Samford 3, Davidson 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team used a pair of goals from junior Amanda Abbott and a score from true freshman Anna Allen to post a lopsided 3-0 triumph over the Davidson Wildcats on Sunday in an early season Southern Conference matchup held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
With Sunday’s victory, Samford (7-2-1, 1-0-1 SoCon) extended its undefeated streak to six consecutive matches and improved to 5-0-1 when playing at home this season. The Bulldogs also tallied their third-consecutive victory against Davidson (2-6-3, 1-1 SoCon).
The Bulldogs’ first goal of Sunday’s match occurred in the 39th minute of play and came off a corner kick from the right side.
Samford’s Jordan Johnson took the corner and sent a deep arcing pass to the far side of the box, where Abbott skied high above the Davidson defenders and headed the ball back into the right corner of the net for her first goal of the match. Abbott’s score gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead, while Johnson’s assist proved to be her third of the season.
Midway through the second half, Samford extended its lead to 2-0 as Allen scored the first goal of her young collegiate career in the 66th minute.
At exactly 65:48 into Sunday’s match, Allen gathered a pass from Molly Pittman, turned and then dribbled past one Wildcat defender to her left. She then stepped up a few yards and rifled a left-footed shot that found the right corner of the net.
Malcanisha Kelley and Pittman were credited with assists on Allen’s goal.
Samford goalkeeper Melissa Montgomery made her first start of the season Sunday and made four critical stops for the Bulldogs. She teamed with true freshman Dale Steinagle to record the team’s sixth shutout of the 2013 season.
Montgomery, who started a majority of Samford’s matches in goal last season, played the first 86:32 on Sunday, while Steinagle came in for the final 3:28 of the contest.
Samford’s final goal of the match was scored by Abbott as she notched her second of the game and her team-leading fifth of the season.
On the goal, senior Michelle Moll placed a perfect through-pass ahead to Abbott, where she found herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper Rachel Locke and beat Locke to the left-hand corner of the goal.
Samford outshot Davidson, 15-6, on Sunday and registered 10 corner kicks to four from the Wildcats. A total of eight of the Bulldogs’ 15 shot attempts were on-goal. Montgomery and Locke finished with four saves apiece.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Wofford Terriers to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for another key home SoCon matchup.
Davidson begins a three-game homestand next weekend with games against Western Carolina (Friday) and Appalachian State (Oct. 6).
Wofford 2, The Citadel 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Maureen Buff broke a scoreless tie with a goal in the 66th minute and Wofford went on to a 2-0 win over The Citadel in Southern Conference women's soccer action on Sunday.
The Bulldogs lost to the Terriers for the first time in four years and fell to 2-5-2 overall and 0-2 in the SoCon. Wofford, winner of five straight, was playing its league opener and improved to 5-2-1 overall.
Naomi Carter had 11 saves for The Citadel, including eight over the opening 59 minutes to keep the Terriers off the board. But Buff beat the freshman net-minder with a shot into the top right corner of the goal with 65:27 remaining to put Wofford in front.
The Bulldogs had three chances to tie the contest in the final 10 minutes, but shots by Ilana Green and Kim Maldonado were wide of the mark, and Wofford goalkeeper Kimberly Cohn stopped an attempt by Lea Raedle.
The Terriers finished with 31 shots to five for The Citadel. On Wofford's final shot of the game, Chloe Brackett scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season with just four seconds remaining.
Cohn made two saves for Wofford. The Bulldogs had five corner kick opportunities to four for the Terriers.
The Citadel returns to WLI Field on Friday for a 4 p.m. game against Elon followed by a Sunday contest at 2 p.m. against UNCG. The Bulldogs have not lost in four games (2-0-2) at home so far this season.
Wofford will be back in action on Thursday when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to take on Samford at 7 p.m. The next home match for the Terriers is on Sunday, Oct. 6, when they host University of Tennessee at Chattanooga at Snyder Field at 2 p.m.
UNCG 2, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The UNCG women’s soccer team scored a goal in each half to take down Western Carolina, 2-0, on the road Sunday afternoon at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
The Spartans improved to 5-4-1, 1-0-1 in the SoCon and the Catamounts fell to 5-4-1, 0-2 in conference play. With the win, the Blue and Gold extended its 22-game road unbeaten streak in SoCon action.
In the second half, Western Carolina put some pressure on UNCG, controlling most of the possession with seven shots. The Blue and Gold defense was up to the task, keeping the Catamounts off the scoreboard.
With less than a minute remaining in the contest, senior Lauren Lover played a long ball to freshman Rebecca Burrows, who flipped a ball over the keeper’s head to give UNCG a 2-0 advantage. It was Burrow’s first collegiate goal of her career.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Simmons only had to make two saves to earn her fourth shutout of the season. Simmons has 49 saves and a 0.67 goals against average in 10 games this season.
In the first half, UNCG controlled the run of play, putting multiple chances on goal and coming away with a 1-0 lead after sophomore Katherine Rodriguez scored her first goal of the season in the 39th minute.
Classmate Zoe Fishman fed Rodriguez with a nice ball inside the box and Rodriguez finished past the keeper to put the Spartans on the board.
