Western Carolina 3, Tennessee Tech 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Western Carolina scored a goal in the first half and two in the second, defeating Tennessee Tech 3-0 Sunday at Tech Soccer Field.
The Catamounts moved to 1-3-2, while Tennessee Tech fell to 1-4-0.
Western Carolina’s three goals against Tennessee Tech are more goals in one game than the Catamounts have scored over the previous five games. It was the first victory of the season for the Catamounts.
With just minutes left in the first half, Western Carolina broke open a scoreless game to take the lead. At the 41:41 mark, junior Sara Robinson’s shot from the top of the key bounced off the left post and into the back of the net for the goal.
The Catamounts added a second goal at 62:22. Senior forward Caitlyn Bradham scored her second goal of the season when she got the rebound from a header shot attempt by Taylor Webb and found the back of the net. Webb picked up her first career assist on the play.
At the 77:11 mark, redshirt junior Kimberly Sullivan tacked on a third WCU goal. Sullivan took the corner kick by Haven Leland and scored off a header, splitting the pipes.
Catamount sophomore goalkeeper Carly Tinstman earned her first shutout of the season and also notched her first win in goal.
Western Carolina will play a rare midweek nonconference contest Thursday when it travels to NC State for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Wolfpack.
Mercer 3, Houston 2
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women’s soccer team outlasted Houston, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Bear Field.
The Bears (3-3) took an early 1-0 lead in the third minute when Washida Blackman fired one in to the right corner of the net off a free kick from Sarah Daane. Sydney Brogden found the back of the net to increase Mercer’s lead to 2-0 just 35 seconds before halftime.
Houston (1-2-1) scored early in the second stanza to cut the lead to 2-1 in the 55th minute. The game was tied, 2-2, in the 71st minute when Mercer hit the ball into its own net, resulting in a Houston goal.
However, the Bears corrected their mistake quickly as Maddie Clark dribbled down the side of the field and had a clear shot at goal to put Mercer up 3-2 just a minute and a half later. Mercer held off Houston’s attempts to score in the final 20 minutes and was able to come away with the victory.
For the second time in as many games for the Bears, the start of the match was delayed due to severe weather. There was a two-hour, five-minute weather delay prior to the start of the game.
Maggie Cropp played her third complete game of the season and tallied six saves against the Cougars.
The Bears outshot the Cougars 15-11 and were led by Lauren Gassie and Blackman, who notched four shots and three shots, respectively.
Next up, Mercer will take a short trip to Athens, Ga., to face Georgia on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
Furman 3, USC Upstate 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman scored three times in the first half, including a pair of goals from sophomore Carlie Couch, to claim a 3-0 victory over the USC Upstate Spartans in women’s soccer action on Sunday at County University Stadium.
Couch, who earned All-Southern Conference honors and was named SoCon Freshman of the Year last season, opened the scoring at the 32:10 mark. India Robinson dribbled down the middle of the field and fed a pass to Couch on the wing. The Tifton, Ga., product lined a shot across the face of goal to the far side to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
At the 36:48 mark, Couch doubled the lead by firing another shot from the wing inside the far post on an assist from Alyssa Althoff.
Less than a minute before intermission, freshman Molly Dwyer capped the scoring with her second tally of the season. Dwyer received a pass from fellow freshman Rachel Shah and blasted a shot into the upper corner to beat Spartan goalkeeper Ellen bright and extend the margin to 3-0.
Three Paladin goalkeepers combined on Furman’s second shutout of the season, with Rose Hull and Maggie Grisell each registering a save.
Furman outshot the Spartans 19-3 and compiled a 9-2 edge in shots on goal while taking eight corner kicks to just three for USC Upstate.
The Paladins, now 4-1-0 on the season, travel to face Kennesaw State on Friday night before returning to Stone Stadium to host the Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.
No. 3 Virginia 3, Samford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team played host to its highest-ranked opponent in school history Sunday as the Bulldogs dropped a hard-fought 3-1 decision to the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers in front of a raucous crowd at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
Samford (3-3) fell behind 2-0 in the first half of play Sunday, but received a pivotal, momentum-changing goal from sophomore Malcanisha Kelley early in the second half. Kelley’s game-changing score proved to be her second of the season and trimmed Virginia’s (5-0) advantage to 2-1.
The goal also proved to be the only score that the Cavaliers have allowed in 450 minutes of play this season.
On Kelley’s goal, the forward from Childersburg, gathered a perfectly placed forwarding pass from Amanda Abbott on the right flank. She then took a couple of dribbles and forced Virginia’s goalkeeper, Jessie Ferrari, to challenge before chipping a brilliant 25-foot floater neatly into the back of the net.
Kelley’s goal gave Samford new life early in the second of play. The Bulldogs outnumbered Virginia in corner kicks, 2-1, and rattled off two shot attempts in the final half of action.
The Cavaliers’ first-half goals were scored by junior Brittany Ratcliffe and senior Morgan Brian. Ratcliffe’s goal was setup by Brian and was her fourth of the young 2014 campaign. Virginia’s second score was tallied by Brian in the 41st minute of play.
