UNCG 1, No. 7 Wake Forest 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Freshman Chesney White scored a header in the 36th minute, freshman Jamie Simmons earned a shutout and UNCG held on to upset No. 7 Wake Forest, 1-0, at Spry Stadium on Friday night.
The Spartans improve to 1-1 on the season and Wake Forest drops to 1-1-1. The Demon Deacons are the highest-ranked opponent UNCG has defeated and it marks the second straight win at Spry Stadium, as the Spartans defeated then-No. 10 Wake Forest, 2-1, in 2010.
UNCG struck in the 35th minute with a nicely played counterattack leading to a breakout from senior Cat Barnekow, who placed a perfect cross into the box. White put home her first collegiate goal on a header to give the Spartans a 1-0 advantage.
In the second half, the Deacs had plenty of opportunities to tie the game, but Simmons came up huge again with five second-half saves. Wake Forest also had eight corners that the UNCG defense was able to clear to keep the lead.
The Spartans opened the first half with the first shot of the game as freshman forward Zoe Fishman fired a shot on net, but Wake Forest keeper Aubrey Bledsoe made the save.
The Demon Deacons finished the first half with eight shots but only one found the target as Simmons made the stop.
UNCG returns to action Sunday to for the home opener against UNC Ashville on Sunday Funday at 2 p.m.
Furman 1, Clemson 0 (OT)
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Freshman Stephanie DeVita curled a 22-yard shot into the upper right-hand corner in the 93rd minute to lift the Furman women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over visiting Clemson before a crowd of 1,687 on Friday night at Eugene Stone III Soccer Stadium.
The victory, Furman's fourth in the last five years versus the Tigers, improved the Paladins to 2-1-0 on the season. Clemson slipped to 2-1-0 on the campaign.
With less than eight minutes remaining in the first overtime period, DeVita chased down a loose ball in front of the Furman bench and flicked a pass to herself over her shoulder to beat the closest defender. The Simpsonville, S.C., native dribbled to the left corner of the 18-yard box and lined a curling shot inside the post for her second match-winning tally in as many home games.
Clemson dominated the chances in the opening half by outshooting the Paladins 9-3, but freshman goalkeeper Rose Hull recorded three stops in the Paladin goal to send the match to halftime at 0-0. The Tigers came close to grabbing the lead with less than nine minutes left in regulation when Liska Dobbertsein fired a one-timer from the top of the box that Hull pushed wide of the left post with a diving effort.
Furman threatened to steal the victory in regulation just four minutes later as DeVita turned a header toward the Clemson goal only to have Hunter Rittgers come up with a sprawling save to assure overtime.
The Tigers finished the match with a 14-10 edge in shots and 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. Clemson won four corner kicks to just one for the Paladins. Rittgers notched one save in the loss while Hull finished with six stops to earn the victory for Furman.
Clemson returns home to host Presbyterian on Sunday. Furman will entertain the Troy University Trojans in a 1 p.m. match on Sunday at Stone Stadium.
Georgia Southern 3, Gardner-Webb 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern's women's soccer team left little doubt on Friday afternoon against Gardner-Webb, taking a 3-0 victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs in the 2012 home opener.
Nora El-Shami and Sydnie Van Curen both scored their first collegiate goals while Courtney Collins recorded her 10th career goal as the Eagles improve to 2-0-0 on the year.
For the second straight match, the Eagles got an early goal. This time it was El-Shami that scored the early breakthrough. An incisive pass by Abbey Ritter gave El-Shami a good look at goal, and the freshman buried the attempt for a 1-0 advantage for Southern.
In the waning minutes of the first half, GSU held possession in the Gardner-Webb half of the field. That pressure paid off in the 40th minute as the Eagles earned a penalty kick for a foul in the box. Collins struck the spot kick into the net for her first goal of the season.
The result was never in doubt from then on with Gardner-Webb (0-2-1) registering just five total shots, with two on frame and only one attempt in the second half.
