The Citadel 3, South Carolina State 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Three Citadel players scored goals, and the Bulldogs held on despite a late scare to down South Carolina State 3-2 in women's soccer action on Friday at WLI Field.
The Citadel is 2-1 on the young season and improved to 11-0-1 all-time against SC State, which dropped to 1-2. The Bulldogs continue their four-game homestand on Sunday at noon against NJIT.
The Bulldogs led 2-1 at halftime and built a two-goal margin in the 55th minute when Ana Mesa took a pass from Karina Schneider, faked her way past the defense and beat S.C. State goalkeeper Haley Austin in the lower right corner of the net.
It appeared the Mesa insurance goal would be more than enough for The Citadel until S.C. State scored in unusual fashion with just 1:55 remaining. Bulldog keeper Naomi Carter was unable to gain firm control of the ball, and Naydeen Cabalo was able to score on the loose ball to cut the S.C. State deficit to one.
But The Citadel was able to maintain control of the ball the rest of the way, and S.C. State did not mount another significant challenge. Carter finished with four saves.
The Bulldogs jumped out in front in the 21st minute when freshman Mady Riegel scored her first collegiate goal, taking a long lead pass from Kim Maldonado and beating S.C. State's starting goalkeeper, Katelyn Kern, on a one-on-one move.
It took only 16 seconds for S.C. State to tie it on Cabalo's first goal of the game, and The Ctadel jumped back in front when Schneider scored off an assist by Vanessa Aponte in the 35th minute. Aponte increased her career assist total to 16, the most in school history and second among active Southern Conference players.
The Bulldogs held a 15-11 advantage in shots, led by Schneider with four. The Citadel also had the only two corner kicks of the game, but its aggressive offense also resulted in a total of 11 offside infractions.
Wofford 3, UNC Asheville 2
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An 88th-minute goal from senior midfielder Maureen Buff pushed the Wofford College women’s soccer team to a 3-2 win over UNC Asheville on Friday night. The win makes the team 3-0 to start for the first time since the 2011 season.
Buff led the team in dramatic fashion, finishing her fourth goal of the season on a cross from sophomore forward Alex Hoots with just two minutes to spare. The goal was the 14th of Buff’s career, moving her to the 10th in Wofford College women’s soccer history.
The matchup was fairly even, as both teams fought hard to try and gain an advantage. The Terriers led in the shooting column 13-11, and had six corners to the Bulldogs’ five.
Keeper Kara Boggs logged four saves in the 90 minutes, advancing to 3-0-0 in goal, while Asheville’s Heather Muller dropped to 2-1-0 on the season.
The Terriers began the match getting a feel for the Bulldogs, as both sides showed little action in the first five minutes. Wofford started pressing the tempo in the seventh minute, taking its first shot. Buff outsmarted two defenders before passing to senior forward Annika Jansson. Jansson struck the ball, but Muller kept the team at bay.
Twenty-two minutes later, Jansson found her stride. After multiple attempts for the Terriers, LaFontant took a shot that was blocked by senior Megan Forester out of bounds for a corner kick. Sophomore Katherine Whisenhunt took the corner that was then sent astray by an Asheville defender. Jansson found the ball and struck it from just outside the box, finding the back of the net.
UNC Asheville was quick to respond. Five minutes later, the Bulldogs’ Caroline Houser received a through ball from the defense. Wofford senior Mary Kathryn Macklen slid in to try and stop the ball but was beat. Houser lifted the goal into the right side of the net past a diving Boggs.
Wofford wasted no time regaining the lead. In the 37th minute, LaFontant beat two defenders in the box before sending a low cross to freshman Katie Beuerline on the other side. Beuerline kicked the ball past Muller for her first goal of the season. The Terriers would ride out the half with a 2-1 advantage.
The second half opened with heavy pushes for both sides. Both teams made efforts on goal until Asheville found the equalizer in the 54th minute. A Wofford foul led to a free kick from Amanda Dailor, who lifted the ball just around the Terriers’ four-person wall, and Kaitlyn Eckert beat Boggs low and away.
The Bulldogs had their best chance to win in the 83rd minute when forward Brooke Miller sent a shot just over the crossbar, four minutes before Buff’s game-winner.
The Terriers have Saturday off before taking on the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina on Sunday in Conway, S.C. The match begins at 2 p.m.
UNCG 2, Army 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the second straight game, the UNCG women’s soccer team scored late thanks to a pair of second-half goals from junior Candice Forbes to defeat Army, 2-1, Friday night at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
UNCG improved to 2-2 on the season, winning two straight games, while Army fell to 1-2.
With the clock winding down, senior Ashley Stokes found Forbes inside the box again and buried her second goal of the game past the keeper with just 30 seconds left.
