Furman 3, Clemson 2 (2 OT)

Clemson, S.C. -- Freshman Ali Simpson continued her magic touch on Sunday's scoring with 35 seconds to play in double overtime to lift Furman to a 3-2 victory over Clemson in the finale of the Carolinas' Cup on Sunday afternoon at Historic Riggs Field.

With under a minute to play in the second overtime period, Rachel Shelnutt drew a foul near the end line and India Robinson served a free kick to the back post that Simpson fired past Clemson keeper Lauren Arnold at the 109:25 mark to give the Paladins their third victory over the Tigers in their last four meetings. The goal also marked the second straight Sunday match-winner for Simpson who scored her first collegiate goal with 31 seconds remaining in last Sunday's 2-1 triumph over North Florida.

"I'm excited for our team," said Paladin head coach Andrew Burr. "They battled hard today and our backline and Jessica Smith did an outstanding job. Catie Moore was awesome in the middle of our defense."

Clemson, 5-2-0 on the season, went ahead in the 14th minute when Vanessa Laxgang beat her defender and scored on an assist from Rachel Hurd at 13:48. Furman equalized before the half as Anna Shea pounced on a loose ball in the box following a corner kick and deposited her shot to record her first goal as a Paladin at 31:24.

Furman, which improved to 4-3-0 with its third straight victory, took its first lead shortly after the 50-minute mark. Alyssa Althoff served a bouncing through ball that Hannah Stanifer volleyed past the keeper on a one-timer for her third tally of the year. The Tigers, however forced overtime on Liska Dobberstein's 86th minute goal.

Clemson dominated the majority of possession in the match and outshot Furman by a 21-7 margin while earning eight corner kicks to the Paladins two. Smith, a senior from Franklin, Tenn., notched six saves to help Furman secure the victory. The Tigers did not record a save as Furman scored on each of its three shots on goal.

The Paladins travel to Florida Atlantic next Friday before taking on Stetson in DeLand, Fla., on Sunday.

2011 Carolina's Cup All-Tournament Team
Danielle Au (South Carolina)
Kayla Grimsley (South Carolina)
Dani Henry (South Carolina)
Stacey Huddleston (Clemson)
Caitlin Hunter (UNC Wilmington)
Vanessa Laxgang (Clemson)
Catie Moore (Furman)
Maria Petroni (South Carolina)
Meagan Simeone (UNC Wilmington)
Ali Simpson (Furman)
Jessica Smith (Furman)
MVP - Dani Henry (South Carolina)

 

Chattanooga 1, Jacksonville State 0

BOILING, N.C. --- Despite scoring just one point at the Gardner-Webb Under Armour Border Classic, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior forward Donna-Kay Henry (Queens Village, N.Y.) was named the tournament MVP Sunday afternoon in Boiling Springs, N.C. The Mocs defeated Jacksonville State 1-0 to claim the tournament title and improved to 4-1-1 on the year.

Henry was fouled twice in the box over the weekend during scoring attempts including Sunday afternoon against the Gamecocks. Junior Becca Smith (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) stepped in to take the penalty kick on both infractions giving Chattanooga back-to-back wins.

"Other teams are always going after D.K.," UTC Head Coach J.D. Kyzer said. "She's a marked player. We're very fortunate to have Becca. She's a very good player to have take that shot. A penalty kick is a team goal. It's a team effort with team pressure. Everybody is pushing for it."

Also named to the all-tournament team was Smith who had three goals over the two-day tournament, doubling her total on the year, sophomore defender Andria Aurand (Hixson, Tenn.) and junior midfielder Lauren Wilson (Columbia, Tenn.)

In goal, sophomore Taylor Mangrum (Franklin, Tenn.) pulled in a career-high-tying 18 saves against Jacksonville State and took a lot of physical punishment while not giving up a single goal for her second shutout this year. The Gamecocks were issued three yellow cards in the game to the Mocs' one.

"Today was a physical game," Kyzer said. "We prepared hard for our game Friday against Stetson and got beat up a little there as well. We just had one day to rest and get ready for today. Pure guts got us through the game today. It was a complete team effort."

