UNCG 2, Elon 0

ELON, N.C. – The UNCG women's soccer team topped Elon 2-0 Wednesday night at Rudd Field to secure its ninth Southern Conference regular-season championship. The Spartans earn the No. 1 seed in the SoCon Tournament starting Sunday against Georgia Southern at 3 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.

UNCG continued its road dominance in the SoCon, as the Spartans are unbeaten in their last 21 road games. The Spartans improved to 12-6-1 overall and finished with a 9-1-1 SoCon record. The Blue and Gold have won its last six games, all via shutout.

Elon dropped to 6-8-6 (4-3-4 SoCon) on the year with the setback and earned the fifth seed in this weekend’s SoCon Tournament quarterfinals. Elon will take on fourth-seeded Appalachian State on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the ASU Soccer Complex in Boone, N.C.

The Spartans took a 1-0 lead after senior Lauren Hein played a nice ball to classmate Karin Sendell, who beat the keeper and passed it to freshman Katherine Rodriguez. Rodriguez, the reigning SoCon player of the week, fired home her fifth goal of the season. It marked the fourth straight game that Rodriguez has found the back of the net.

The Phoenix had two quality chances in the opening frame by Nicole Dennion and Kendall Stanley. Dennion nearly lofted a shot over UNCG keeper Jamie Simmons for a goal in the 12th minute, but it landed just over the post and out of play. Stanley’s strike in the 29th minute was corralled by Simmons to keep the Phoenix scoreless

In the second half, UNCG found a ball inside the box and Hein headed home her fourth goal of the season off a second bounce in the air.

Dennion nearly cut UNCG’s lead in half with less than three minutes remaining, but her shot ricocheted off the post and the Spartans managed to clear it.

Simmons picked up her eighth shutout of the season after collecting two saves. Simmons pushed her streak of minutes without giving up a goal to a season-high 589:20.

The back line of UNCG held Elon to just eight shots and has continued to shut down offenses as seniors Cat Barnekow and Tinna Bergthorsdottir and juniors Katie Durst and Lauren Lover lead the defense.

Senior Stephanie Partenheimer had four shots, including two on goal, while freshman Zoe Fishman led the team with five shots.

Wednesday’s match marked the final home game for Elon seniors Claire O'Keeffe, Jaclyn Wood, Shannon Foley and Shannon Cosgrove.

The Spartans return to action Sunday for a rematch from Oct. 14 when UNCG won 1-0 against Georgia Southern at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.

 

Samford 3, Chattanooga 0

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Samford women’s soccer team cruised to a 3-0 road victory against the Chattanooga Lady Mocs on Wednesday as the Bulldogs concluded play in their 2012 regular season with a key win in the Southern Rail Rivalry held at Finley Stadium.

In Wednesday’s triumph, Samford (11-6-2, 8-1-2 SoCon) outshot Chattanooga (3-13-1, 1-10 SoCon), 26-3, and posted a lopsided 12-0 advantage in corner kicks. The Bulldogs’ goals were scored by Trine Taule, Michelle Moll and Lindsey Hansen. Samford’s young goalkeepers Melissa Montgomery and Jessica Perry combined to record the shutout, the team’s fifth of the 2012 campaign.

With the loss, Chattanooga suffered its sixth straight defeat versus the Bulldogs. Samford owns a 6-1 all-time record in the series as the Mocs’ last win in the series occurred in 1999.

Samford will head into Sunday’s SoCon Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the eight-team competition. The Bulldogs’ lone loss in conference play occurred Friday against top-seed UNCG. On Wednesday, UNCG squared off against travel-partner Elon and registered a 2-0 victory on the road.

As the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Samford earned the right to host a first-round home match Sunday and will face No. 7-seed College of Charleston. In a rematch of the 2011 SoCon Tournament championship, the Bulldogs and Cougars will square off at 2 p.m. (CDT) at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

Earlier this season, the Bulldogs tallied a 1-0 win at the College of Charleston.

In Wednesday’s rivalry match with Chattanooga, Samford juniors Taule and Moll scored their fifth goals of the season. The Bulldogs’ first-half goals were both unassisted and gave Samford a comfortable 2-0 lead at the half. Taule’s tally was scored at 1:26 into the match, while Moll’s goal came in the 28th minute of play.

