Western Carolina 1, Appalachian State 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's soccer (9-9-1, 4-7 Southern Conference) secured the 8th seed in the 2011 Southern Conference Tournament with a 1-0 win over rival Appalachian State (6-11-2, 2-7-2 SoCon) Wednesday at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
In a scenario that was eerily similar to the end of the 2010 season, Western Carolina came out on the winning end in 2011. Last year the Catamounts bid to the Southern Conference Tournament also came down to a victory over the Mountaineers but the Catamounts tied with ASU and were shutout of the tournament.
This season was not the case. It is the first time the Catamounts have earned a bid to the tournament in three years. In 2009, only four teams received bids to the tournament, and Western Carolina didn't make the cut. Last season, WCU just missed the eight-team cut-off.
Western Carolina will face No. 1 seed Samford at 5 p.m. ET on October 30 in Birmingham, Alabama in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament. The top four seeds host the first round.
Western Carolina, who had suffered a six-game losing streak prior to the victory over Appalachian State on Wednesday night, picked the perfect match to end its skid and pick up a win. The Catamounts lone goal was also just the second scored by the Catamounts in the month of October.
After Appalachian State got some early looks at the goal to start the match, Western Carolina seemed to warm up as the game progressed. The Catamounts got solid quality looks at, but were missing the net by just the tiniest of margins.
It was sophomore Christine Kaznowski that finally got the Catamounts on the board. At the 25:51 mark Kaznowski took a pass from freshman Madison Lee and headed the ball into the goal from about five yards out.
After the goal, Western Carolina continued to get quality looks, but it was the team's defense that really shined. Appalachian State had just six shots on goal, three in each period, and redshirt junior Katie Jacobs only had to make two saves.
Western Carolina ended the match with 19 shots.
Elon 1, UNCG 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Elon's Jaclyn Wood converted a penalty kick in the 14th minute as the Phoenix spoiled UNCG's Senior Day with a 1-0 win Wednesday at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. Despite the loss, UNCG will be the second seed and host a first-round game in the upcoming Southern Conference tournament.
Prior to the contest, UNCG (8-9-1, 7-3-1 SoCon) honored seniors Nicole Danford, Jaimey Etten, Casey Godwin, Kelsey Kearney, Alex Perry and Kristin Player.
Elon (8-7-4, 6-3-2 SoCon) got the only goal it would need at the 13:47 mark after Perry upended the Phoenix's Chelsey Stark inside the 18-yard box. Wood stepped up and drilled the penalty kick into the lower left corner for what would prove to be the game-winner.
For Perry, it was the second penalty kick she had faced in as many games. She also drew the assignment in Sunday's loss to Appalachian State after Kearney was red-carded for a takedown in the box.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say we were disappointed," UNCG coach Steve Nugent said. "We came out here with a good game plan. I've got to give a lot of credit to (Elon coach) Chris (Neal) and the Elon girls. They really tried to imprint their style on us. They made it very difficult for us to play. It's on me. I've got to figure out a way to coach our players to handle this kind of pressure. We'll get back at it in training this Friday."
Neither side could get much going offensively on the evening, with shots even at five apiece.
UNCG's Kaytee O'Brien put the ball in the back of the net in the 39th minute, but the goal was waved off when UNCG was flagged offside.
One of UNCG's strongest chances to score came early in the second frame, when Etten unleashed a rocket from about 25 yards out. Elon keeper Kate Murphy made a diving stop to keep the shutout intact, and the Spartans were unable to get off a shot on the ensuing corner kick.
UNCG's last great scoring opportunity came in the 72nd minute, when Godwin found Karin Sendel with a long cross from the right wing. The ball hit Sendel in stride and the junior midfielder one-timed it on frame, but Murphy was there to make the stop.
Murphy had three saves on the evening.
Perry, making just her third career start, had a pair of stops on evening. Her first came in the ninth minute on Shannon Foley's header off an Elon corner, while she also stopped a Raychel Diver attempt in the 52nd minute.
With College of Charleston losing at The Citadel earlier Wednesday, UNCG was assured of the second seed in the SoCon tournament regardless of its result against Elon.
The Spartans will host seventh-seeded Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. Sunday at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
The Citadel 3, College of Charleston 2
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel soccer team beat the College of Charleston in exciting fashion on Wednesday afternoon as the Bulldogs capitalized with two unanswered second half goals to top the Cougars 3-2 on WLI Field. The win is The Citadel's first in program history against College of Charleston and keeps their Southern Conference Tournament chances alive.
The Bulldogs (5-11-3, 3-6-2) came out of the gate fired up in a must win situation, but it was the Cougars who struck first off a pass near the box to Sarah Cardamone, who drilled a laser into the top corner of the net past Citadel keeper Sarah Katchen in the 21st minute to give the College of Charleston (11-7-1, 7-3-1) a quick 1-0 lead.