Freshman Crystal Mackezyk (Columbia, Tenn.) had a game-high seven shots on the day, three on goal while Smith had three shots and Henry contributed two of the Mocs' 15 shots.

"It's definitely a good start," Kyzer said of the 4-1-1 record. "We're not where we need to be, but we're getting there. We need to play smarter. If we can play like this in conference games, we'll take it, but we need to play smarter."

The Mocs return home to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule with a Friday night matchup with Alabama A&M at Finley Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff. Admission is always free to Chattanooga home soccer matches.

2011 UNDER ARMOUR BORDER CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Chattanooga
Donna Kay-Henry - MVP
Becca Smith
Andrea Aurand
Lauren Wilson

 

College of Charleston 2, Old Dominion 1

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Two goals from McCallie Jones were enough to lift the College of Charleston women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Old Dominion in the final game of the College of Charleston Cup at Patriots Point on Sunday afternoon.

CofC (4-3-0) claimed the result despite being taken slightly out of rhythm and a 9-8 shot advantage favoring ODU (2-4-1).

"The message in the locker room was to come out ready to play and come out on fire early," said head coach Christian Michner. "Especially on Sundays, the team that comes out with more intensity will have their foot on the gas right away and will take control of the game. We did that today and scored a great goal in the first minute and a half of the game.

"It's super important for teams that are battling to win their conference to be able to grind out victories. Our goal today was to win a game. 2-0 would have been better but we gave up the penalty kick there at the end. I'm proud of the team for grinding out a win. I always say that good teams find a way to win and today a good team found a way to win, albeit not by playing in our typical rhythm but we found a way to get it done and I'm proud of them for that."

Jones (Charlotte, N.C.) netted both goals on the day with Hope Atkinson (Rumson, N.J.), Hannah Gmerek (Piedmont, S.C.) and Sarah Cardamone (Downingtown, Pa.) all picking up assists.

Just one minute and seven seconds in, Jones scored on the first shot of the game when Atkinson played a ball through the air to the top of the box and Jones one-touch volleyed it into the upper-right corner of the net.

Jones struck again in the 77th minute when Cardamone played a corner kick nicely into the box where Gmerek headed it towards goal and Jones deflected it past the keeper.

The insurance goal would prove necessary as ODU was awarded a penalty kick after a CofC handball in the box in the 88th minute. Lisa Bernardini capitalized on the opportunity to cut the score to 2-1 but the Cougars' defense held in the final minutes to preserve the win.

Gmerek along with Katie Kerr (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Sarah Schaidle (Simpsonville, S.C.) represented CofC on the all-tournament team.

The Cougars take to the road to face No. 10 Duke on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. before returning home to open the Southern Conference slate against Appalachian State on Friday, Sept. 23.

"Duke will be a tremendous chance for our team to step out against one of the top teams in the country," said Michner. "They're playing better than any team in the country at this point and have really taken some opponents apart this year so we'll have our work cut out for us. We're really looking forward to the opportunity to go to Duke and lace up our boots just like they do and have a go and see what happens."

All-Tournament Team
Kristina Utley (Cincinnati)
Jazmine Rhodes (Cincinnati)
Emily Hebbeler (Cincinnati)
Mackenzie Grause (Cincinnati)
Katie Kerr (College of Charleston)
Hannah Gmerek (College of Charleston)
Sarah Schaidle (College of Charleston)
Tori Diersen (Old Dominion)
Victoria Johnson (Old Dominion)
Christina Stern (Coastal Carolina)
Cisca Okoko (Coastal Carolina)

 

Western Carolina 4, Winthrop 0

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's soccer (4-1-1) recorded its second consecutive shutout with a 4-0 blanking of visiting Winthrop (2-4) Sunday at the Catamount Athletic Complex.

With the win, the Catamounts have won four out of its last five matches, with a tie against Cincinnati mixed in. Western Carolina has also scored 13 goals in that five match span.

