Davidson 3, The Citadel 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Stephanie Piperno and Sarah Tuggle combined for three goals and a pair of assists in guiding the Davidson Wildcats to a 3-0 shutout win against The Citadel on Thursday evening at Alumni Stadium in Southern Conference women’s soccer action.
Davidson (4-7-3, 3-2 SoCon) rolled to its 12th win in the all-time series, earning its fifth shutout of the year. The Citadel fell to 3-7-2 overall and 1-4 in SoCon play.
The duo helped each other score a goal in the first and second halves, while Piperno finished it off with a strike at the 51:42 mark for her third career two-goal game.
The first goal came nine minutes into the start of the game. Piperno broke through the defense and sent a pass to Tuggle, who was wide open in the 6-yard box for her team-leading fourth score of the year.
Tuggle returned the favor a few minutes into the second half. She received a pass from Jenni Isaac and sent a cross through the box to the far side, where Piperno was all alone. She gathered in the pass and fired it near post to the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
Rachel Locke stopped five shots, while Renae Cairns closed out the shutout with a save of her own in goal. The Citadel’s Naomi Carter added to her SoCon-best 98 saves with 11 on the night.
The Citadel had an opportunity to get on the board late in the game. A shot by Nicholle Griffith hit off the post, tries by Lea Raedle and Ruth Leiva were blocked and a Kim Maldonado shot was saved by Cairns.
The Wildcats finished with a 24-11 advantage in shots and earned eight corner kicks.
Davidson closes out the weekend with a 2 p.m. contest at Francis Marion to finish out its nonconference schedule.
The Bulldogs will look to bounce back on Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host defending Southern Conference tournament champion Georgia Southern at WLI Field.
Georgia Southern 5, Francis Marion 0
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern stomped the Francis Marion Patriots at the GATA 2013 Game on Thursday evening. The Eagles advanced their record to 3-3-1 on their home field, 3-7-2 overall.
The first goal of the match was scored 19 minutes in by Georgia Southern's Sydnie Van Curen. Nora El-Shami crossed the ball to Van Curen, aiding her in scoring her second goal of the season.
At the 33-minute mark, Cori Dulmage pushed past the defense to shoot from 8 yards out, scoring her second goal of the season.
Just seven minutes later, the Eagles bumped the score up to 3-0. El-Shami assisted Taylor Burns, who tipped it in the net from 4 yards out.
With only 15 seconds left in the first half, Stephanie Gratto took a quick shot off of a pass from El-Shami. Gratto tallied her first goal of the season, giving the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
El-Shami hit the record books the match, as she is the first Georgia Southern player in a decade to have three assists in a match.
The Eagles’ fifth and final goal of the game came with 20 minutes left in regulation, from freshman Melinda Lukas. The final goal of the evening was Lukas' first of the season.
Goalkeeper Molly Williams picked up her second win between the pipes and her second clean sheet of her career as the Eagle defense blanked Francis Marion. She made six saves on the night to preserve the shutout.
The Eagles encounter The Citadel on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.