Wofford 5, Chattanooga 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Junior midfielder Maureen Buff scored a hat trick and head coach Amy Kiah earned her 100th career victory as the Wofford women’s soccer team scored five second-half goals in a come-from-behind victory against Chattanooga 5-1 in Southern Conference play.
The hat trick for Buff was the first by a Terrier in a Southern Conference match since 2008, which was accomplished by Cassie Rex, also against Chattanooga. The last hat trick in a game was by senior forward Emily Bougas in 2011 against Alabama State.
With the win, Wofford has won six of its last seven matches, improving to 6-3-1 overall and 2-1-0 in SoCon play. For the Mocs, they fell to 4-7-0 overall and 0-4-0 in the SoCon.
In the first half, Chattanooga would take a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute when Monica Speth scored her third goal of the season off a long ball from Melanie Arredondo.
Wofford would create a good chance to tie in the 31st minute, when Buff attempted a bicycle kick that was saved by Mocs’ goalkeeper Taylor Mangrum.
In the second half, Wofford would begin its comeback in the 51st minute when Buff would score her first goal of the match off a pass from Bougas, knotting up the score at 1-1.
After creating multiple opportunities for the next few minutes, the Terriers would score four goals in the final 22 minutes of the match. The game-winning goal would come from senior midfielder Alex Kachulis in the 78th minute off of sophomore defender Katherine Whisenhunt’s corner kick.
The third goal was then scored in the 82nd minute by Buff on a header off a double assist from Whisenhunt’s corner and Kachulis’ header to extend the lead to 3-1.
Buff would then complete her hat trick in the 88th minute, when she received a pass from sophomore forward Chloe Brackett and placed a shot into the lower right-hand corner of the net.
The final goal of the match would come from Brackett off a cross from junior midfielder Emily Gaid, who received a pass from Bougas in the 89th minute, making the final score 5-1.
For the match, the Terriers outshot the Mocs 38-5 and won the corner battle 8-0.
In goal for Wofford, senior Kimberly Cohn earned her sixth victory of the season, facing five Chattanooga shots and making two saves. For the Mocs, Mangrum faced 38 Terrier shots and made 19 saves.
Wofford returns to action on Friday at Elon University for a Southern Conference matchup at 7 p.m. The Terriers return home to Snyder Field on Sunday, Oct. 13, when they host Southern Conference opponent UNCG at 2 p.m.
Chattanooga is back in action Friday at Appalachian State at 7 p.m.
Western Carolina 2, Georgia Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. – Western Carolina picked up its first Southern Conference win of the season Sunday, defeating Georgia Southern 2-1 at Eagle Field.
Junior forward Caitlyn Bradham scored the game-winning goal at the 83:07 mark of the match. Bradham took a pass from sophomore forward Kelly Pannell from the wing and sailed it past Eagle goalkeeper Molly Williams. It was Bradham’s fourth goal of the season and her third game-winning goal on the year. Pannell logged in her fourth assist.
Western Carolina (6-5-1, 1-3 SoCon) scored both goals in the second half. The Catamounts were down 1-0 at the half after Georgia Southern (2-7-2, 1-2-1 SoCon) scored at 25:22 when Nora El-Shami took a through ball from Cori Dulmage at the top of the box.
Trailing 1-0 in the middle of the second half, Georgia Southern was whistled for a foul, setting up a penalty kick for Western Carolina. Sophomore Amanda Schwartz took the PK and scored to knot the game at 1. It was Schwartz first goal on the year.
Western Carolina bombarded Georgia Southern throughout the match with 15 total shots, 11 of those in the second half. The barrage and tenacity paid off as the Catamounts wore down the Eagles for the win.
The Catamounts split goalie time, as they have done all year, and it was freshman Carly Tinstman who was in goal to complete the game. Tinstman picked up her first win as a Catamount and improved to 1-5-1 on the season. Junior Jenny Lauer played the first 45 minutes of the game.
