College of Charleston 3, Western Carolina 2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston took down Western Carolina with a 3-2 decision in Southern Conference action on Sunday afternoon at Patriots Point.
The win improves CofC to 6-4-0 (2-0-0 SoCon) and WCU falls to 6-3-1 (1-1-0 SoCon) on the year.
CofC jumped on the Catamounts early and took a three-goal lead into the locker room. WCU would take two back in the second half but the Cougars held on to preserve the win and remain without a blemish in the SoCon.
"It was a typical Sunday Southern Conference match," said head coach Christian Michner. "Fatigue generally sets in a bit quicker after going 90 minutes on Friday night and then again on Sunday. I think our girls came out prepared and from the opening whistle made a statement to Western which said we were ready to go.
"As the match wore on and we got up to three goals I think we might have gone on cruise control a little bit and let them back into the match but were happy to preserve the win."
The Cougars struck right away with a goal just 29 seconds into the match. Sarah Schaidle (Simpsonville, S.C.) slipped a pass to Maryam Buazza (Katy, Texas) and charged into the box off the ball before Buazza one-touched it back to her and Schaidle scored to the top-left corner of the goal.
The teams were silent for the next 30 minutes of game clock until the Cougars added a second mark in the 33rd minute. Allison Truitt (Greenville, S.C.) sent a long ball up from the back line where Francesca Kentimenos (Stony Point, N.Y.) ran it down just before it crossed the Catamounts' endline. Kentimenos made one dribble back from the line and fired a shot from an almost-zero angle which ricocheted off the far post and into the back of the net.
In the 44th minute, the Cougars replicated that effort with Haley Hutchens (Irmo, S.C.) sending a long ball up to Megan Hilbert (Apex, N.C.) who scored from the same spot Kentimenos did moments earlier.
The Catamounts got their first shot on goal in the final minute of the first half but CofC keeper Taylor Avery (Clifton, Va.) wasn't troubled by the effort.
Rain started to fall at halftime and the Catamounts got on the board early in the second period with a 49th minute mark for Laura Greb who was set up by Caitlyn Bradham on the play.
The rain seemed to benefit Western Carolina who spent the majority of the second half pinning the Cougars in their own defensive third of the field. A quality chance was denied in the 74th minute when Kayla Beauduy got freed up in front of the goal but Avery thwarted her shot and rebound effort with a pair of fine saves.
WCU would get one more goal, however, on a penalty kick taken by Samantha Hodge in the 78th minute.
The Cougars continue SoCon play next weekend with a long road trip to play matches at Samford and Chattanooga. The Samford contest is on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. and the Chattanooga match will be on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.
Davidson 3, Wofford 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Two first half goals by Davidson's Becca Fisher were too much for the Wofford women's soccer team to overcome, as the Terriers fell to the Wildcats by a 3-1 score Sunday afternoon at Snyder Field. Wofford falls to 7-1-0 overall, 1-1-0 in SoCon play, while Davidson improves to 3-5-2 overall, 1-1-0 in league play.
Fisher scored her first goal of the afternoon in the 2nd minute of play, putting the ball in the back right corner of the net following a pass by Stephanie Piperno.
Fisher's second goal came in the 45th minute, as she sent a shot from the top of the box into the back left corner of the net out of the reach of Wofford keeper Erika Christensen.
In the 54th minute, Davidson's Rachael Newmister scored following a free kick by Rachel Stelter to put the score at 3-0.
The Terriers got on the board in the 85th minute, as Emily Bougas scored her ninth goal of the season, taking a shot from the left side of the box, putting it into the back right corner of the net past Davidson keeper Rachel Locke.
Locke took the win for the Wildcats, tallying two saves while facing nine shots. Christensen got her first loss of the season, earning three saves while facing a total of 13 shots.
Wofford will hit the road for their next contest, facing Western Carolina this Friday in the first of a three-match road swing. The match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start time in Cullowhee, N.C.
Furman 4, Georgia Southern 1
Greenville, S.C. -- Freshman Anna Shea and senior Rachel Shelnutt each scored a pair of goals to lead Furman to a 4-1 victory over Georgia Southern in Southern Conference women's soccer action on Sunday afternoon at Stone Stadium.