Midway through the second half of play, the Cavaliers’ Veronica Latsko scored Virginia’s third and final score of the afternoon following a crossing pass from Danielle Colaprico. The goal was Latsko’s second of the season.
The Cavaliers’ victory Sunday snapped Samford’s three-match winning streak. Already this season, the Bulldogs have faced top-notch opponents in No. 3 Virginia, No. 14 South Carolina and Cincinnati. Samford’s wins were registered against Jacksonville State, 3-2, Georgia State, 2-1 and Belmont, 2-0.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs continue their tough stretch of top-notch matches against the Auburn Tigers at the Auburn Soccer Complex in Auburn.
No. 13 West Virginia 2, UNCG 0
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The UNCG women’s soccer team fell to No. 13 West Virginia, 2-0, Sunday at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium to finish the WVU 90 Minute Classic this weekend.
UNCG fell to 2-3-1 on the season, while West Virginia improved to 4-2 with the victory. The Spartans had four corners but couldn’t convert any chances.
In the first half, the Spartans were seconds away from heading to the half scoreless but Leah Emaus scored with six seconds left to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead.
UNCG had a couple of chances on three corner kicks but couldn’t record a shot.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Chloe Buehler made three saves in the first half. The Mountaineers ended the half with 16 shots, only putting four on frame.
West Virginia quickly took a 2-0 lead after Ashley Lawrence scored from inside the box in the 49th minute. Lawrence received a pass from teammate Amandine Pierre-Louis and beat the keeper for her second goal of the season.
Buehler made nine saves in the second half to keep the Mountaineers from adding to their lead and finished with a season-high 12 saves in the contest.
UNCG will return home for a pair of games starting Friday, Sept. 12, against East Carolina at 7 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. The Spartans end the weekend by hosting NC State on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
North Florida 2, The Citadel 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Vanessa Aponte scored on a penalty kick to give The Citadel a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute, but a pair of North Florida goals later in the first half lifted the Ospreys to a 2-1 win in a women’s soccer contest on Sunday at WLI Field.
The Bulldogs dropped to 3-3 on the season and split their four-game homestand, while North Florida improved to 1-5. The Citadel heads to New York City for games against Columbia and Fordham next week.
The Ospreys were one player down for the final 28:31 after Kendall Pollock was issued a red card, but the Bulldogs were not able to take advantage. North Florida finished with an 11-9 edge in shots in the defensive battle and took five corner kicks to three for The Citadel.
North Florida was called for a trip in the box, awarding the Bulldogs their first penalty kick of the season, and Aponte converted. The senior midfielder moved into a tie for fifth in school history with her 17th career goal, and she also took over sole possession of third place in The Citadel record book with 51 points.
It took the Ospreys less than a minute to tie the game. Jill Holdsworth chipped a pass ahead to Kayla Gray, who beat Naomi Carter from about 18 yards out to make it a 1-1 contest. Gray then teamed up with Danielle Doucet to assist on a Kayla Aritt goal with 8:16 left before halftime for the final score of the game.
Carter finished with five saves for The Citadel, and Megan Dorsey was forced to make only two stops in goal for North Florida.
Lipscomb 2, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s soccer team fell 2-0 to Lipscomb in a nonconference battle Sunday night at Finley Stadium.
Chattanooga fell to 1-4 overall, while the Bisons improved to 4-2-1 on the year.
Just as the teams took the field for introductions, action was halted due to inclement weather. A heavy downpour soaked the field, and as the sun came out, a double-rainbow showed itself over the northeast end of the stadium.
Following the delay, both teams took the field and a defensive battle ensued. While Lispcomb was able to get off more shots, neither team was able to find the net in the first half. Chattanooga freshman Samantha Hogan had the best look of the half for either team with a shot from the right side in the box. However, Bisons keeper Anna Buhigas was there to make the save and keep the match scoreless.
It would be nearly 79 minutes before Lipscomb scored. Carolyn Springsteen waited in front of the net for the corner kick and was in the right place to snare the game-winner at the 78:20 mark of the game.
Chattanooga pushed the offense as the clock was winding down in an effort to knot it up, but the Bisons would take advantage and scored their second goal came in the 87th minute on a header from Ellen Lundy to make it 2-0.
Lipscomb outshot Chattanooga 17-5 with a 10-3 shots-on-goal advantage. UTC senior keeper Taylor Mangrum made eight snares, while Buhigas made three.
The Mocs host Tennessee Tech Friday night at Finley Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m.
ETSU vs. Francis Marion canceled
FLORENCE, S.C. – Thunderstorms in Northeast South Carolina led to the cancellation of ETSU’s nonconference match versus Francis Marion on Sunday afternoon. Prior to the match being stopped in the 39th minute, the Bucs were leading 2-0.
ETSU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, with junior defender Hannah Short scoring a pair of goals in the first seven minutes of play. Senior Emilee Engelhaupt assisted Short’s second score.
With 6:22 remaining in the first half, play was halted due to severe weather. Conditions failed to improve, leading officials to call off the match.
Statistics accumulated prior to the match’s cancellation will not count toward either team’s season totals.
The Buccaneers (6-0) will look to continue their program-best start to the season as they travel to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C, to take on George Washington and Howard on Sept. 12 and 14, respectively.