Western Carolina and Winthrop played a tight match for the first 30 plus minutes, with neither team getting a score. The Catamounts held the Eagles without a shot for almost 35 minutes in the first period while the Catamounts had seven shots before it got its first score.

It was an apropos substation that led to Western Carolina's first goal. Head Coach Chad Miller subbed in the tenacious Laura Greb, who scored 14 minutes after being subbed in. The Winthrop goalie Sarah Schippers came out from goal and Greb made her pay as she scored from the left side from 15 yards out as it sailed into the right side of the goal. It was Greb's second goal of the season.

With three minutes left in the first period, Western Carolina tacked on a second goal before the half. Sophomore Christine Kaznowski scored her first goal of the season, one of three players to score their first goal in the match, at the 42:22 minute mark. Kaznowski's unassisted goal was from the left side, 10 yards out.

At the half, Western Carolina had only allowed Winthrop one shot in the match.

Freshman Tara Budnick scored the third goal of the match for Western Carolina off an assist by Madison Lee, at 50:15 in the second period. Katie Salmons notched the final goal of the match, at 78:55, off an assist by Kayla Sedgley.

Western Carolina took a season-high 16 shots in the match and only allowed Winthrop four shots, three of those in the second half. The shutout by WCU was also the second on the year by Catamount goalie Katie Jacobs.

Western Carolina returns to action on September 16 at the UNC Wilmington Tournament. The Catamounts face Richmond at 5 p.m. Friday and host UNCW Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

 

Wofford 1, Francis Marion 0

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Redshirt freshman Maureen Buff's goal in the opening minute of the second half led the Wofford Terriers to a 1-0 victory over Francis Marion Sunday afternoon at Snyder Field. The Terriers improve to 6-0-0 overall, while the Patriots fall to 3-4-1 on the season.

Buff was able to break past FMU defenders, sending a shot toward the goal from just over 20 yards away. The ball bent past the outstretched hands of Francis Marion keeper Lauren Vetock to find the back left corner of the net. The goal was the second of the season for the Lilburn, Ga. native.

Play was even throughout the first 45 minutes of action, as Wofford held a slim margin in shots (4-3) and corner kicks (2-1) over the Patriots, yet neither team was able to score.

In the second half, Francis Marion outshot the Terriers by an 8-3 margin, putting three shots on goal in the closing minutes of the half, trying to produce the game-tying goal, yet the Patriots were unable to put the ball past Wofford keeper Erika Christensen.

Christensen earned the win for Wofford, picking up four saves while facing 11 shots. Vetock got the loss for FMU, producing two saves while facing seven shots.

Wofford will have the following week off, returning to action on Friday, September 23rd as they host Georgia Southern to open Southern Conference play. The match is set for a 7:00 p.m. start time at Snyder Field.

 

Appalachian State 1, UNC Asheville 0

BOONE, N.C. - Katy Dodd's goal in the 71st minute lifted the Appalachian State Women's Soccer team to a 1-0 victory over UNC Asheville on Sunday, Sept. 11 at ASU Soccer Stadium.

Dodd (Apex, N.C./Apex) scored the lone goal of the match after picking up a through-ball from Hannah Coad (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity) and dribbling past Bulldog goalkeeper Heather Muller before firing a shot into an open net from six yards out for the score.

The Mountaineers (3-3-0) picked up their second-straight victory after defeating Longwood in double-overtime earlier this week. UNCA (0-6-0) remained winless on the season.

"We always tell our kids that we don't play for ourselves," said head coach Sarah Strickland. "We remind them all the time that we play for something bigger than ourselves. The events of this week shook everybody and its one of those times where you take a step back and really put everything in perspective."

The Bulldogs started the match with a flurry of shots in the first 10 minutes but were unable to put a shot on target until the 15:47 mark when Mountaineer goalkeeper Amy Kolowsky (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) came up with her first save of the contest.

The Apps saw their best first-half scoring opportunity turned away when Leah Drawdy's shot on goal was stopped by Muller. Drawdy (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson) took a shot from just inside the penalty area at the 37:07 mark, but the Muller stepped in front to preserve a scoreless game.