Midway through the second half, Lindsey Hansen scored her fourth goal of the season to give the Bulldogs their decisive 3-0 shutout victory.

Samford’s Perry, who played in goal for the Bulldogs in the second half, registered three saves, while Chattanooga’s goalkeeper, Lauren Thomas, was forced to make 13 stops Wednesday.

In the final game of their UTC careers, all five Chattanooga players took the field to start the match despite injuries to two. Seniors Becca Smith and Jordan Middleton were on the field for the start for their final contest.

 

Furman 3, Wofford 2 (2OT)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Freshman Jamie Alexander hammered a 22-yard strike past Wofford goalkeeper Kimberly Cohn in double overtime to lift Furman to a 3-2 victory over the Terriers in the regular-season finale for both teams on Wednesday night at Snyder Field.

With the victory, Furman improved to 14-3-2 overall and 7-2-2 in the Southern Conference to clinch third place in the final regular-season standings. The Paladins will open SoCon Tournament play at 4 p.m. on Sunday when they host No. 6 seed Davidson on Seagraves at Stone Stadium. Wofford finished its season at 6-10-2 overall and 1-8-2 in the league.

Less than two minutes into the second overtime period, Alexander received a pass in the midfield. She took a touch toward the top of the box before crossing the ball to her left foot and lining a strike into the left-hand corner at the 101:43 mark for her second goal of the night and the match-winner.

After trailing 2-0 at the half, Wofford forced overtime by scoring twice in the opening 13 minutes of the second period. The Terriers got on the board in the 54th minute when Alex Kachulis’ free kick deflected off of the wall and into the path of Maggie Bosley, who slotted a shot across the face of goal to the right corner. Kachulis equalized for the Terriers on 58 minutes as a loose ball bounced out of the box and the midfielder floated a 25-yard effort to the upper left-hand corner.

The Paladins, who fashioned a 25-5 shots edge on the night, pressed to find the go-ahead goal by forcing Cohn into several saves over the final 30 minutes, but the Wofford defense held to force extra time. Furman created the only three chances of the opening overtime period before Alexander notched the winner 1:43 into the second 10 minute period.

Furman opened the scoring at 6:55 as Caitlin Shelton played a centering pass to Martha Hall at the top of the box and the senior tucked a shot in the lower right-hand corner for her third goal of the season.

Alexander doubled the Paladin advantage at 37:41 on her third tally of the campaign. Shelton swung a cross toward that top of the box that Alyssa Althoff headed into the path of Alexander, who beat Cohn with a one-timer to the right side.

Maggie Grisell came off of the bench to claim two saves and earn the victory for the Paladins. Cohn stopped a season-high nine shots in the loss for Wofford, while Erika Christensen also allowed one goal  and made three saves on seven seven shots in 28 minutes of action.

 

Appalachian State 1, Western Carolina 0

BOONE, N.C. – Senior Meggie Graham's fourth goal of the season was all Appalachian State’s women's soccer team needed, as the Mountaineers defeated Western Carolina 1-0 Wednesday night at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.

With the narrow victory, Appalachian (10-7-1, 6-3-1 SoCon) secured the No. 4 seed and a home quarterfinal match in the Southern Conference Championship, to go along with a match with No. 5 seed Elon on Sunday afternoon. The seven SoCon victories are the most ever by the program after winning six in 2001. The Mountaineers also earn a 10-win season for the first time since 2005.

The defense was superb throughout the match but was key in the opening 45 minutes. The back line held Western Carolina (7-10-2, 3-6-2 SoCon) to just one shot as freshman goalkeeper Megan Roberson did not have to make a save. Roberson exited the match at the start of the second half, making room for sophomore Amy Kolowsky.

After a back-and-forth start to the second half, the Mountaineers got on the attacking end in the 59th minute when senior midfielder Hannah Coad found some space between WCU's midfield and back line. As she drove up the field, she sent a through ball to Graham, who fired a shot past Catamount goalkeeper Katie Jacobs. For Graham, it was her second goal as many matches after scoring the game-winner against College of Charleston on Sunday.