Western Carolina returns home Friday to host Samford. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Georgia Southern hosts Francis Marion on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Furman 2, Samford 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Senior Dee Makris scored on a header in the 67th minute to put Furman in front as the Paladins topped Samford, 2-1, in a battle of the preseason favorites in Southern Conference women’s soccer on Sunday afternoon on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
The victory stretched Furman’s unbeaten streak to nine matches as the Paladins improved to 9-2-1 on the season and 3-0 in league play. Samford dropped to 8-3-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the conference.
After a scoreless first half in which there were few clear-cut chances at goal for either side, Furman opened the scoring through freshman Carlie Couch just 61 second into the second period. Stephanie DeVita received a pass from India Robinson in front of the Furman bench and sent a long ball over the top of the Samford defense toward the top right corner of the box. Couch ran onto the pass, held off her defender and lashed a shot off of the left post to beat Bulldog goalkeeper Melissa Montgomery for her fourth goal of the season.
Samford wasted little time in matching the Paladins. Malcanisha Kelley dribbled the ball into the right side of the 18-yard box, cut back to the middle of the field to beat two defenders and hammered a shot inside the far post at 50:15 to knot the game at 1-1.
With under 24 minutes remaining in regulation, Hannah Stanifer received the ball in space and tested Montgomery with a long-range shot toward the left post that the Bulldog goalkeeper pushed wide for a corner kick. Following the set piece, Kristen Baker played a left-footed cross in front of the face of goal to DeVita at the right post. The sophomore headed the ball back across the face of goal to Makris, a Birmingham, Ala., native, who headed the bouncing pass into the net from less than 3 yards out at 66:41.
The goal was the third of the year for Makris and second assist of the afternoon for Devita.
Samford was unable to create many chances in the final moments of the match. The Bulldogs’ best chances came in the final 15 seconds as Hallie Georgi’s cross was met by Amanda Abbott at the top of the 6-yard box, but her shot flew over the post.
Rose Hull claimed three saves in goal to pick up the win for the Paladins and improve to 5-1-0 between the pipes. Montgomery stopped three shots in a losing effort for Samford.
The Bulldogs posted an 11-10 edge in shots while Furman managed a 5-4 edge in shots on goal.
Furman’s win marked its first in seven tries against the Bulldogs and improved the Paladins to 5-0 at home this season. The Paladins also improved to 16-1-1 in their last 18 matches on Seagraves Field.
UNCG hosts the Paladins on Friday evening before Furman travels to Elon next Sunday.
Samford returns to action Friday at Western Carolina at 7 p.m.
UNCG 5, The Citadel 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The UNCG women’s soccer team scored four second-half goals en route to a 5-3 road victory against The Citadel on Sunday afternoon at the WLI Field.
The Spartans improved to 7-4-1, 2-0-1 on the season, while the Bulldogs fell to 3-6-2, 1-3 in the SoCon after the loss. UNCG extended its 23-game unbeaten streak on the road in Southern Conference action.
The Blue and Gold finished the game with 20 shots, setting a new season high on the year. UNCG took 14 shots in the second half.
Sophomore Chesney White finished the game with two goals on four shots. Classmate Katherine Rodriguez picked up two assists in the contest.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Simmons earned the win, making six saves along the way.
In the second half, the Spartans scored four goals on 14 shots in a fast-paced, offensive-styled game. At one point, each team scored two goals in a matter of five minutes from the 70th minute to the 75th.
The Spartans scored just a minute into the second half after sophomore Zoe Fishman found White, who put home her second goal of the game. White picked up her fifth goal of the season.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 2-1 after Sarah Katchen scored on a rebound off the initial shot from Lea Raedle in the 58th minute.
The Citadel tied the game in the 70th minute after Raedle found Nicole Levermann, who fired a shot past Simmons to make it 2-2.
A minute later, UNCG freshman Georgia Brown made a run past The Citadel defense and rocketed a shot outside the box past the keeper to give UNCG a 3-2 lead.
