Western Carolina 2, Murray State 1
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Carolina sophomore Kayla Sedgley scored the winning goal, in the final 20 seconds of the match, against Murray State (0-2) to give the Catamounts (1-1) a 2-1 victory over the Racers Sunday at the WKU Tournament.
Sedgley knocked in a cross close to the box from freshman Madison Lee to secure the win for the Catamounts and avoid what would have been the team's second consecutive overtime match. The game-winning goal, by Sedgley, is the second of her career.
All the scoring occurred in the second period, after a scoreless first period. Western Carolina got on the board first five minutes into the second period.
At the 50:34 mark, Kayla Beauduy's goal was the first of the match for either team. It was also the first goal scored by Beauduy since the 2008, after sitting out last season due to an injury. Beauduy scored on a cross as well, from junior Laura Greb, inside the box.
Six minutes later, at the 56:33 mark, Murray State answered with a goal of its own to tie the match at 1-1. Julie Mooney took a loose ball and kicked it in for an unassisted goal.
Western Carolina again showed its strong defensive play, being outshot for the second time in as many games, but only giving up two goals. Murray State outshot the Catamounts 17-10.
Beauduy, Sedgley and Christine Kaznowski each had two shots in the match. Redshirt junior goalie Katie Jacobs improves to 1-1 on the youthful season, as she allowed one goal and had six saves.
Western Carolina will host its opening home match of the season on Thursday, August 25, against the University of North Florida. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
Elon 0, VCU 0 (2 OT)
ELON, N.C. - The Elon University women's soccer team battled for 110 minutes on Sunday afternoon, August 21, against the VCU Rams at Rudd Field, but solid defense on both sides paved the way for a scoreless draw in the season opener for the Phoenix. Elon moves to 0-0-1 on the year, while VCU's record goes to 0-1-1.
"I'm pleased with the effort of our team today against a very good VCU team," said Elon head coach Chris Neal. "If today was any indication of the heart, discipline and fight our team is going to put forth throughout the season, good things are going to happen. Although we didn't generate a ton of offense, we had several quality opportunities on goal and if we continue to do that we'll be in good shape."
The Phoenix had two opportunities to score the match's first goal early the opening frame, but came up just short. Sophomore Olivia Mackey missed wide left on a header off a great cross from rookie Marissa Russo in the 11th minute of the match. A Chelsey Stark strike in the center of the goal in front of VCU keeper Kristin Carden sailed high just over the goal in the 17th minute.
The Rams out-shot the Phoenix 7-2 in the first 45 minutes and claimed a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Virginia Commonwealth nearly got on the scoreboard in the 50th minute of the match when Brieiana White had an open look at the right corner of the goal, but a diving stop by rookie goalkeeper Kate Murphy stymied the Rams' attack and kept the match scoreless.
Preseason all-conference selection Andrea Keller helped to keep the match scoreless late in the second half after clearing a shot near the net by VCU's Heather Hovanesian.
The Phoenix nearly got on the board in the 88th minute when a Simi Dhaliwal strike landed in the back of the net behind Carden, but the sophomore was called offsides and the match remained scoreless and eventually went into overtime.
In the first overtime, Rebecca Haislip from VCU registered the only shot, but Murphy came up with the save to keep it knotted at zero and send the match into a second overtime.
Elon registered its third shot of the game, and first since early in the first half, in the 108th minute after Catherine Brinkman, celebrating her 19th birthday, had an open look at the net, but Carden came up with the save and put an end to the Phoenix's threat.
The Rams out-shot the Phoenix 18-3 in the draw, but the Elon defense limited VCU's chances on-goal and a combined nine-save effort inside the posts from Shannon Cosgrove and Murphy proved to be the difference. Cosgrove tallied two saves 45 minutes in the draw, while Murphy totaled five saves in 65 minutes in her first collegiate competition.
The Rams took a total of 11 corner kicks compared to Elon's seven.
Elon returns to action on Thursday, August 25, when it hosts Longwood at 7 p.m. at Rudd Field.
Vanderbilt 1, Furman 0
Greenville, S.C. -- Vanderbilt used an own goal in the 84th minute to edge Furman, 1-0, in women's soccer action on Sunday afternoon at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex in Nashville, Tenn.
With less than seven minutes remaining in regulation, Vanderbilt's Abby Carr dribbled down the right side to the end line and played a cross towards the penalty spot. In an attempt to keep the ball away from the Commodores' Claire Romaine, Furman's Irravadee Makris made a sliding play on the ball only to deflect the cross inside the near post for the lone goal of the match.