The victory improved the Paladins to 7-4-0 overall and 2-0-0 in SoCon play while extending Furman's winning streak against the Eagles to 16 consecutive matches. Georgia Southern slipped to 2-6-1 overall and 0-2-0 in league play.
"I was very pleased with our team starting fast and taking control of the match early," said Furman head coach Andrew Burr. "We did a nice job of putting the pressure on them with a quick goal and were able to add to it. We're definitely happy to be 2-0 in the league after the opening weekend of SoCon play."
Furman wasted no time taking control on its home field. Georgia Southern goalkeeper Kailey Kiefus and a Furman attacker both slid to control a cross into the box in the opening seconds and the loose ball landed at the feet of Shea who fired into an open net just 30 seconds into the match to put Furman ahead 1-0.
Shelnutt, who now leads the team with six goals on the season, doubled the Paladin lead at 28:56. The St. Simons Island, Ga., product received a Kristin Fennegan pass inside the box and fired a left-footed shot through traffic into the righthand corner for her first of two goals on the afternoon. Less than three minutes later, Shea slipped the ball through the legs of her defender and blasted a 30-yard shot over Kiefus to stretch the margin to 3-0 in the 32nd minute.
Furman added to its lead in the 51st minute as Shelnutt dribbled through the midfield and line a shot from the left side of the box into the right side netting at 50:04 to increase the cushion to 4-0.
Emily Archer helped Georgia Southern avoid the shutout with a 60th minute strike on an assist from McKenna Storey.
The Eagles outshot Furman 14-11, but Furman earned six corner kicks without conceding any to the visitors. Senior Jessica Smith stopped five shots to earn the win in goal while Holly Reilly came on in the second half to record one save. Kiefus and Katie Merson each registered a save for Georgia Southern.
Furman is on the road for a pair of SoCon matches next weekend. The Paladins travel to Appalachian State on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C., on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Citadel 3, Appalachian State 2
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel women's soccer team bounced back after allowing a goal in the first minute of play to beat Appalachian State, 3-2, on Sunday at Washington Light Infantry Field. The win improves the Bulldogs' record to 3-6-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
The Citadel was caught on their heels to start the game as the Mountaineers were able to take the opening kick down the field with ease. Mountaineer midfielder's Meggie Graham and Julia Holz split the defenders as Graham tapped a pass to Holz who grounded an easy goal on senior keeper Whitney Nave just 47 seconds into the game to give Appalachian State a quick 1-0 lead.
A combination of the Bulldogs physical play and Charleston humidity allowed The Citadel to wear down the Mountaineers defense as they would dominate the remainder of the first half, spraying the next seven shots on Appalachian State's defense.
The game remained tied until the 32nd minute when sophomore Nicole Levermann dribbled past the Mountaineer defense, giving her a one-on-one with the keeper, and fired a laser into top corner of the net to even the game at one goal apiece.
Freshman Anastasia Mesa spent much of the first half in the corner as the Florida native directed six corner kicks in the box to give The Citadel plenty of opportunities to net the go ahead goal before the half.
In the 43rd minute The Citadel did just that as senior Angela Foyt recorded her second career goal off of a deflected ball from Mountaineer keeper Amy Kolowsky. The Bulldogs would enter the half with a 2-1 lead and never look back.
Senior Laura Serafino entered the game in the second half to replace Nave in net and would record a stellar performance, saving five shots in just 45 minutes of play, including a one-on-one direct shot off the foot of Mountaineer forward Callie Johnson.
It took only until the 52nd minute of play for the Bulldogs to net their third goal as the defending SoCon Player and Freshman of the Year side-stepped the goalie for an open net goal. The goal was Garcia's third on the season and would prove to be the difference as she racked up her second game-winner of the season.
Tempers flared in the second half as both teams did not want to leave the weekend without a conference win. Three more yellow cards and a combined 28 fouls were handed out between both teams in the game.
A foul in the box would set up the Mountaineers for a penalty kick that Hannah Coud would direct into the goal to close the gap on The Citadel, but the Bulldogs would play stingy defense for the final twenty minutes and prevail against Appalachian State, 3-2, for the second consecutive year.
"We played a hard game of soccer and worked together as a team and a it resulted in a win for us," said Foyt.
The Citadel will continue SoCon play again next weekend on the road as they are slated to play Chattanooga on Friday, Sept. 30 before heading to Birmingham, Ala., to face-off against Samford on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.