The Spartans continued the pressure as freshman Rebecca Burrows scored the fourth goal of the game on an assist from Rodriguez.
In the 75th minute, The Citadel cut the lead to 4-3 after Ruth Leiva found a ball inside the box and scored her third goal of the season. Kim Maldonado started the play with a cross and Karina Schneider headed it to Leiva, who beat the keeper.
UNCG added an insurance goal in the 84th minute after sophomore Candice Forbes scored her first goal of the season to give UNCG a 5-3 lead.
In the first half, UNCG controlled the game by holding most of the possession. The Spartans struck first in the 36th minute after Rodriguez played a perfect ball from the midfield to a streaking White, who fired a shot into the lower right corner to make it 1-0.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity of their own in the 29th minute, when Ana Mesa riffled a shot off the post, but the ball was cleared away to keep the game tied.
The Spartans finished the half tied in shots with the Bulldogs with the teams taking six apiece.
UNCG returns home to face SoCon rival Furman on Friday at 7 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
The Citadel is at Davidson on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Appalachian State 2, Davidson 1 (OT)
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Appalachian State’s Samantha Childress headed in the golden goal off of a Jaclyn Nieradka corner kick in the 95th minute Sunday as the Mountaineers defeated Davidson 2-1.
The Mountaineers (5-4-2, 2-0-2) remain unbeaten in Southern Conference play this season and capped off a weekend of good results on the road. Appalachian beat conference foe Georgia Southern 3-1 on Friday night and turned around to get the win at Davidson in overtime.
The Wildcats (3-7-3, 2-2-0) got the scoring started early on a goal from Sarah Tuggle in the sixth minute of the game. The assist was attributed to Ashley Finke, who crossed the ball into the box and allowed Tuggle to chip shot it to the far post.
Mountaineer keeper Megan Roberson made four saves big saves on the day to move to 4-3-2 on the season.
It would not take the Mountaineers long to respond to Davidson’s opening salvo. In the 19th minute, Julia Holz dribbled through three different defenders and blasted her fifth goal of the season to net the equalizer for Appalachian State and notch the score at 1-1.
No more scoring would take place in the remaining 71 minutes of regulation. Davidson would outshoot Appalachian 14-10, with the Mountaineers holding the advantage with shots on goal by a tally of 7-5. The Mountaineers would produce four corner kicks and made one of them count in overtime.
In the first overtime, Nieradka took a corner kick and sent the ball into the box, where Childress would send the Mountaineers back home to Boone, N.C., on a high note. The goal for Childress was her sixth of the season, one more than she scored as a freshman last season.
The Mountaineers will return to action on Friday when they host Chattanooga for women’s soccer alumni weekend. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Appalachian Soccer Stadium.
Davidson hosts The Citadel on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Elon 6, Francis Marion 1
FLORENCE, S.C. – The Elon University women’s soccer team closed its nonconference schedule with a 6-1 victory over the Francis Marion Patriots on Sunday afternoon at Hartzler Field. With the win, Elon improved to 7-2-3.
Marissa Russo gave Elon a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute after knocking in a Nicole Dennion cross from near the right post.
In the 23rd minute, Catherine Brinkman scored on an Olivia Mackey corner kick directly in front of the Francis Marion net to give the Phoenix a 2-0 advantage.
Russo scored her second goal of the match and extended Elon’s lead to 3-0 in the 54th minute after heading in a ball off a previous shot by Angela Funari. One minute later, Jennifer McGorty scored on a Kimmie Krauss pass to give the Phoenix a 4-0 edge.
Dennion pushed the Phoenix out to a 5-0 lead in the 60th minute after a header near the right post landed in the back of the net for the score, her eighth of the season.
Bethany Houpt gave Elon a 6-0 lead in the 75th minute after blasting a shot over the FMU keeper from 30 yards out for her first goal of the season.
Elon ended the match with a 17-4 advantage in shots and an 8-1 edge in corners.
Elon returns home on Oct. 11 to face Wofford at Rudd Field.