"It was a big challenge for us to open the season with back-to-back games against SEC opponents," said Furman head coach Andrew Burr. "We struggled this weekend to put two halves together. I thought we created some good chances in the second half today, but we were unlucky to give up the goal."
Furman threatened early in the first half as defender Catie Moore rattled the cross bar with a shot in the opening minutes, but Vanderbilt took control of the opening 45 minutes after that by forcing Smith into five saves and outshooting the Paladins 14-3. In the second half, Furman began to pressure Levick and the Commodores' defense as freshman Hannah Stanifer forced the Vanderbilt keeper into a pair of saves before the deflection gave the lead to the home side.
The own goal spoiled an eight-save effort from Paladin keeper Jessica Smith who kept the match deadlocked until the final minutes. Levick managed two saves to earn the shutout for the Commodores.
Vanderbilt finished with a 20-7 edge in shots and 9-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Furman returns home to host Presbyterian College on Friday at Stone Soccer Stadium. Kickoff against the Blue Hose is set for 7 p.m.
Alabama 2, Samford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University soccer team scored a second-half goal and outshot the Alabama Crimson Tide in the final 45 minutes of play Sunday, but couldn't overcome an early 2-0 deficit at home in a 2-1 loss held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. Alabama's Laura Lee Smith tallied a pair of goals in the opening half, while the Bulldogs' Sarah Wilkinson notched her second-half score during the 53rd minute.
"Our slow start was my fault," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We sat in too much and we should have been pressing them more. I got it wrong tactically, so the responsibility has to be on me. In the second half, I thought we were the better side. We came close to leveling the game, but you know it's a 90 minute game and not a 45 minute game."
Samford (1-1) allowed its first goal of the 2011 campaign in the 15th minute of Sunday's contest as Smith tallied a score at exactly 14:30. On the goal, which was her second of the season and her first of the match, Smith fired home a deflected shot from five yards out.
Smith, the Crimson Tide's true freshman from Jackson, Miss., was in the right place at the right time as Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead stopped Lindsey Sillers' shot, but the ball bounded directly back to Smith for the put-back. Sillers was awarded with an assist on the play.
Less than five minutes later, Alabama (2-0) used the same combination to register its second goal of the evening.
At 19:15, Sillers sent a crossing pass from the right side of the field into the box at approximately the eight-yard mark where Smith headed a shot into the corner of the net. The goal, Smith's second of the match and her third of the season, gave the Crimson Tide an early 2-0 advantage. Sillers' assist was her second of the 2011 campaign.
"At the end of the day, Alabama had all of the play of it in the first half and they were able to score two goals," Yelton said. "We had a significant amount of the play in the second half, but we were only able to get one goal, so at the end of the day it just wasn't good enough."
Samford was outshot in the first half by a total of 14-1 and trailed at the intermission by a score of 2-0.
Despite their lackluster play in the opening period, the Bulldogs bounced back in the second half and outperformed their counterparts from the Southeastern Conference.
Samford outshot Alabama 9-8 in the final 45 minutes of play and dominated the Crimson Tide in corner kicks 8-2.
The turning point of Sunday's match occurred in the 53rd minute of play when the Bulldogs' Wilkinson headed home Samford's goal to trim Alabama's lead to 2-1 with 37 minutes to play.
From that point on, the Bulldogs played with an extra level of enthusiasm and spent a predominant portion of the second half on the Crimson Tide's half of the field.
"I talked to our players at halftime and I told them that the first 45 minutes were behind us and that we still had 45 more minutes to play," said Yelton. "I was really happy with the way the players responded to the challenge. On the goal, Weathington whipped in a great ball and Sarah finished it. I thought we were going to get another one there in the next five to 10 minutes, but it didn't materialize. No matter what, I think we can build off the second half for sure."
Samford senior Shannon Weathington sent in the crossing pass to assist on Wilkinson's second-half score. The assist was Weathington's second of the young 2011 season.
For the second straight match, Samford true freshman Amanda Abbott led the team in shot attempts with three. Junior defender Sabbath McKiernan-Allen followed with two.
Whitehead, the Bulldogs' All-Southern Conference performer from Hattiesburg, Miss., tallied a season-high eight saves Sunday. She was one of seven Samford players to log all 90 minutes on the field against the Crimson Tide.
Alabama remained undefeated on the season after opening its 2011 schedule with a dominant 7-1 performance against Kennesaw State on Friday.
"Todd (Bramble) has his team playing really well and Molly (Atherton) is a handful in the center of the park," said Yelton. "Laura Lee (Smith) is an extremely physical player who scored a big header tonight. Alabama is a quality side and I think they will do really well this season. Right now, we just need to turn our attention to UAB for Friday night."
