VMI 4, Chattanooga 0
LEXINGTON, Va. – Kristen Whitehurst scored two goals, while Myranda Emery and Emma Quirk chipped in for one score each to power the VMI Keydets past the Chattanooga Mocs, 4-0, in Southern Conference women's soccer action Sunday afternoon at Patchin Field.
The four goals marked VMI's highest offensive output since scoring four times on Aug. 19, 2011, against Howard and equaled a four-goal output against High Point on Oct. 15, 2005, as the program's highest-scoring conference game ever.
Whitehurst put VMI (3-10-1, 2-3 SoCon) up early, scoring in the 12th minute to give the Keydets a lead they would not relinquish. Emery tacked on a penalty kick later in the first half, while Quirk and Whitehurst scored in the final 25-plus minutes to account for the quartet of goals on a field that was soaked by a steady, consistent rain until 30 minutes before game time.
The rain then re-emerged as the second half began, prompting multiple players to lose their footing untouched and players making tackles to slide multiple feet.
In a symbol of what was to come, the Keydets nearly scored in the opening minute. VMI played a long pass into the box to the feet of UTC keeper Hannah Dunn, but Dunn misplayed the hit and Whitehurst was there for a rebound. Dunn recovered for the save, however, keeping the match scoreless.
VMI then struck in the 12th minute. Whitehurst drilled a shot off the post that came free into a crowd on the right-hand side of the box. Nicole Blixt controlled the ball out of the crowd and saw an open Whitehurst across the box. One pass and a quick shot later, VMI led, 1-0.
That margin doubled in the 23rd minute, when UTC was whistled for a foul in the box and VMI was awarded a penalty kick. Emery, playing in her first match since Sept. 19, converted the try for her first goal of the year and a 2-0 Keydet lead. It was Emery’s second career penalty kick goal in two tries, as she also converted last season against South Carolina State.
UTC nearly got on the board in the 27th minute. Skylar Brewer played a shot toward an open side of the net, to Emily Marbury’s left, but the ball died in a muddy area just in front of the goal line. That gave Marbury enough time to scurry across the goal mouth for the save, preserving the shutout.
VMI had a near-miss eight minutes later, when freshman Carlee Anderson was turned aside by a scrambling Dunn. Dunn could not control the rebound, but Anderson hit the post with her second try and the ball bounded away, keeping it a 2-0 game. That would be the score at halftime.
The Mocs nearly cut their deficit in half seven minutes into the second period. Crystal Mackezyk hit the crossbar with a try, and a follow-up header by McKenzie Gregg was wide.
VMI then resumed the scoring at 64:14. Sarah Putney earned a long free kick, 15 to 20 yards inside the Keydet offensive side of the field and to the goalkeeper’s right. Putney lofted the ball all the way to Dunn, who could only get her hands on it. Dunn bobbled the ball and it fell right to the feet of Quirk, who tipped it in easily for her third goal of the year and a 3-0 VMI margin.
As the footing grew more and more treacherous, quality chances were few and far between over the waning moments. The Keydets capped the scoring with seven seconds remaining, when a long ball by Putney found the foot of Whitehurst for another goal and the final margin, 4-0.
Whitehurst finished with her second career multi-goal game and first since last Sept. 8 against Delaware State, while Putney’s two assists were the first points of any kind for the long-time defender since Sept. 29, 2012.
In the Keydet win, UTC (1-12-1, 0-5-0) held a 19-16 edge in shots and a 5-2 edge in corner kicks. Marbury made seven saves in her second career shutout, while Chattanooga keeper Dunn stopped four shots for the visitors.
VMI women’s soccer will return to action Friday, taking on ETSU in Johnson City, Tenn. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Chattanooga will remain on the road with a match Friday at Wofford and Sunday at Furman before returning home for its final two regular-season matches.
Mercer 1, Western Carolina 0
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women’s soccer team used a 1-0 victory over Western Carolina on Sunday afternoon to remain undefeated in Southern Conference play.
The Bears improved to 9-4-2 overall and 3-0-2 in league play, while the Catamounts moved to 6-5-4 overall and 3-2-1 in the SoCon.
Washida Blackman scored the only goal of the day in the 41st minute after receiving a long pass from Rachel Buffalo. Buffalo sailed the ball from one end of the field to another and Blackman took it and beat out two defenders before putting it in the top of the net.
Mercer barely edged out Western Carolina in shots, 11-10, while the Catamounts controlled the corner kick count, 7-2.
