corner kicks while surrendering just one.

The Paladins cap their regular season by hosting Wofford on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Admission to Wednesday's match is $3 for adults and $1 for children. Furman students receive free admission with a valid Student ID.

 

College of Charleston 3, Wofford 0

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford women's soccer team dropped a 3-0 decision to College of Charleston Sunday afternoon in the final home contest of the 2011 season. With the loss, the Terriers fall to 8-6-2 overall and 2-6-2 in Southern Conference play, while the Cougars improve to 11-6-1 overall and 7-2-1 in league action.

College of Charleston took an early 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when Haley Hutchens headed the ball past Wofford goalkeeper Kara Boggs into the back right corner of the net following a corner kick by Sarah Cardamone.

In the 49th minute, the Cougars added to their lead as Hope Atkinson took a shot from nearly five yards out, sending the ball into the back right side of the net. Lindsay Frey was credited with the assist.

Atkinson scored once again in the 73rd minute, taking a shot from eight yards away following a pass from Sarah Schaidle.

Maggie Bosley and Amanda Morris each put shots on goal within the final minutes of the second half, but were unable to send the ball past College of Charleston goalkeeper Cricket Wise.

Boggs takes the loss in goal for the Terriers, tallying five saves while facing a total of 14 shots. Wise is credited with the win for College of Charleston, earning two saves.

The senior class of 2011 was honored in a ceremony prior to the start of today's match. Elizabeth Hall, Katie O'Brien, Maggie O'Brien, Maggie McLaughlin, Anne Phillips, and Sydney Reed were recognized for their contributions to the Wofford women's soccer program over the past four seasons.

Wofford will return to action this Wednesday evening as the Terriers travel to Furman for the final contest of the 2011 season. The match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start time.