DeLAND, Fla. - Georgia Southern's women's soccer team opened the 2012 season with a 2-0 victory over Stetson in a match that took seven and a half hours to complete due to two lightning delays on Sunday afternoon.
Senior Morgan Springer opened the scoring in the first quarter of an hour, while freshman Stephanie Gratto made the lead 2-0 just after halftime. In the final half hour, a pair of lightning delays pushed the final whistle to 8:25 p.m. as the Eagles improved to 1-0 to start the year.
The Eagles needed just 15 minutes to score their first goal of the season. A cross by Alex Murphy from the left side of the box found Springer free inside the six-yard box. Springer one-touched the ball into the back of the net for her second career goal and first since the 2010 season.
Gratto doubled the Georgia Southern advantage just seven minutes after the halftime interval. Courtney Collins took a shot from 12 yards out that was deflected into space by the Stetson goalkeeper. Gratto was on-hand to score the goal from just two yards out.
In the 61st minute, the Eagles earned a penalty as Zoe Van Gorder was taken down in the box. Emily Archer took the spot kick, which was saved by Stetson's goalkeeper.
The notorious central Florida weather played its part in the 64th minute when a lightning delay brought a halt to the match. The teams returned to the field after a delay of nearly four hours.
The match resumed for three minutes before another storm moved through the area, bringing on another delay which lasted an hour and a half.
Georgia Southern killed off the final 23 minutes to take the 2-0 victory, Southern's first in a season-opener since 2008. Sunday's match, the first regular-season contest in the Stetson Soccer Complex, dropped the Hatters to 0-2 on the year.
The Eagles are back at home this weekend with a pair of matches at Eagle Field. GSU faces Gardner-Webb on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. Southern faces High Point on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
No. 2/1 Duke 8, Elon 0
DURHAM, N.C. - The Elon University women's soccer team could not recover from a barrage of early goals by the No. 2/1 ranked Duke Blue Devils on Sunday night as the Phoenix fell, 8-0, at Koskinen Stadium.
The Blue Devils wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Kaitlyn Kerr knocked it past Catherine Brinkman near the right post to put the Phoenix behind, 1-0, in the third minute.
Five minutes later, Duke took a 2-0 advantage after Glida Doria scored off a rebound from a save by Brinkman. The Blue Devils took a three-goal advantage in the 22nd minute when Kim DeCesare scored on a pass from Cassie Pecht.
Elon nearly cut the deficit to two goals in the 30th minute when Raychel Diver found Nicole Dennion alone in the middle of the box in front of Duke's goal, but the rookie was called offside.
The Blue Devils kept their foot on the gas in the second frame, netting five goals to seal the victory.
Sunday marked the first time since the 1990 season and only the second time ever that Elon had faced the nation's top-ranked team. Elon opened its 1990 campaign at No. 1 ranked North Carolina. Duke is ranked No. 1 in the Soccer America Poll and No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Continental Tire Poll.
Elon returns to action on Friday, Aug. 24, at VMI in Lexington, Va. The Phoenix's next home match is slated for Aug. 30 against Coastal Carolina.
No. 20/23 West Virginia 2, Western Carolina 1
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Western Carolina's women's soccer team pushed No. 20 West Virginia to its limits before falling to the Mountaineers 2-1 Sunday at Dick Diesk Field.
The Mountaineers (1-1) came away with the 2-1 victory thanks to Kate Schwindel, who kicked a ball in from the top of the box that was deflected to the opposite side of the goal, hitting the post and going in for the winner in the 83rd minute.
West Virginia probably felt a sense of scary déjà vu in the match Sunday. The Mountaineers were still reeling from a 2-1 loss to LaSalle on Friday. West Virginia took an early 1-0 lead against LaSalle before giving up two goals to drop its home opener.
Just like on Friday night, West Virginia took the early lead, scoring at the 16:26 mark in the first half. Kailey Utley got the Mountaineers on the board when she managed to get behind Chrissie White in a one vs. one battle and slipped the ball past senior keeper Katie Jacobs from 16 yards out.
Western Carolina (0-1) had three great looks at goal in the opening frame but could not convert. In the 27th minute, Laura Greb got in behind the WVU back line and slotted a brilliant ball to the slashing Samantha Hodge, who got a great look from about six yards out. However, the WVU center back slid and got a piece of the shot and sent it just inches wide of the left post. The Catamounts continued to press but could not get the equalizer.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead, West Virginia would feel the sting of a tie in the middle of the second half. The Catamounts turned up the pressure and got a great look at the goal by senior Greb but her shot was just off at the 61:18 minute mark.
A few seconds later, Western Carolina got another great look at the goal and this time the mark rang true. Freshman forward Markie-Lynn Studnicky scored the first goal of her collegiate career as she stepped in front of the defender and beat the goalkeeper one vs. one with a great composed finish.
With the game knotted at one, West Virginia was staring down the possibility of a repeat scenario like it had against LaSalle, and Western Carolina was vying for an upset. In the end, West Virginia would stave back any repeat performances and Western Carolina would end the game just a hair's breadth from a major upset.