The Citadel's defense settled in after the score and the offense managed to get some good looks on Cougar goalie Cricket Wise. It wasn't until the 34th minute that the sophomore tandem of Vanessa Aponte and Mariana Garcia would strike for the Bulldogs as Garcia grounded a shot that deflected off the goalie and onto the foot of Aponte who netted her seventh goal of the season to even the score at one goal apiece. Garcia and Aponte finished the first half with a combined five shots, four of which were on goal as the first half ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Bulldogs came out in the second half and dominated play on both ends of the field as captain Amy Loughran received three header opportunities, but was unable to connect for the go ahead goal as the score remained even.
It wasn't until the 73rd minute of play that Cougar midfielder Hannah Gmerek put the go-ahead and potential season-ending dagger in the net on a centered pass by McCallie Jones to give the College of Charleston a 2-1 lead with 16 minutes left in the final period.
With the time dwindling down and the season on the line, the Bulldogs stepped up and dominated the Cougars as Aponte beat the defense herself and rocketed her team-leading eighth goal of the season and second of the game to bring the score to an even two goals apiece with 12 minutes left.
Realizing that a win was necessary to stay alive, the Bulldogs went back to battle and attacked the net for the final 10 minutes of play. The strategy proved to pay off in the 83rd minute when freshman Anastasia Mesa dropped a perfect cross pass to the wide open Garcia who fired a solid shot into the top corner of the net to give The Citadel a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish.
Aponte's seven shots on the day give her a total of 83 on the season, which is a new season-high in Citadel soccer history. The sophomore is now just 29 shots away from the career record, with 136 in her two-year's with the Bulldogs.
"We started off rough this year, but we came out strong and fought to the last minute today," said senior captain Amy Loughran. "We came to the field to achieve one thing and we were successful. Another record broken in Citadel history and we are proud of it!"
The three goals scored are the most that The Citadel has posted on their rivals in 11 meetings between the two teams. With a Western Carolina loss or draw tonight against Appalachian State, the Bulldogs receive the eighth seed in the tournament and will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to take on Samford in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on Sunday, Oct. 30.
Furman 4, Wofford 0
Greenville, S.C. -- Seniors Rachel Shelnutt and Laura White each scored a goal in their final home match to lead Furman to a 4-0 rout of Wofford in the Southern Conference regular season finale for both schools on Wednesday night at Stone Soccer Stadium.
The victory improved the Paladins to 11-7-2 overall and 6-3-2 in SoCon play. With Davidson's 2-0 victory over Georgia Southern on Wednesday, Furman was forced to settle for the No. 5 seed in the SoCon Tournament and will travel to face the fourth-seeded Wildcats in the quarterfinal round on Sunday at 3 p.m. Wofford finished its season at 8-7-2 overall and 2-7-2 in the league.
The Paladins netted a pair of goals in each half to close the regular season with a win and snap a two-match skid against the Terriers.
"This was an outstanding performance tonight to close out the regular season, send our seniors out on a winning note at home and build some positive momentum heading into the Southern Conference Tournament," said Furman head coach Andrew Burr. "We scored some tremendous goals and got another strong effort from our back line to record a shutout."
Freshman defender Ali Simpson opened the scoring at 11:29 when Shelnutt flicked a header to the right side of the box that Simpson volleyed past Wofford goalkeeper Kara Boggs from 12 yards out for her fifth goal of the season.
Sophomore Dee Makris doubled the lead in the 29th minute with her second tally of the season. Alexa Morse picked out the midfielder on the left corner of the box and Makris drilled a shot across the face of goal and into the right corner at 28:12.
Senior Laura White upped the Furman cushion to 3-0 in the 55th minute with her first goal of the campaign, curling a 23-yard free kick inside the far right post after a hand ball by Wofford along the left wing.
Shelnutt capped the scoring with her team-leading 12th goal of the season 32 seconds before the hour mark as she ran onto a long ball out of the back. A defender knocked the ball away inside the box, but Shelnutt chased down the loose ball and looped a shot over the keeper and into the side netting at 59:28 for the final 4-0 margin.
Furman managed an 11-8 edge in shot attempts and 4-3 advantage in corner kicks. Senior Jessica Smith and freshman Holly Reilly combined to make three saves and record the shutout for the Paladins. Boggs stopped three shots in the loss for the Terriers.
Davidson 2, Georgia Southern 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Rachael Newmister (Clover, S.C.) scored 14 seconds into the start of the second half to snap a scoreless tie and Davidson went on to capture a 2-0 shutout win in its final regular season game at home against Georgia Southern on Wednesday evening in Southern Conference women's soccer action.
Davidson (9-8-2, 7-4 SoCon) assured itself of opening the SoCon Tournament this weekend at home as the Wildcats earned the No. 4 seed and will host Furman on Sunday at 3 p.m. The ‘Cats finished out on a strong note, winning their final two contests and seven of their last 10 games overall. They also played very well down the stretch at home, winning their last five games in a row.