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs square off against the UAB Blazers in a cross-town rivalry match to be held at West Campus Field.
Army 1, Appalachian State 0
BOONE, N.C.-In her collegiate debut, Appalachian State goalie Amy Kolowsky (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) made a valiant effort in goal, but a penalty late in regulation made the difference, as ASU fell, 1-0, to the United States Military Academy at ASU Soccer Stadium on Sunday. The Mountaineers' season opening loss pegs them at 0-1-0 on the year, while Army improves to 1-1-0.
The Black Knights, 2010 Patriot League regular-season co-champions, were the nation's leaders in save percentage and shutouts last season. Their stingy defense proved formidable for the Mountaineers, as the Black Knights allowed just six shots in the game.
At her end, Kolowsky did an excellent job fending-off the West Point attack, making seven saves on the day.
Appalachian's best chance came in the 85th minute. With time winding down, Jordan Horvath (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser) fired a high shot that seemed destined for success, but Army keeper Monica Lee caught enough of the ball to deflect it off the crossbar and out of play. Lee would finish the match with five saves.
In the closing seconds of regulation, Army's Joey Molacek broke loose on a run towards her goal but was tripped up in the penalty area. Molacek put away her penalty kick in the 89th minute to give the Black Knights their first goal of the season.
After the game, coach Sarah Strickland focused on the positives of the game. "The team played hard and kept things organized. We did well as a group, and a few individuals stepped up their game. Hannah Coad (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity) did great, and Julia Holz (Marietta, Ga./Walton) came off the bench and carried the team. Amy Werdine (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant) and Mimi Kleitches (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) were strong in the backfield. Amy [Kolowsky] made some great saves and deflections in her debut and showcased herself as a strong keeper."
The Mountaineers next travel to Richmond, Va. for this year's VCU Tournament. The Black and Gold will face William & Mary on Fri., Aug. 26, and VCU on Sun., Aug. 28.
Appalachian returns to ASU Stadium for its next home game on Fri., Sept. 2, against Clemson at 7 p.m.
Austin Peay 4, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Austin Peay's Tatiana Ariza touched the ball on all four goals to spoil the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's home opener, downing the Mocs 4-0 at Finley Stadium Sunday afternoon. The Lady Govs improve to 2-0 on the year while Chattanooga evens its record at 1-1.
Despite only taking two shots in the first half, the Lady Govs came away with a 1-0 lead at the break on a penalty kick from Tatiana Ariza at the 38:27 mark.
"We controlled the first half," UTC Head Coach J.D. Kyzer said. "We had four one-on-ones with their goalie in the first half, but we failed to take advantage of it. We have to capitalize on things like that. If we do, then it's a 4-0 lead for us at halftime and they're on their heels."
In the second half, the Lady Govs went up by two goals on a shot from Claire Pultz who received a pass from Tatiana Ariza who had a touch on all four goals. In the 55th minute, Ariza got off a pass from the left side to a streaking Pultz who received the pass right in front of the goal to put APSU up 2-0.
After that, the Mocs pushed forward a bit, playing more aggressive. As Tatiana Ariza raced toward the goal for the shot, Chattanooga keeper sophomore Taylor Mangrum (Franklin, Tenn.) charged out from the net to make the stop, but deflected the ball. A UTC defender in front of the goal failed to clear it out and Emily Perkins was there for Austin Peay scoring the third goal at the 71:51 mark.
The final goal was similar as Andy Quiceno came in from the right and was stopped by an aggressive Mangrum. However, Mangrum was unable to pull the ball in and the deflection fed right to Tatiana Ariza's foot for the easy score to put APSU up 4-0 in the 82nd minute. Tatiana and her sister Natalia are from Columbia and have just concluded play with the Columbian national team.
"Despite winning Friday, we didn't play as well as we would like to, but with such a short turnaround we were unable to correct our mistakes," Kyzer said. "We have a week before our next game, so we can go to the classroom, watch the video and talk about what needs to be fixed and how to do it.
"I know this sounds wrong with a 4-0 loss, but if we'd played the way we did Friday night, then this game could have been ugly."
UTC senior Donna-Kay Henry (Queens Village, N.Y.) led all Mocs with three shots with two each from juniors Kelsey Swann (Hixson, Tenn.) and Becca Smith (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). Mangrum managed six saves of the 10 shots on goal from the Lady Govs.
Chattanooga will remain at home to host Gardner-Webb Sunday at 1 p.m. at Finley Stadium. Admission is free to all Chattanooga home soccer games.