Southern padded the lead in the 68th minute as Van Curen slotted in an empty-net shot for her first collegiate goal. Collins played a through ball that beat the offside trap, allowing Van Curen to score the goal with a simple shot into the back of the net.
GSU netminder Katie Merson earned her second win of the season between the pipes with her second straight clean sheet. She needed to make just two saves as she kept the Runnin' Bulldogs scoreless on the night.
The Eagles are back at home on Sunday against another Big South Conference foe as High Point comes to Statesboro. The afternoon matinee starts at 2 p.m. at Eagle Field.
Elon 4, VMI 0
LEXINGTON, Va. - The Elon University women's soccer team captured its first win of 2012 on Friday as the Phoenix offense came alive in a 4-0 victory over the Virginia Military Institute at Patchin Field.
Elon (1-1-1) put five of its eight shots on-goal in the win, while sophomore goalie Kate Murphy earned the shutout for the Phoenix in 90 minutes between the posts. Murphy, a preseason All-Southern Conference selection, tallied four saves to earn the win in her first action of 2012.
Elon got on the scoreboard just eight minutes into the game when Samantha Burch headed in Julie Hibberd's cross into the lower left corner of the net to give the Maroon and Gold a 1-0 edge.
Shortly thereafter, senior Jaclyn Wood put the Phoenix ahead by two goals in the 14th minute after a free kick by Olivia Mackey was blocked and hit down in front of Wood, leading to shot in front of the net past VMI (0-2-0) keeper Mackenzie Harrmann.
Elon led 2-0 at intermission, as the Phoenix held a 6-5 advantage in shots but trailed 2-0 in corners.
Mackey gave Elon some insurance late in the second half, netting her first goal of the year in the 80th minute when she blasted a tipped shot by a VMI defender into the back of the net for the score.
Elon took a 4-0 lead in the 82nd minute when Raychel Diver headed in a Caroline O'Dee cross for the score.
The crowd of nearly 900 fans was the largest in VMI women's soccer history.
The Phoenix returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. at Rudd Field.
Alabama 2, Samford 1
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - With 11 seconds remaining in Friday's in-state road contest against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Samford soccer player Amanda Abbott nearly scored a dramatic match-tying goal, but Alabama's Shelby Church made a diving save to uphold the Crimson Tide's 2-1 victory held at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
Samford (0-2) fell behind in Friday's match, 2-0, as Alabama (2-0) notched a goal late in the first half of play and then early in the second period. The Bulldogs dominated a majority of the second half and scored their first goal of the season in the 69th minute to trim the Crimson Tide's lead to 2-1.
True freshman McKenzie Thomas, in her first collegiate match as a Bulldog, tallied Samford's score Friday as she chipped in a high, bouncing crossing pass from Trine Taule. On the goal-scoring play, Taule dribbled past a pair of Alabama defenders on the right side and lofted a spinning cross over to the left end of the box, where Thomas fired a shot into the back of the net.
Following Thomas' second-half goal, the Bulldogs gained even more offensive momentum. Samford more than doubled its shot attempts in the second half of play and kept the Crimson Tide on its heels for a predominant portion of the final period.
The Bulldogs rattled off three shots on goal in the final 45 minutes of play, including Abbott's final, near-equalizing attempt in the final seconds.
Samford true freshman goalkeeper Jessica Perry finished Friday's contest with seven saves. She played extremely well in only her second career contest and staved off a season-high 26 shot attempts from the Crimson Tide.
Friday's attendance of 1,266 was the second-largest crowd in Alabama school history.
With only 25 seconds remaining in the first half, the teams were seemingly heading into halftime tied at 0-0 before Alabama's Katie Bourgeois gathered a crossing pass from Meghan Duffy and one-timed a shot from five yards out into the back of the net.
The goal was Bourgeois' second of the season. The Crimson Tide's freshman forward from Katy, Texas, notched the game-winning tally in last week's 1-0 triumph over Kennesaw State.
Until its last-second miscue, Samford's defense played valiantly throughout the first half of play. Despite constant pressure from Alabama, the Bulldogs' Perry made four quality saves in net and Samford thwarted 15 of the Crimson Tides 16 shots in the opening period of play.