It is the first time Forbes has scored multiple times in a game and gives her four career goals.
The Black Knights jumped out to a 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the second half after Bailey Widman found Katie Holder, who scored her first goal of the season.
The Spartans had multiple chances to tie the game but found the equalizer in the 80th minute off a tap-in goal from Forbes. Junior Zoe Fishman received a pass from sophomore Rebecca Burrows and crossed a pretty ball inside the box, where Forbes finished the goal.
UNCG finished the game with a season-high 17 shots, including 10 in the second half alone. The Black Knights only tallied six shots, with three coming on frame. Redshirt freshman Chloe Buehler picked up the victory in goal, making two saves. Army goalie Jordan Cassalia finished with seven saves in the defeat.
For the fourth straight game, the Spartans held an opponent scoreless in the first half. UNCG had seven shots, holding the Black Knights to just three in the first half.
Just four minutes into the game, junior Chesney White had an opportunity inside the box, taking a shot, but Army goalie Jordan Cassalia made the save to keep UNCG off the scoreboard.
The Blue and Gold travel to West Virginia to participate in the Mountaineers’ tournament starting Friday, Sept. 5, against Indiana State at 5 p.m. before wrapping up the tournament against host West Virginia on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 5 p.m.
Samford 3, Jacksonville State 2
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team picked up its first victory of the young 2014 season Friday as the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and then hung on for a 3-2 road triumph in a key intrastate contest held at the JSU Soccer Field.
Samford (1-2), which perennially competes against some of the toughest competition in the nation, opened its 2014 campaign with hard-fought losses to Cincinnati and No. 14-ranked South Carolina.
At Jacksonville State (1-2) on Friday, the Bulldogs quickly jumped out to a 3-0 first-half lead, but slipped into a lull midway through the second period as the Gamecocks added two goals in 11 minutes to trim Samford’s late advantage to 3-2.
Down the stretch, Jacksonville State kept applying the offensive pressure and finished the match with a game-high 16 shot attempts. The Bulldogs’ goalkeeper, Anna Maddox, concluded the contest with five huge saves as Samford’s true freshman played a critical role in the victory.
Maddox faced 16 shot attempts from the Gamecocks on Friday and turned in a valiant effort en route to her first collegiate win.
In the 26th minute, Samford jumped out to a 1-0 lead as sophomore Emily Jones scored her first career goal as a Bulldog. A transfer from the University of Tampa this season, Jones has added an offensive spark for the team and gave Samford its early advantage with an unassisted goal at exactly 25:43.
Jones’ score occurred on a blazing shot from 20 yards out that deflected off Jacksonville State goalkeeper Meara Johnson’s hands and into the back of the net.
Less than seven minutes later, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from sophomore Heather Lacy. The score was Lacy’s first at Samford since she transferred to the Valley from Ole Miss this summer.
Lacy’s goal was set up by sophomore Taylor Borman, who sent a direct kick perfectly in the box. On the play, Lacy skied past a pair of Gamecock defenders and headed the ball neatly into the back of the net.
Borman’s assist was her first of the 2014 campaign.
All three of Samford’s goals Friday were scored by sophomore transfers.
The Bulldogs’ third, and ultimately its most important goal, was added by South African standout Jermaine Seoposenwe. In the 35th minute of action, Seoposenwe tallied the decisive goal to give Samford a lopsided 3-0 advantage in the match, but her goal would eventually prove to be the game-winner as Jacksonville State tacked on two late second-half scores.
Seoposenwe’s shot occurred directly from the top of the box as she rifled home a crossing pass from senior forward Amanda Abbott past the Gamecocks’ diving goalkeeper, Johnson. The score was her first of the 2014 campaign.
Despite falling behind 3-0 in the first half, Jacksonville State never relinquished its fight and battled back to trim Samford’s lead to 3-2 behind scores from Courtney Hurt and Kelsey Bright in the 65th and 76th minutes, respectively.
With the Bulldogs’ win Friday, Samford improved to 10-5-1 against Jacksonville State. The Bulldogs have also been victorious in seven of their last eight meetings with the Gamecocks.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 5 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs conclude their arduous three-match road swing in Atlanta, Ga., for a nonconference matchup against the Georgia State Panthers to be held at the GSU Soccer Complex.
Mercer 2, Gardner-Webb 1
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's soccer team used goals by junior Sydney Brogden and sophomore Maddie Clark to edge out Gardner Webb 2-1 on Friday night at Bear Field.
Mercer (1-0) got the early tally from Brogden in just the eighth minute and watched the 1-0 advantage lead stand until Clark deposited a header in the 82nd minute of play. Brogden's score came with aid from seniors Tess Patton and Brianna Stampler, while Clark's header was benefit of a far-post service from Patton.
