ETSU 5, Tennessee Tech 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Sophomore forward Simona Koren was one of four ETSU players to find the back of the net Sunday afternoon as the Bucs cruised past Tennessee Tech, 5-1.
Koren, who played in just nine games last season due to injury, scored two goals Sunday and has registered three goals in the Bucs' first two contests.
Senior defender Jasmin Dutton dished out three assists in the Bucs' win, while Cecilia Re, Hannah Short, and Molly Collinson each scored goals. Short recorded an assist to go along with her score, while Sarah Zadrazil also dished out an assist.
The Buccaneers (2-0) carried a 2-0 lead into intermission thanks to first-half goals from Re and Koren.
With a 66th-minute goal, the Golden Eagles (0-1) briefly cut their deficit to 2-1; however, the Bucs responded strongly, scoring three unanswered goals in the match's final 17 minutes to seal the victory.
ETSU will begin a four-match homestand Thursday, Aug. 28, as the Bucs host Appalachian State at 7 p.m. inside Summers-Taylor Stadium.
Wofford 3, Presbyterian 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Senior Chelsea Turner scored the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute on Sunday night, as the Wofford College women’s soccer team earned a 3-0 victory against Presbyterian.
The win pushes the Terriers to 2-0 record on the season after Friday’s 3-2 overtime victory against Gardner-Webb. The Terriers now hold a 6-2 edge all-time against the Blue Hose.
The Terriers dominated in possession, keeping the ball in the attacking third for the majority of the game. Wofford won the shooting margin 13-9 and had five corners to Presbyterian’s three. The match was extremely physical, with the two teams combining for 21 fouls.
Action began early with the first shot coming in the fifth minute, when Presbyterian’s Hannah Gaithier took a low shot, one-on-one, against senior keeper Kara Boggs. Boggs dove on the ball for one of her three saves en route to her first clean sheet of the season.
Scoring began 33 minutes in when sophomore outside back Tanner Kaplan ripped a shot from the left side of the field. The shot ricocheted off of the crossbar just outside keeper Sydney Fontenot’s reach, where it bounced in front Turner. Turner volleyed home the ball for the game-winner, her first goal of the season.
The Terriers continued to apply pressure. Just four minutes later, freshman midfielder Hannah Washko beat two defenders and worked her way into the box before an errant tackle from midfielder Sarah Yoss led to a penalty kick. Senior Maureen Buff took the kick and buried the ball into the back of the net for her 13th career goal. Wofford remained up 2-0 into halftime.
Wofford continued the offensive pressure into the second half and scored its final goal 19 minutes later. Junior Mary Beth Bleekrode attacked from the left side of the pitch, striking a shot toward the goal before Fontenot swatted the shot away, deflecting the ball toward senior Annika Jansson. Jansson gathered the rebound before striking the ball home for the match’s third and final goal.
Wofford will play next on Friday, Aug. 29, when it is set to face the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville in Asheville, N.C. The game will start at 5 p.m.
No. 14 South Carolina 2, Samford 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Samford University soccer team’s four-match winning streak against Southeastern Conference opponents came to an end Sunday as the Bulldogs dropped a hard-fought 2-0 decision on the road versus the 14th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.
Heading into Sunday’s regionally televised showdown, Samford (0-2) held a four-game winning streak against SEC opponents. Dating back to a 3-1 victory over Kentucky on Sept. 9, 2012, the Bulldogs also registered consecutive home wins against Tennessee, 1-0, Auburn, 1-0, and Vanderbilt, 3-2, last season.
South Carolina (2-0) rattled off 19 shot attempts Sunday, but Samford’s true freshman goalkeeper Anna Maddox registered a career-high 10 saves. The Bulldogs’ talented 6-foot native of Warner Robins, Ga., made a number of phenomenal stops against the nationally ranked Gamecocks as the teams entered halftime knotted at 0-0.
In the 57th minute, South Carolina’s Raina Johnson tallied the game-winning goal as she scored her first goal of the season. On the play, Andie Romness fed a service deep into the box that Johnson was able to control approximately 10 yards out. After cleanly gathering the pass, she was finally able to sneak a shot past Maddox.
Despite being down a goal, Samford’s offensive attack never relented and battled hard to equalize the match. The Bulldogs’ Taylor Borman rattled off a shot from 20 yards away, but it drifted off to the right midway through the second half.