Offensively, the Bulldogs' best first-half scoring chances came from sophomores Joy Grove and Abbott. Grove fired a key shot attempt from the right side that was deflected, while Abbott just barely misfired on a shot to the left of goal late in the period.
Just 12 minutes into the second half of play, Alabama's Theresa Diederich extended the Crimson Tide's lead to 2-0 as she scored off an assist from Ariel Armijo.
Samford's Thomas then shifted the momentum of the match with her first career goal in the 69th minute of action.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs will conclude their arduous three-match, season-opening road stretch against the 25th-ranked Auburn Tigers at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Austin Peay 3, Appalachian State 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Appalachian State University women's soccer got on the scoreboard early, but the lone goal was not enough as the Mountaineers fell 3-1 to Austin Peay Friday night at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.
With the loss, the Apps fall to 0-2 on the young season, as the Lady Govs improve to 2-1.
Appalachian moved quickly at the start of the game as sophomore Jenna Caudle got on the score sheet in the opening minute of the game, as she received a pass from junior Jamie Lockie to take the first lead of the season.
After closing out the opening half with the lead, the Lady Govs responded in the 62nd minute when APSU's Joceline Quiceno beat ASU goalkeeper Amy Kolowsky to even the score.
Austin Peay took its first lead when Andy Quiceno took a pass from Tatiana Ariza and scored for the Lady Govs. APSU put the match out of reach when Emily Perkins earned a goal in the 86th minute, giving APSU the 3-1 victory.
The Apps were outshot 15-9 for the match, as the Black & Gold fired three shots on goal. Kolowsky tallied five saves for the match and sophomore Julia Holz led the team with three shots with one on goal.
The Mountaineers will look the bounce back on Sunday when they travel to Belmont for a 2 p.m. match.
Charlotte 1, Western Carolina 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's soccer (0-2) was edged by Charlotte (2-0) 1-0 Friday at Transamerica Field.
Both teams were plagued with near-miss chances, but it was Charlotte who got the fortuitous look at the 15:57 mark in the first half. The 49ers' Carrie Dail sent a cross back to the top of the six-yard box, locating a wide-open Sarah Trexler, who redirected the pass into the open net behind Catamount keeper Katie Jacobs.
Trexler's goal was sandwiched around numerous golden opportunities afforded Western Carolina in the first half. A pair of high shots from Kimberly Sullivan and Lindsay Carter preceded the Charlotte goal and Carter's shot was a hair's breadth of going in before it went sailing wide right.
Western Carolina kept the pressure on in the first half but just couldn't seem to get the good looks near the goal to fall its way. In a two-minute span with less than nine minutes left in the first half, Christine Kaznowski attacked the goal, with one shot going wide and the other one blocked. With less than two minutes left in the half, the Catamounts continued to look for a goal as freshman Kelly Pannell took a shot that was saved by 49ers goalie Alex Kubrick.
There were just eight total shots taken by both teams in the second half as each side buckled down defensively. Western Carolina had two of the shots.
The white knuckle, nail-biting moment, came at the 70:56 minute mark in the second half. Charlotte fans and players were put on their heels when Western Carolina arguably had its biggest scoring opportunity of the game to score. It all started when the 49ers were called for a foul, giving the Catamounts a free kick.
The ball was kicked about 20 yards out and sailed into a foray of Western Carolina and Charlotte players. There was a fight for the ball near the front of the goal and Catamount redshirt freshman Kimberly Sullivan eyed the goal, looking to push the ball past goalie Kubrick. A passel of 49ers swarmed around the goal, and the ball, causing the ball to miss its mark and earning a team save.
It was the closest Western Carolina would get to the goal the rest of the game.
Western Carolina's defense, sans the lone goal, was hard-nosed and stymied Charlotte. The offense for the Catamounts got great looks but the ball just didn't fall in their favor.
It was the first shutout handed the Catamounts in the very youthful season. Western Carolina scored a goal in its season-opening, 2-1 loss to West Virginia and also scored a goal in its exhibition loss to Clemson.