"I thought we created a lot of opportunities," said Strickland. "We struggled a little bit in the first half to get good looks. I thought we were a step off but UNC Asheville did a great job and worked very hard themselves to prevent those chances."

Appalachian would have another great chance in the 50th minute when Julia Holz (Marietta, Ga./Walton) put a header on target before a Bulldog defender stepped in front to clear it off the line.

Dodd's goal would come nearly 20 minutes later when the Mountaineers found themselves on a counter attack in UNCA territory. Coad sent a long pass towards the penalty area and Dodd dribble around the goalkeeper for the easy goal.

"I've got to give all the credit to Hannah on the goal," said Dodd. "She played a great ball and made it very easy for me. I just wanted to come in and make a difference today."

The goal was Dodd's first of the season and seventh of her career. The assist from Coad marked her first career assist and first points of the 2011 season.

Kolowsky (3-3-0) picked up the win by stopping four shots in her second-straight shutout effort. Muller made six saves for the Bulldogs as the Apps out shot UNCA by a 17-13 margin, including an 8-4 edge in shots on goal.

"We're very strong defensively," said Kolowsky. "Even though we have some young players back there we've done a good job of grasping the defensive mentality."

ASU was awarded four corners in the match to UNCA's two and both teams committed eight fouls. The Mountaineers return to action at Virginia Tech on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET.

 

No. 6/10 Duke 2, UNCG 0

DURHAM, N.C. - UNCG's women's soccer team completed play at the Duke Nike Classic on Sunday, falling 2-0 to the No. 6/10 host Blue Devils at Koskinen Stadium.

Spartan keeper Kelsey Kearney and defender Stephanie Partenheimer were named to the all-tournament team as UNCG (1-5) hung with the top-10 Blue Devils (7-1) and No. 1 North Carolina in its two contests at the classic.

The Spartans got solid performances from its entire defensive unit over the weekend, with Tinna Bergthorsdottir, Casey Godwin and Lauren Lover teaming with Kearney and Partenheimer to limit the two national powerhouse programs to a combined four goals, including scoreless halves against both of them.

"I am very excited about what our back line was able to achieve this weekend against two top-10 teams," UNCG coach Steve Nugent said.

UNCG kept Duke, ranked No. 6 by Soccer America and No. 10 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Top 25, off the board in the first half as the teams entered halftime locked in a scoreless duel.

The Blue Devils finally broke through in the 68th minute as tournament MVP Kaitlyn Kerr notched her third goal of the season off passes from Alex Straton and Libby Jandl. Kerr's floater from 25 yards out snuck into the upper left 90 past the outreached arms of a leaping Kearney.

Duke added an insurance score in the 86th minute, with Erin Koballa converting a Kelly Cobb pass for her first career goal.

Kristin Player had UNCG's only shot of the afternoon, as the Spartans put together a nice sequence of passes to get Player free in the 18th minute. Her attempt forced Duke keeper Tara Campbell's only save of the day.

UNCG had another solid scoring chance when Ashley Stokes sent a pass in from the wing for Ashlee Wilhelmsen, but the Spartans could not get a shot off.

The Blue Devils, who had a shot go off the post in the 21st minute and saw a UNCG defender clear a ball off the line in the 74th, outshot UNCG 24-1. Kearney rose to the challenge, making 10 saves to match the career high she set against Stanford in 2008.

"We've gone into every game in the nonconference knowing that we have a chance to beat teams in the ACC because we have Kelsey in goal," Nugent said. "Kelsey just gives us a chance to win every game. Today was no different. All the credit to them. They kept plugging away. They grinded it out today, so give Duke a lot of credit. They found a way to win."

All five teams that UNCG has lost to this season currently appear in the top 25 of at least one national poll. The Spartans opened the season with a loss against unranked Virginia Tech, which has since entered the national rankings, and has lost to No. 1 North Carolina, No. 14 Wake Forest and No. 23 Tennessee.