Late in Sunday’s contest, South Carolina’s Paige Bendall tacked on a goal in the 76th minute of action. On the score, she collected a rebounded shot and was able to find the back of the net. The Gamecocks’ Stevi Parker and Lauren Jankowski were both awarded assists on the play.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Jacksonville, Ala., for an in-state matchup with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
Western Kentucky 1, Mercer 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Mercer women’ soccer team dropped a close contest with the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers by a 1-0 margin on Sunday afternoon at the WKU Soccer Complex.
The Bears (0-2) used a balanced offensive attack with five different players recording shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Cristina Mursuli made the first start of her career and tallied four saves in the first stanza before junior Maggie Cropp came in at halftime and made two stops.
Western Kentucky (2-0) fired off 14 shots, including seven on goal, and finally found the back of the net in the 69th minute when Bria Mosley scored on a breakaway pass from 25 yards.
On Friday, Mercer will host Gardner-Webb in the squad’s home opener, slated for a 6 p.m. start at Bear Field.
Georgia 3, UNCG 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women’s soccer team battled but dropped a road contest to SEC foe Georgia, 3-0, Sunday afternoon at UGA Soccer Stadium.
The Spartans fall to 0-2 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 1-0-1 with the victory.
The Blue and Gold kept Georgia off the scoreboard for 60-plus minutes but the Bulldogs broke through with three second-half goals.
In the 63rd minute, sophomore Marion Crowder broke through two defenders and scored inside the box to give Georgia a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs added another goal off a penalty kick from Gabby Seiler in the 70th minute.
Six minutes later, Bria Washinton scored her first goal of the season after a nice setup from Shayna Raekelboom to push Georgia’s lead to 3-0.
UNCG and Georgia played a scoreless first half, with the Bulldogs leading the shot total 12-2, but only five came on frame.
In the 13th minute, freshman Regan Lehman played a pretty ball inside the box, allowing junior Chesney White to put a header shot on frame that freshman Louise Hogrell saved.
UNCG redshirt freshman goalkeeper Chloe Buehler had a terrific first half, making five saves, including a key sliding stop to prevent a one-on-one opportunity.
After a turnover by the Bulldog defense in the 44th minute, White attacked inside the box and fired a shot near the left post but Hogrell pushed the ball out of bounds. Sophomore Katelyn Mountjoy followed with a corner kick but the Spartans couldn’t find the goal.
Buehler finished with seven saves after playing nearly 75 minutes in net. Junior Kirsten Glad made one save in the final 15 minutes.
Senior Ashley Stokes and Lehman each came away with a shot on goal in the second half but Hogrell turned them away.
UNCG has another quick turnaround, traveling to Lynchburg, Va., to take on Liberty on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m.
Auburn 2, Furman 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Auburn rallied from an early 1-0 deficit and held on in the final minutes to defeat Furman, 2-1, in nonconference women’s soccer action Sunday afternoon on Seagraves Field at Stone Soccer Stadium.
The loss snapped Furman’s 13-game home winning streak and dropped the Paladins to 1-1-0 on the season while Auburn upped its record to 1-1-0.
With the final seconds winding down in the first half, Auburn won a free kick in front of its own bench on the right wing. Haley Gerken served a long ball into the box and Ashley Kotero headed the set piece past Furman goalkeeper Rose Hull with just six seconds before intermission to score the eventual winning goal.
The Tigers threatened to add to the lead several times in the early portion of the second half, but Hull registered three second-half saves, including a pair of diving stops, to hold the score at 2-1. Furman turned up the pressure on Auburn’s back line in the final 20 minutes. Sanon Williams and Kristen Baker each forced Tigers goalkeeper Alyse Scott into saves and Carlie Couch headed over the bar on a dangerous chance.
Furman grabbed the 1-0 lead at the 5:10 mark when Couch darted down the right wing to the edge of the box and passed back to Hannah Stanifer, who lined a shot into the far side netting for her first goal of the season.
Auburn answered in the 28th minute as Hannah Alspach’s cross found an unmarked Kristen Dodson, who headed in the equalizer.
Scott had three saves for Auburn, while Hull made seven stops in the loss for the Paladins.
Auburn finished with a 13-8 edge in shots and 9-4 advantage in shots on goal.