In goal, Maggie Cropp made four saves and recorded her fourth shutout of the season.
Next, Mercer will travel to The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., on Friday, Oct. 17. The match is set to begin at 4 p.m.
Western Carolina returns home to host its final three games of the season in a three-game homestand. The Catamounts welcome UNCG on Oct. 17 during Parent's Day and will honor its seven seniors Oct. 19 when it faces new SoCon member VMI.
Samford 1, UNCG 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Samford University soccer team handed the UNCG Spartans their first Southern Conference loss of the 2014 season Sunday as the Bulldogs earned a hard-fought 1-0 triumph on the road at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
Samford’s Malcanisha Kelley scored the game-winning goal in the 74th minute of play to secure the victory. Kelley’s scored proved to be her sixth of the season and the 14th career. Just a sophomore, Kelley is already ranked in the school’s top-10 listing for goals scored.
The Bulldogs’ talented youth was definitely on display Sunday in their fourth consecutive road victory. Anna Maddox, Samford’s 6-foot true freshman goalkeeper, pulled down a career-high 11 saves and earned her second shutout of the 2014 season.
UNCG (7-5-3, 3-1-1 SoCon) outshot the Bulldogs on Sunday, 16-11, but Maddox proved to be the difference in the match with a number of game-saving stops. Already this season, Maddox has registered 70 saves and owns a 9-6 record in goal.
Since dropping a 2-0 decision at Lipscomb on Sept. 14, Samford (9-6, 4-1 SoCon) has rattled off consecutive road victories against Austin Peay, 3-1, Chattanooga, 3-0, VMI, 5-0, and UNCG, 1-0.
Kelley’s goal occurred at exactly 73:28 on Sunday as the Bulldogs’ native of Childersburg, Ala., scored on a breakaway counterattack opportunity. She sped down the field, pulling away from the Spartan defenders, and was able to beat goalkeeper Chloe Buehler in a one-on-one situation. Kelley’s game-winning goal was her second of the season.
UNCG’s seven-match undefeated streak came to an end Sunday. The Spartans’ loss was their first setback in exactly a month, dating back to a similar 1-0 loss to East Carolina on Sept. 12.
With its 1-0 win Sunday, Samford snapped a two-match losing streak against UNCG. The Bulldogs still trail in the all-time series between the teams, but only by a slim margin of 3-4-1.
Samford forwards Jermaine Seoposenwe and Kelley each rattled off four shot attempts against the Spartans and combined to record eight of the team’s 11 total shots.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs continue their arduous four-match road swing with a huge SoCon showdown at Furman. Friday's contest against the two-time defending champions will be held at Furman’s Eugene E. Stone III Stadium.
The Spartans head back out on the road to face Western Carolina on Friday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Catamount Soccer Complex. UNCG ends the road trip with a 1 p.m. game Sunday on Oct. 19 at ETSU.
ETSU 5, The Citadel 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. – After falling victim to a second-half comeback Friday at Mercer, ETSU responded in a huge way Sunday afternoon in Charleston, S.C., mounting a dauntless come-from-behind effort of its own to earn a 5-3, league win at The Citadel.
Trailing 3-2 through 59 minutes of play, the Bucs (12-4, 4-2) scored three unanswered goals, all within a 12-minute span, to stun The Citadel and clinch ETSU's fourth win in five contests.
Sophomore Thomai Vardali scored the equalizer for the Bucs in the 60th minute, while Hannah Short scored the game-winner just 82 seconds later (62'), her team-best fourth game-winning goal of the season.
Short, the nation's leading scorer (20G, 6A), added another goal in the 72nd minute to seal the victory. She scored three times in the match (43', 62', 72') to run her season total to 20 goals, moving her within one goal of matching Ramey Kerns' single-season program record of 21 set in 2012.
Senior Jasmin Dutton dished out three assists in the win, including the assist of Vardali's game-tying, 60th-minute score. Dutton has recorded three assists in three different matches this season, also doing so versus Tennessee Tech and Howard.
Dutton's three-assist effort pulled her even with teammate Sarah Zadrazil for the nation's top assist mark of 15. Zadrazil also recorded an assist Sunday, setting up Paola Roversi's seventh-minute goal that gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead.
Zadrazil has now recorded at least one point in ETSU's last five contests. During that span, she has recorded four goals and five assists, helping the Bucs to four victories.
ETSU outshot The Bulldogs (5-11, 1-5) by a 17-15 margin in the match.
The Citadel wraps up its regular-season home schedule on Friday at 4 p.m. against Mercer.