Western Carolina missed a golden chance to take the lead on West Virginia late in the second half. At the 77:56 mark, Greb saw freshman Amanda Schwartz at the top of the box and passed the ball to her. Scwartz took the shot and it just missed the goal, going wide left. Another great chance came in the 72nd minute when Katie Salmon slipped a pass in behind the back for to a charging Hodge, who got her feet tangled and didn't get off a shot from 10 yards out.
West Virginia, which is ranked 20th in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Top 25 and 23rd in the Soccer America poll, had 10 shots on frame for the match to the Catamounts' five. Catamount keeper Jacobs ended the match with eight saves.
Western Carolina continues its three-match road swing on Friday, Aug. 24, when the Catamounts travel to Charlotte. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
Tennessee Tech 2, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's soccer team dropped a tough 2-0 match to visiting Tennessee Tech at Finley Stadium on Sunday.
The Lady Mocs outshot the Golden Eagles 14-10 and held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks, but could not find the back of the net. UTC falls to 1-1 on the year while TTU evens its record at 1-1.
Tennessee Tech got on the board early, scoring in the third minute. Golden Eagle Amanda Koch sent a pass over the top down the right side that found Ellie Iaciofano in full stride. Iaciofano sent a perfect cross into the box that Andrea Meloff put in the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
UTC held nearly all of the possession in the first half, but TTU was more dangerous on counters. Golden Eagle Kerri Reid blasted a shot from just outside the box that went over the crossbar in the 10th minute, while Koch missed on a 1v1 with the keeper three minutes later.
Lady Moc senior Becca Smith had a chance early in the match. She worked her way into the box on the near left side, but missed wide from the difficult angle. UTC forced TTU keeper Jordan Brown to make a pair of saves in the opening minutes, but shots by freshman Logan Higgins and senior Lauren Wilson were both wide from 20 yards out.
Smith had another good look in the 21st minute. She sized one up from the top of the box on the right side, trying to blast the ball to the near post. Smith didn't get all of it and TTU keeper Lauren Brown dove to her left to tip the ball wide. That gave UTC one of its three corner kicks in the first half, but the Lady Mocs did not generate much opportunity off of set pieces.
Tennessee Tech packed it and played tough defense to open the second half, only countering with a few players when the opportunity came. That strategy paid off early as Meloff broke free in the 55th minute. Her shot hit the post and bounced back to the middle of the box. Iaciofano was there to put it away for the 2-0 lead.
Chattanooga continued to control the middle of the field but could not get shots on frame. Freshman Hannah Wyatt nearly closed the gap to one goal with just over five minutes to play. Freshman keeper Lauren Thomas bombed a free kick to sophomore Crystal Mackezyk in the middle of the field, 35 yards out. Mackezyk headed the ball forward to Wyatt who found herself one-on-one with the TTU keeper. Wyatt fired a quick shot, but it was right to Brown for her fifth save to preserve the shutout.
The Lady Mocs wrap up a three-match season-opening homestand when they host Alabama State on Sunday, Aug. 26, at 2 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
Georgia 2, Furman 1
ATHENS, Ga. - Bella Hartley finished a long-range shot into the right-hand corner of the net with 7:38 remaining in regulation to lift the University of Georgia to a 2-1 victory over Furman in women's soccer action on Sunday afternoon at the Turner Soccer Complex.
With the loss, Furman dropped to 1-1-0 on the season while Georgia upped its record to 2-0-0 and improved to 22-0-1 all-time against Southern Conference opposition.
Hartley, who recorded her first career goal, collected the ball outside the Furman 18-yard box and lofted a shot from nearly 30 yards into the far right-hand side netting to break the 1-1 deadlock with the eventual game-winner.
Nikki Hill gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead at the 34:06 mark on a miscommunication in the Furman defense. After goalkeeper Rose Hull made a sprawling save on a Bulldog shot, Hill chipped the ball into the middle of the box where Hull was screened by a defender and had the ball trickle past into an empty net.
Furman answered with an equalizer less than four minutes later on sophomore Hannah Stanifer's first goal of the season. Alyssa Althoff sent a bending cross to the middle of the box from deep on the left wing and Stanifer out-jumped her defender to head the cross into the right corner at 37:19.
Georgia managed a 19-12 edge in shot attempts, but the Paladins and Bulldogs each totaled just eight attempts on goal. UGA held a 7-6 edge on corner kicks.
Ashley Baker recorded seven saves in goal for the Bulldogs to record the victory. Hull stopped two shots in 45 minutes of work while fellow freshman Maggie Grissell turned away three Bulldogs shots in the final 45 minutes.
The Paladins return to action on Friday when they host in-state rival Clemson in a 7 p.m. contest at Stone Soccer Stadium.
The Citadel at Winthrop, ppd.
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Citadel soccer team's match against Winthrop scheduled for Sunday at 7 p.m. has been moved to Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. Eagle Field was deemed unplayable due to poor weather conditions.
The Bulldogs will trek north to take on Maine on Friday at 4 p.m. before heading to Smithfield, R.I., to compete against Bryant on Sunday at 11 a.m.