The Paladins cap their season-opening three-match homestand on Thursday when they host Mississippi State at Stone Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
East Carolina 1, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina dropped a tight match Sunday, falling 1-0 to East Carolina at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
The Catamounts fell to 0-2 on the season, while the Pirates improved to 1-1. Both teams were coming off tough losses on Friday, with WCU falling to Eastern Kentucky 1-0 and ECU losing to No. 14 South Carolina 2-0.
It was an aggressive and physical match throughout, with both teams fighting for a goal. A scoreless first half was broken up early in the second period.
Due to the physical nature of the game, both teams were flagged with fouls numerous times. A Western Carolina foul early in the second half would equate to a Pirate goal.
Eleven minutes into second half, a foul called on Western Carolina gave ECU the ball about 20 feet from the goal. Stephanie Seagrave took the kick and sent it down into the box for a waiting Jenna Geist, who slipped it past Western Carolina goalkeeper Carly Tinstman for the score.
At the start of the game, Western Carolina got some key looks at the ECU goal, both off corner kicks by senior Madison Lee. Catilyn Bradham and Sara Robinson each had nice looks but couldn't find the back of the net.
In the last two minutes of the contest, Western Carolina had key looks at the net in an attempt to tie the game. Bradham's shot was stopped by ECU goalie Sandra Baron and freshman Chandler Arrowood's attempt sailed just over the top of the goal post.
The Catamounts outshot the Pirates 10-7 and ECU's Baron had three saves to Tinstman's one.
Western Carolina begins a six-game road swing this weekend, traveling to Longwood on Friday for a 7 p.m. contest and then heading to High Point on Sunday, Aug. 31, for a 2 p.m. tilt.
Coastal Carolina 2, The Citadel 0
CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina scored two goals in a span of just over a minute midway through the first half, giving the Chanticleers a 2-0 win over The Citadel in women's soccer action Sunday evening.
Both teams are 1-1 on the young season. The Bulldogs return to the field Friday when they begin a four-game homestand against South Carolina State at 4 p.m.
Coastal took nine shots in the first half, with Citadel goalkeeper Naomi Carter making four saves. However, Daniella Famili was able to sneak one in at the 19:00 mark and Kacey Kelley followed at 20:18 for the only two goals of the contest.
Carter finished with six saves as the Chanticleers outshot the Bulldogs 14-5. Mady Riegel had two of The Citadel's shot attempts, both in the first half, and the lone one on goal.
The Bulldogs played without senior Vanessa Aponte, who completed a two-game suspension that was incurred against College of Charleston in the 2012 season finale. Aponte, who redshirted a year ago, will return to the lineup for the South Carolina State contest.
Austin Peay 5, Chattanooga 2
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Crystal Mackezyk scored a pair of goals in the Mocs’ 5-2 women’s soccer loss to Austin Peay on Sunday evening at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.
Mackezyk’s first goal came just one minute after the Lady Govs connected with the net early in the game. Freshman Brandy Herrera sent a corner kick to the front of the net and Mackezyk headed the pass home to make it 1-1 in the 10th minute.
Chattanooga would take the lead at 22:20 on another goal from Mackezyk, this time assisted by junior Logan Higgins, to make it 2-1. Austin Peay’s Merritt Monger, however, would tie the game with a shot into the lower right corner in the 33rd minute and then score the eventual game-winner at the 36-minute mark on a penalty kick.
Late in the game, Austin Peay realized that the Mocs were playing with an untested keeper and added a pair of late goals. Natalie Irwin, a midfielder, sat out last season recovering from an injury from her high school playing days. After UTC lost both its starting and backup keepers over the weekend, she stepped up to guard the net.
Her work was even more difficult with injuries to two starting defenders during the game. She recorded 10 saves in the contest, with the majority of the shots being made late. The Lady Govs outshot the Mocs 25-10 and the teams each took two corners.
UTC coach J.D. Kyzer said halfway between Asheville, N.C., and Clarksville, Tenn., on Saturday, the team bus caught fire and a new one eventually had to pick the team up from the interstate. Later Saturday night, several members of the team became ill with what was determined to have possibly been food poisoning.
The Lady Govs improved to 1-1 on the year. Chattanooga fell to 0-2 and will host Tennessee Temple on Friday evening for its first home game of the season. The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. Admission is free.