Georgia Southern (6-10-2, 4-6-1 SoCon) also earned a spot in the league tournament, finishing seventh.
After both teams played a 0-0 tie through the first 45 minutes, Davidson raced down the field to open the second half. Just 14 seconds into the new half, Newmister got her own rebound shot and put the second shot past the diving Eagle goalkeeper for her fourth score of the season.
Freshman Carly Brahim (Rachos Palos Verdes, Calif.) added an insurance goal at the 65:20 mark when she gathered in a rebound shot from Becca Fisher (Fredricksburg, Va.) and pushed a shot to the near post for her second collegiate goal of the season.
Davidson gears itself up for the first round of the SoCon Tournament when it hosts fifth-seeded Furman this Sunday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m.
Samford 2, Chattanooga 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team set a school record Wednesday by extending its undefeated streak to 11-consecutive matches. The Bulldogs earned a 2-1 victory against the Chattanooga Mocs in their regular-season finale and improved their winning streak to seven straight matches.
At the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium, Samford (11-6-2, 9-0-2 SoCon) received first-half goals from Michelle Moll and Lindsay Matern to jump out to a quick 2-0 advantage. In the second half of play, Chattanooga (6-10-2, 1-9-1 SoCon) unleashed an aggressive offensive attack, but the Bulldogs were able to hold on for a 2-1 triumph.
"We played well in the first half, but then Chattanooga's D.K. Henry showed why she's one of the best in this league," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "She's a handful and she's an incredible attacking player. To be honest with you, I'm glad she's graduating, so we don't have to try to mark her anymore. I think she's one of the best who has come through the league."
Chattanooga's D.K. Henry paced her squad offensively Wednesday with seven shot attempts and set up the Mocs' lone goal of the match. On a run midway through the second half, Henry was fouled five yards outside of the box, which allowed Becca Smith to score her conference-leading 16th goal of the season in the 58th minute of play.
On Chattanooga's goal, Smith rifled a shot from 35 yards out into the top right corner of the net. Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead, even with her 6-foot-3 frame, was unable to reach the shot. It was the first goal that the Bulldogs have allowed since playing at Appalachian State on Oct. 14.
"We certainly would have liked to get a shutout tonight," Yelton said. "No one's been able to shut them out all year and that was one of the goals we had going into the match. We were able to rest a few of our players tonight and rotate them in and out more frequently, but I have to give full credit to Chattanooga. They didn't quit, they kept battling and from what I've seen that's what they've done it all year."
Samford's opponent in the first round of the 2011 SoCon Tournament was determined Wednesday as Western Carolina upended Appalachian State 1-0 to secure the No. 8 seed in the eight-team tournament. The Bulldogs are the top-seeded team and will host Western Carolina at 4 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday.
Earlier this season, Samford tallied a 1-0 victory against Western Carolina on the road in Cullowhee, N.C.
"I hope we're starting to peak a bit here with the tournament coming up, but I know we didn't necessarily play our best soccer tonight," said Yelton. "It was a bit ragged out there for us and Western Carolina will be a very tough test for us Sunday. They played us extremely hard last time and we were probably a bit fortunate to get out of there with a win."
In Wednesday's victory, Samford took an early 1-0 lead as Moll notched her fourth goal of the season in the 15th minute.
Moll, the Bulldogs' sophomore from Evansville, Ind., gathered a pass on the left flank, saw an opening in the middle of the field and then unloaded on a line-drive shot that hooked neatly into the right side of the net. Fellow sophomore Trine Taule picked up her team-leading fifth assist on the goal.
Nearly 12 minutes later, Samford's Matern scored a goal on a free kick from just outside the box on the left wing. At exactly 26:24, Matern's low shot bounced a few times and beat Chattanooga's goalkeeper Taylor Morgan to her left side. Several Bulldog players made runs through the goalkeeper's box and distracted Morgan from making the stop. The goal was Matern's second of the 2011 campaign.
Samford outshot Chattanooga, 17-5, in the first half. The Mocs played with a better intensity in the second period and limited the Bulldogs to only seven shot attempts. Samford closed out the match with 24 shots as compared to 11 for Chattanooga.
Late in Wednesday's contest, the Bulldogs' Whitehead made several of diving saves to keep the Mocs from equalizing the match at 2-2.
"Chattanooga certainly had opportunities to score there in the second half and in my mind Alyssa showed why she is one of the best goalkeepers in the country. The last 30 minutes of the match, she was extremely good for us."
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 4 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs host a first-round match in the 2011 SoCon Tournament versus the eighth-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
"I'm sure Sunday's match will be a tough test for us," Yelton said. "All you have to do is look at the scores from last season's first round. All of the matches were one-goal games and then we went to penalty kicks against Davidson. Nothing about the rest of the season will be easy. It will all be hard."