Overall, Charlotte ended the game with 13 shots and Western Carolina had eight. Catamount keeper Jacobs racked up seven saves, four in the second half.
Western Carolina will continue its weekend road swing on Sunday when the Catamounts travel to Winthrop. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Troy 1, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In its second game of the season, the Wofford women's soccer team was defeated by Troy 1-0 on Jane Latif's goal in the 49th minute at Snyder Field. The loss drops the Terriers to 1-1-0 on the year, while Troy improves to 3-1-0.
Wofford controlled the majority of the first half as it held the edge in shots (7-1) and corners (4-0). However, the Terriers could not get past Trojan goalkeeper Maddie Winter on her way to her third win and first shutout of the season.
Latif gave her team the lead early in the second half on a shot assisted by Chanel Elgin. She fired a hard shot that deflected off Wofford keeper Erika Christensen's hands into the right side netting. The goal was Latif's second of the season.
Winter earned the win, improving to 3-1-0. She recorded two saves while facing 11 shots.
Wofford returns to the pitch Thursday as it hosts the Blue Hose of Presbyterian. The match is set to kick off at 6 p.m. at Snyder Field.
Western Michigan 2, College of Charleston 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's soccer team fell, 2-1, at the hands of Western Michigan at Patriots Point on Friday night.
The game, originally scheduled to be played in Conway, S.C., but relocated due to weather concerns, saw the Cougars get off to a sluggish start and fall behind by a two-goal deficit. CofC would recover and become the more offensive team in the latter part of the second half, but the comeback effort ultimately fell short as the Cougars were handed their second loss of the season.
After being held without a shot attempt in the opening period, the Cougars wedged themselves back into the match and narrowed the shot balance to a more-manageable 9-8 deficit in the second period.
WMU first found the net in the 29th minute when Aubrey Sudomier made a run from the right corner along the endline and fired a pass across the goal mouth, where Rachel Chaney made a sliding volley into the upper netting.
The Cougars weathered the attack through the remainder of the first half, but in the 52nd minute, WMU sent a long free kick into the box from the middle of the field. Cougar goalkeeper Taylor Avery looked to handle the initial threat but the ball fell to the feet of Kylie Nylen, who found herself alone in front of the gaping goal.
CofC found its urgency in the final minutes of the match and found a way to move its possessions into the offensive end. The Cougars broke through in the 88th minute when Sarah Cardamone played a brilliant ball through the middle of the pitch to an in-stride McCallie Jones, who cleverly shot across her body to beat the off-balance goalkeeper.
The Cougars are off a full week before returning to action on Friday when they cross town to face rival Charleston Southern at 4 p.m.
Maine 5, The Citadel 1
ORONO, Maine - Mariana Garcia posted The Citadel's lone goal as the Bulldogs were topped by the Black Bears 5-1 in their season opener on Alumni Field on Friday.
Garcia railed in an 18th-minute goal off an assist from a corner kick by Anastasia Mesa to tie the game at 1-1. It was all Maine (1-1) for the remainder of the game as the Black Bears posted four goals in the final 56 minutes from four different players to take the win.
Maine struck first with a quick lob shot by Meaghan Bradica in the ninth minute. After Garcia's goal to knot the game at one goal apiece, the Black Bears' offense took over, striking fast and often as Jordan Pellerin and Liis Emajoe put in consecutive goals in the 34th and 37th minutes to give Maine the 3-1 lead at the half.
Garcia's goal is her 18th career score in three seasons, moving her into third place all-time for The Citadel. The Bogota, Colombia, native is just 10 goals shy of the record and three short of 2011 team captain Amy Loughran.
The Black Bears outshot the Bulldogs 21-3.
Junior goalkeeper Sarah Katchen played the first 45 minutes for The Citadel, allowing three goals and saving three, while senior captain Cassie Palmacci finished out the game with one save.
The Bulldogs will head to Smithfield, R.I., on Sunday to take on Bryant at 11 a.m.