The Spartans finished the half with a 5-4 advantage in shots. Sophomore Chesney White had three shots, including an opportunity from close range in the 25th minute, but Carly Tinstman made the save.
UNCG travels to Florence, S.C., for a nonconference game against Francis Marion on Friday at 4 p.m.
The Catamounts hit the road next weekend, traveling to Davidson on Friday and Georgia Southern Sunday, Oct. 6.
Georgia Southern 2, Chattanooga 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Alex Murphy and Nora El-Shami scored for Georgia Southern as the Eagles conquered Chattanooga on Sunday 2-1.
The Eagles were aggressive on offense, outshooting the Mocs 21-9, with 11 shots on goal.
Chattanooga scored first when sophomore Clare Latham slotted a pass in to classmate Loryn Queen, who sent the shot into the right side to give UTC a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.
Entering the second half, the Eagles trailed Chattanooga 1-0. At the 50-minute mark, Georgia Southern leveled out the scoreboard with Murphy shooting the ball past Mocs goalkeeper Taylor Mangrum, assisted by Cori Dulmage.
Nearing the end of the game at the 81-minute mark, Nora El-Shami, assisted by Jennifer Wittick, scored her first goal of the season and the game-winning goal, giving the Eagles the 2-1 lead.
The Eagles outshot UTC 21-9 and Mangrum made nine saves, with six in the second half.
The next competition for the Eagles is at home against Appalachian State on Friday at 7 p.m. at Erk Park, followed by Western Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m.
Chattanooga returns to action Thursday in a SoCon matchup with Furman at 5 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
Furman 3, Francis Marion 1
GRENVILLE, S.C. – Sophomore Stephanie DeVita netted two goals and Jamie Alexander added three assists to lead Furman to a 3-1 victory over Francis Marion in the Paladins’ final nonconference women’s soccer match of the season Sunday afternoon on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
The win stretched Furman’s unbeaten run to seven matches and improved the Paladins to 7-2-1 on the season. The Patriots slipped to 0-9-0.
DeVita, a Simpsonville, S.C., native, opened the scoring for the Paladins at the 8:12 mark. India Robinson curled a cross into the box that Alexander flicked in front of DeVita, and the forward volleyed in a shot from close range.
The assist for Robinson was her NCAA-leading 12th of the season and 11th in the Paladins’ last six matches.
DeVita doubled the lead at the 10:42 mark by heading in a cross from the right side. Alexander and Dee Makris were credited with assists on the goal. DeVita’s two goals gave her 27 in her career and moved her into 10th on Furman’s career goal scoring ledger.
Furman pushed its lead to 3-0 in the 55th minute. Alexander ripped a shot from the top of the box that was blocked into the path of Carlie Couch, who slotted a shot to the far right corner to tally her second goal of the weekend.
Francis Marion avoided the shutout in the 82nd minute when Tori Whigham redirected Yasmin Bunter’s corner kick inside the far right post for her first goal of the season.
Sophomore Rose Hull, who notched two saves in a scoreless half in goal, earned the victory for Furman. The Patriots’ Taylor O’Berry made 12 saves in a losing effort for Francis Marion.
Furman compiled a commanding 33-11 edge in shots and a 15-5 advantage in shots on target.
The victory, Furman’s fourth straight, helped the Paladins finish the nonconference slate with a 6-2-1 record.
The Paladins return to Southern Conference play on Thursday with a 5 p.m. contest at Chattanooga before hosting Samford on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.
Appalachian State 3, Elon 3 (2OT)
BOONE, N.C. – A second-half scoring barrage by the Elon University women’s soccer team and Appalachian State Mountaineers paved the way for a 3-3 draw on Sunday afternoon at the ASU Soccer Stadium.
Following Jane Cline’s goal in the 67th minute that pulled Appalachian State even at 1-1, Jennifer McGorty knocked in an Olivia Mackey corner kick 35 seconds later to give Elon a one-goal lead, 2-1. McGorty has scored in back-to-back games and has totaled five goals so far this season.
The Phoenix responded again shortly after Cline’s second goal of the afternoon in the 73rd minute, as Angela Funari scored on a Mackey pass in the 79th minute to put the Maroon and Gold ahead, 3-2.
But the Mountaineers battled back with 50 seconds remaining in regulation on a Merlin Beckwith score to tie the match at 3-all and send it to overtime.
Following five combined goals in the second half, the two teams went scoreless in the extra sessions, as neither squad could put the golden goal in the back of the net.
Appalachian State ended the match with a 12-8 advantage in shots. The Mountaineers put seven of their 12 shots on target, while Elon put six of its eight on frame.
Chelsey Stark put the Phoenix on the board just 41 seconds into the match after connecting with Alexis de Groot near the top of the box and landing a strike into the back left corner of the goal. Stark has scored in two straight games.
Elon has scored three or more goals in six of its 10 games this season.
The Phoenix returns to action on Friday in Charleston, S.C., versus The Citadel.
The Mountaineers return to action on Friday when they travel to Statesboro, Ga., to battle conference foe Georgia Southern. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m.