UNCG returns to action Friday when it hosts Nugent's previous team, Georgia, at the UNCG Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m. Nugent was an assistant for the Bulldogs before coming to UNCG.

2011 Duke Nike Classic All-Tournament Team
Crystal Dunn (UNC)
Chelsea Jones (Texas A&M)
Kelly Cobb (Duke)
Amber Brooks (UNC)
Kelsey Kearney (UNCG)
Natasha Anasi (Duke)
Merritt Mathias (Texas A&M)
Stephanie Partenheimer (UNCG)
Meghan Streight (Texas A&M)
Courtney Jones (UNC)
Erin Koballa (Duke)
MVP - Kaitlyn Kerr (Duke)

 

Charleston Southern 2, Georgia Southern 1

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - Georgia Southern Women's Soccer fell, 2-1, at Charleston Southern in overtime on Sunday, September 11th. The Eagles fall to 1-4-1 this season and are return home on Friday, September 16th, to face USC Upstate.

Charleston Southern's Alison Lewis drew first blood in the fifth minute with a long-range goal. The unassisted effort was her first of the season and gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead.

Senior Sara Oland (Evans, Ga.) brought the Eagles level in the 20th minute after missing a pair of shots earlier in the period. The forward took advantage of an error by the Charleston Southern goalkeeper and scored the goal off a loose rebound.

A scoreless second half sent the match to overtime where it was won in the 100th minute off the second goal of the match by Lewis.

The Eagles outshot Charleston Southern, 14-12 and placed eight shots on goal to the Buccaneers' four. Georgia Southern used two goalkeepers for the first time in the 2011 season. Sophomore Katie Merson (Albuquerque, N.M.) started and went the first 9:34 before being replaced by Kailey Kiefus (North Tustin, Calif.) worked the final 95:26 and made one save to open her career with the Eagles.

Georgia Southern returns home for a non-conference showdown against USC Upstate on Friday, September 16th, at 4 p.m. The match at Eagle Field is the final tune-up before SoCon play begins on September 23rd at Wofford.

 

Navy 1, Davidson 0 (OT)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Davidson Wildcats' backline gave an excellent defensive effort and freshman goalkeeper Rachel Locke made some outstanding saves in her first career start, but Navy broke through five minutes into overtime to score a 1-0 win at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in women's soccer on Sunday afternoon.

Navy (5-2-1) captured the tournament title in its own tournament, while Locke, defender Meg Sanborn and forward Stephanie Piperno were named to the all-tournament team for Davidson. Piperno scored twice on Friday in the ‘Cats win over George Washington.

The Wildcats' (2-4-1) defense never backed down all afternoon against the aggressive and speedy Navy Mids as they helped Davidson force overtime. Junior Rachel Barnett nearly sent the Wildcat faithful home victorious when she had a breakaway three minutes into overtime. Barnett tracked down the long through ball, but had it deflected away by a Navy defender halting the Wildcat threat.

Then two minutes later in overtime, the Mids were on the attack when Locke stretched out and made a diving stop on a shot. Navy lined up for its 10th corner kick of the game and as Davidson's defense tried to clear the ball after the kick, it went to Navy's Rachel Hunter, who gathered in the loose ball and fired a shot from the near sideline that found the back of the net at 94:52 mark for the game-winner.

Locke finished with five saves on the afternoon. Besides her diving stop in overtime, the freshman's other biggest save of the afternoon came in the latter stages of the second half. Navy had pushed the ball into the 18-yard box and were able to get a point-blank shot off, but Locke was there to stop it on a dive with her body and minimize the damage.

In regulation, both teams played scoreless ball as Davidson's defense held strong. Navy, which had 21 shots for the game, controlled possession the majority of time, but Davidson's backline of Rachel Stelter, Sophie Newsom, Louise Timboe, Sanborn and Julie Calhoun along with Locke in goal held their own against the aggressive Mids.

The ‘Cats finished with just four shots, putting one of them on goal by Barnett.

Davidson returns home for Sunday affair with cross-county rival Charlotte at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18 at Alumni Stadium.