The Appalachian State back line, highlighted by the play of seniors Taylor Dunlap and Sam McVeigh, closed out the match for the remaining 31 minutes, holding Western Carolina to one shot on goal. WCU's leading goal scorer, Markie-Lynn Studnicky was unable to tally a shot for the match.

Dunlap recorded her 74th straight match started, tying her for third all-time in App State history. The senior helped the Mountaineers earn their sixth shutout on the season, as the focus turns to postseason play on Sunday.

The Mountaineers will host Elon on Sunday as the Phoenix enters the match facing a two-match losing streak. Appalachian defeated Elon earlier this season, breaking a winless drought of four straight matches against the Phoenix. Kickoff from the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex is set for 2 p.m.

 

College of Charleston 1, The Citadel 0

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston women’s soccer team beat crosstown rival The Citadel, 1-0, at Patriots Point on Wednesday evening to qualify for the Southern Conference Tournament. The Cougars earn the No. 7 seed and will play in the opening round at No. 2-seed Samford on Sunday.

CofC (6-11-1, 5-5-1 SoCon) scored early and held on with a complete defensive effort to earn the win despite being narrowly outshot, 17-18, in the contest.

The goal came just 1:37 into the match when the Cougars took advantage of a free kick deep in the attacking third. Kate Twohig took the attempt from near the corner flag and Haley Hutchens headed the ball through the crowd to an unmarked Maryam Buazza, who hammered the ball into the far-side netting.

Eli Sarasola was prolific in the Cougar goal with seven key saves, many of which were with uncanny athletic maneuvers on seemingly impossible shots. Her most memorable was perhaps when she stifled a point-blank shot on an indirect-kick awarded to The Citadel from six yards out.

True to its history, this 12th edition of the crosstown rivalry was extremely physical and drew 22 evenly split fouls and three red cards after a physical altercation broke out on the field. The Cougars are now 11-1-0 all-time against the Bulldogs.

The Cougars will now prepare for their rematch against defending-champion Samford on Sunday. The teams will kick off from Birmingham, Ala., at 3 p.m. (ET). With a win, the Cougars would advance to the semifinals of the tournament, also hosted by Samford.

 

Georgia Southern 1, Davidson 0

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern’s women’s soccer team is back in the SoCon Tournament for the second straight year thanks to a 1-0 win over Davidson on the final day of the regular season. Alex Murphy gave the Eagles the win in the 83rd minute, but GSU still needed help to reach the postseason.

A few minutes after the conclusion of the GSU/Davidson match, news came through that Appalachian State had defeated Western Carolina 1-0, clearing one roadblock to the postseason. The Eagles were forced to wait an additional 15 minutes for the final result from College of Charleston and The Citadel. The Cougars took the 1-0 win, eliminating the Bulldogs and sending the Eagles back to the postseason in a chorus of cheers from the team, who waited for the result in the bleachers at Eagle Field.

Georgia Southern (8-7-4, 4-6-1 SoCon) and Davidson (7-9-3, 5-5-1 SoCon) battled to hold possession for the entire contest, working the ball through the midfield all night.

In the 83rd minute, Murphy got the ball on the wing, more than 25 yards from the near post and just feet off the end line. The junior struck the ball high across the face of goal, fooling the Davidson goalkeeper, who was defending the near post. The ball hit on the goal line and spun into the side netting for a 1-0 Georgia Southern advantage.

The Wildcats were unable to score the equalizer in the final seven minutes of the evening. The Eagles were outshot 13-7 with the Wildcats holding a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks.

GSU keeper Katie Merson and Davidson keeper Rachel Locke finished with four saves each.

Davidson dropped its last two games of the season as it heads into the league tournament this weekend. The Wildcats five-match unbeaten streak vs. the Eagles also came to a halt.

Davidson, which earned the sixth seed, gears up for the SoCon Tournament as it is one of eight teams to make the tournament. The Wildcats will take part in the quarterfinals Sunday with a trip to Greenville, S.C., to play third-seeded Furman.

With the eighth seed in the SoCon Tournament secure, Georgia Southern will open the postseason on Sunday at UNCG. Last year, the Eagles upset the then second-seeded Spartans 2-1 in the opening round. This year, UNCG enters as the league’s top seed, and secured a 1-0 win over GSU on Oct. 14.