The Bears' seemingly insurmountable 2-0 advantage was trimmed in half less than four minutes after Clark scored, as Gardner Webb's Shelby Hooe slipped past the defense and lofted a ball over the Mercer goalkeeper.
Mercer's defense buckled down in the final minutes and allowed no additional shots before the final whistle.
Junior goalkeeper Maggie Cropp (1-1) booked her first win of the season, making just one save behind a stout Mercer back line.
The Bears continue nonconference play at home, hosting Alabama A&M on Sunday. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Chattanooga 7, Tennessee Temple 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s soccer team shutout crosstown foe Tennessee Temple 7-0 Friday night under the lights at Finley Stadium in the Mocs’ home opener.
Five different players scored for Chattanooga, which had five goals in the first half. Freshmen Amanda Ortiz and McKenzie Gregg each netted two, while UTC’s veterans scored the remaining three.
Ortiz scored what would eventually become the game-winning goal in the sixth minute on a pass up the middle from senior Crystal Mackezyk. It would be 25 minutes later before the Mocs would score again, but it wouldn’t take long to score three more for a 5-0 halftime lead.
In the 31st minute, Gregg, with a shot from the middle, put Chattanooga up 2-0 on a pass from junior Clare Latham from the right. The Mocs’ third goal came off a penalty kick by senior Melanie Arredondo at the 38:55 mark following a Crusader foul in the box.
Gregg teamed up with Latham again in the half to make it 4-0, then the two paired up again in reverse with Latham taking a pass from Gregg and charging in to the goal and slotting a shot past the Tennessee Temple keeper to the far post to make it 5-0 at the 42:07 mark of the game.
In the second half, the Mocs added another pair of goals. Ortiz took a pass from sophomore Samantha Hogan then went one-on-one with her defender to give UTC its sixth goal of the game. Chattanooga’s Mackezyk scored UTC’s final goal of the game in the 64th minute, assisted by junior Logan Higgins.
Chattanooga outshot the Crusaders 34-1 and UTC keeper Natalie Irwin earned her first win in net. Tennessee Temple keeper Lyndi Dodd pulled down 13 saves in the game.
The Crusaders fell to 0-2 on the year and will welcome their new coach next week. Chattanooga improved to 2-1 and will host Gardner-Webb on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free.
Western Carolina 1, Longwood 1 (2OT)
FARMVILLE, Va. – Western Carolina tied Longwood 1-1 in double overtime Friday night.
The Catamounts (0-2-1) scored on a Longwood own goal in the first half in the first 15 minutes of the match off a corner kick by Madison Lee. For the rest of the first half, and most of the second, Western Carolina held on to the tenuous 1-0 lead until the Lancers (1-1-1) fought back to tie the match.
Longwood's Samantha Phillips netted the game-tying goal with just five minutes left in regulation. Phillips took a pass from the top of the penalty arch and scored.
Both teams would be held scoreless through the remainder of regulation and the two overtimes. Catamount freshman forward Chandler Arrowood had a solid look at the goal in the waning minutes of the first overtime but her shot went just wide right.
Western Carolina returns to action Sunday, playing at High Point. Match time is set for 2 p.m.
Youngstown State 2, VMI 0
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – VMI goalkeeper Sydnie Bligh made nine saves, but the Youngstown State Penguins broke a 0-0 tie early in the second half and went on to defeat the Keydets, 2-0, in nonconference women’s soccer action Friday night.
After the two teams had battled through a scoreless first half, the Penguins (1-2) got on the board in the opening minute of the second half. Kathy Baquero scored from 6 yards out off a Keydet turnover, beating Bligh to the goalkeeper’s left, to make it a 1-0 game. Macey Riese added a goal off a corner kick in the 56th minute to make it a 2-0 contest, and that would prove to be the final margin.
The two teams traded shots over the first 4:57 of the match, with VMI’s Sam Boney missing wide in the fifth minute to keep the match scoreless. YSU then posted the final 13 shots of the half but could only put four on cage, and Bligh was up to the task on all four, sending the match to halftime scoreless.
After Baquero put YSU ahead early in the second half, Bligh made three saves in a span of just over six minutes, culminating with a stop at 54:56 that kept it a one-goal match. Off that stop, however, the Penguins earned a corner kick and Riese converted off a Katie Hohmann try, making it 2-0 for the home team. That would prove to be the final score, as the Keydets dropped to 1-1 on the year.
YSU held a 29-1 edge in shots and an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks, while VMI made all of the match’s nine saves.
VMI returns to action Wednesday, facing former Big South foe Longwood in Farmville, Va. Action gets underway at 6 p.m.