The Citadel 2, Winthrop 1
Charleston, S.C. - Sophomore Mariana Garcia's goal in the 81st minute was the decider as the Bulldogs took down Winthrop, 2-1, in the home-opener on Thursday afternoon at WLI Field. The win evens The Citadel's record at 1-1 on the season.
The Eagles came out of the gate as Krystyna Freda fired two shots, wide right, in the first two minutes of the contest. The Bulldogs settled in and kept Winthrop goalie Sarah Schippers busy for the remainder of the first half, taking the next ten shots, including a goal in the 41st minute by senior captain Amy Loughran, who entered the game in the 30th minute.
"It was nice to get back on the home field today and put all injuries aside. To score the first home goal was definitely a great feeling," said Loughran who is coming off a leg injury that cut her 2010 season short.
Both teams struggled to start the first half as Winthrop and The Citadel recorded a combined 13 fouls in the first 13 minutes. After the dust settled, the teams exchanged shots throughout the next 15 minutes of play. Sophomore Vanessa Aponte, who finished with a game-high five shots, drilled a 40-yard foul shot in the 64th minute that soared just high of the cross-bar. The Eagles kept control of the ball for the ensuing seven minutes in Bulldog territory landing two shots on goal that were scooped up by senior goalkeeper Laura Serafino.
Serafino, with the help of senior defenders Hannah Warne, Leah Hawkins and Shanna Couch, kept the Eagles scoreless until the 71st minute when junior midfielder Ariel Kunde came off the bench to net the equalizer.
The Citadel hunkered down after the goal to maintain a few possessions on Winthrop's side of the field. The game remained a stalemate until an 81st minute corner kick from sophomore Ruth Leiva deflected off the goalie and onto the foot of Garcia who dropped in her first goal of the young 2011 season.
The Bulldogs staved off the Eagles for the final ten minutes of the game to record their first victory of the season.
"Defending our home turf in season is crucial, so today was a great way to start. Although we did not put forth our best effort, we dug in and came back for the win," added Loughran.
The soccer team will continue action next weekend during The Citadel Nike Invitational where they will take on USC Upstate (Sept. 2 at 5 p.m.) and Navy (Sept. 4 at noon) on WLI Field.
Elon 1, Longwood 0
ELON, N.C. - Junior Jaclyn Wood's goal in the 60th minute and a stingy effort on defense by the Phoenix helped the Elon women's soccer team to its first win of the season in a 1-0 shutout of Longwood on Thursday night, August 25, at Rudd Field.
Following a scoreless first half, Wood put the Phoenix on the scoreboard for the first time of the season in the 60th minute after blasting home a shot from the center of the goal into the back right corner following a great pass by Catherine Brinkman give the Phoenix the lead.
It was all Elon from there, as the maroon and gold defense gave the Lancers (1-1-1) limited opportunities to tie the match for the remainder of the contest to preserve the win and improve to 1-0-1 on the year.
"Our team executed with clinical precision tonight and stuck to the game plan for all 90 minutes. Longwood is a very good team and will undoubtedly get its fair share of wins this season," said Elon head women's soccer coach Chris Neal. "We were able to control the tempo and therefore control the game.
[Jaclyn] Wood worked hard all throughout the spring and into camp this fall on her striking and it's a great example of a player doing a little bit extra to be great. I'm so happy she was rewarded for that tonight and it really is a nice success story."
Elon had limited opportunities on offense in the opening frame, taking only three shots in the first 45 minutes. Sophomore forward Chelsey Stark just missed netting the match's first goal in the 24th minute after heading a Brinkman cross just over the net.
Brinkman nearly put the Phoenix on the board in the 55th minute, but her shot sailed just over the net and Longwood goalie Kyra Byron.
But Wood put Elon on the board in the 60th minute after landing a strike in the back right corner of the net following a blocked shot and a pass by Brinkman to give Elon the lead with 30 minutes to play.
Elon limited Longwood to just three shots over the next 30 minutes to hold on for the win. Both teams registered a total of seven shots, but the Phoenix defense held Longwood to zero shots on goal. The Lancers held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Elon goalies Shannon Cosgrove and Kate Murphy each played 45 minutes between the posts tonight, but saw limited action from the Longwood offense with a great effort by the Elon defense.
The Phoenix returns to action on Sunday, August 28, for its first road test of the season against the Virginia Tech Hokies. The match is set for 6 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va.
Western Carolina 3, North Florida 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's soccer (2-1-0) defeated the University of North Florida 3-1 (1-1-1), in its home opener, Thursday night at the Catamount Soccer Complex.
The Catamounts were coming off an impressive 1-1 record at the Western Kentucky Tournament last weekend. The Osprey were entering the match with a tie against UNC Charlotte, a team that was picked second in the Atlantic Sun Conference, and has won a share of the conference title the last five years.
Head Coach Chad Miller was looking to see how his youthful team, chocked full of 18 freshmen and just one senior, would handle the home opener against a strong opponent. He got his answer 16 minutes into the game.
Junior forward Laura Greb got the Catamounts on the scoreboard early, scoring at the 16:23. Greb's shot, inside the box, sailed past the UNF goalie off the assist by Samantha Hodge.
Both teams buckled down on defense in the ensuring minutes after the WCU goal. However, North Florida caught a break, and their fortune, allowed the match to be scored at the half.
North Florida's Denisse Soltero picked up a shot and hit it toward the goal, the ball bounced off the cross bar and into the goal.
A pair of freshmen gave Western Carolina the lead, at 64:13 in the second period. A scrum in front of the goal, off a corner kick, had a mass of Catamounts and Osprey inside the box near the UNF goal. Kimberly Sullivan, off an assist by Madison Lee, just skimmed her foot on the ball, in all the madness saw the ball go in on the left side.
Redshirt junior Kayla Beauduy got the insurance goal for Western Carolina at the 71:11 minute mark. It was Beauduy's second goal in as many games. She now has two goals and one assist to start the season.
Neither team got many looks at the goal. Western Carolina had eight shots and UNF recorded nine.
Western Carolina will have almost a week off before it returns to action on September 2 at Cincinnati. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
Mercer 2, Georgia Southern 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Women's Soccer was unable to make the most of its chances on Thursday afternoon (August 25th) in the 2011 home opener against Mercer, falling 2-0 to the Bears at Eagle Field. The Eagles fall to 0-2-0 on the season while Mercer improves to 2-0-0 on the year.
Mercer put its best foot forward, scoring in the ninth minute off a corner kick. The ball was played to the center of the box and brought to the carpet where Patricia-Anne Upson scored from three yards in front of net.
The match was plated in the central third of the pitch for a true midfield battle. Georgia Southern logged five shots with freshman Sydnie Van Curen (Rincon, Ga.) taking two while junior transfer Christine Watts (Duluth, Ga.) also posted two attempts with one on frame.
The Bears added a second goal in the waning minutes off a shot from Olivia Tucker at the penalty spot. She received a cross from Nadja Kolliesuah, who assisted on the play. The goal gave Mercer a 2-0 lead which would be good enough for the final result.
Both team's goalkeepers were relatively untroubled with one official save to each team. The Eagles Katie Merson (Albuquerque, N.M.) worked all 90 minutes and saw 15 total Mercer shots.
Georgia Southern trailed 6-2 in the corners battle and committed 14 fouls to Mercer's six. The Eagles were flagged offsides twice in the match as well.
Head Coach Lindsey Vanderspiegel's Eagles return to action on Sunday against Coastal Carolina. The match, previously scheduled for Saturday afternoon, will be postponed by a day due to the effects of Hurricane Irene.