UNCG 1, Mercer 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women’s soccer team defeated Mercer 1-0 Friday on Caylin Prillaman’s header in the first half.
Prillaman gave the Spartans (6-8-3, 4-2-1 SoCon) the 1-0 lead with a header in the 30th minute. Zoe Fishman burst past three Bears defenders and took a shot from just outside the box, where Prillaman would connect to find the back of the net.
UNCG held a 6-3 advantage in shots in the opening frame, while Mercer took a pair of corner kicks to the Spartans’ one.
The Bears (3-7-5, 3-2-1 SoCon) made a strong offensive push in the second half but UNCG held them scoreless. The Spartans fired off another six shots, while Mercer took four.
Chloe Buehler made three saves in the game, while Mercer goalkeeper Maggie Cropp made five, three of which came in the final 45 minutes.
The Spartans return to the pitch Sunday, Oct. 18, when they host The Citadel at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. and live video will be available on the SoCon Digital Network.
Mercer returns to action Sunday at VMI at 1 p.m.
Furman 3, ETSU 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Junior Carlie Couch netted a pair of first-half goals and senior Stephanie DeVita added a goal and two assists as Furman climbed to second place in the Southern Conference women’s soccer standings with a 3-0 victory over ETSU on Friday night at Stone Soccer Stadium.
The victory, Furman’s third straight win and fourth during its five-match unbeaten run, improved the Paladins to 11-4-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the SoCon. ETSU slipped to 9-5-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the league.
Less than eight minutes into the match, DeVita split the ETSU defense with a pass down the middle of the field to Molly Dwyer at the top of the box. The sophomore back-healed a pass to a charging Couch, who slotted her shot into the left-hand corner from near the penalty spot to put the Paladins ahead 1-0 at the 7:48 mark.
Just over five minutes later, DeVita found space out wide on the right side and curled a cross into the 6-yard box that Couch rose above the defense to head home for her third goal of the season and a 2-0 Furman lead at 12:50.
ETSU began to dominate the opportunities in the second half and compiled an 18-6 edge in shot attempts over the final 45 minutes. Furman, however, made the most of its few second half chances as DeVita collected the ball on the left wing in the 70th minute and slipped by two defenders before lacing a shot that dipped below the bar and over the outstretched hands of ETSU goalkeeper Jasmine Elliott for her SoCon-best 61st career goal.
Furman keeper Maggie Grisell put the finishing touches on the victory by stopping eight shots, including seven in the second half. Her leaping effort to push a shot off of the crossbar in the final minutes helped her preserve her fifth consecutive shutout and seventh of the season. Meanwhile, the Indialantic, Fla., native ran her shutout streak to over 501 minutes.
The Bucs finished with a 23-11 shots advantage and an 8-6 lead in shots on goal. Elliott recorded three saves in the loss for ETSU.
Furman concludes the 2015 regular-season home schedule on Sunday at 2 p.m. when it hosts the Western Carolina Catamounts for Senior Day. The Paladins will honor their eight seniors in a ceremony prior to kickoff.
ETSU plays at Wofford on Sunday at 2 p.m.
VMI 3, The Citadel 0
LEXINGTON, Va. – First-half goals for Blake Cashin and Sydnie Bligh gave the Keydets an early lead, and Olivia Cotton put the match away with a second-half score as the VMI Keydets defeated The Citadel Bulldogs, 3-0, in SoCon women's soccer action Friday.
Bligh put the Keydets (6-10, 2-5 SoCon) out in front in the sixth minute, when Juliet Esnardo played a cross into the middle of the box from the right side. Bligh was there waiting for the tip-in and a VMI lead that the Keydets would not relinquish.
The Citadel finished the match with a 20-15 lead in shots, but the squads were even with nine shots on goal apiece. Bligh's goal was her sixth of the year, the highest goal-scoring total for a Keydet since Sarah Strand scored nine in 2011. As a team, VMI has tallied 29 goals, its highest total since 2008.
After Bligh struck early, The Citadel (1-15, 0-6) maintained a great deal of the possession throughout the first half but only seriously threatened Dunham on one occasion, but she made a sliding-kick, left-footed save on a shot from 7 yards out.
The Keydets doubled their lead in the 40th minute. Cashin pursued the ball deep inside Bulldog territory, with goalie Kim Mora coming out to try to play the ball, as well. The two battled for it some 20 yards from the goal, on the far left of the field, and Cashin prevailed to leave the net open.
The freshman quickly fired the ball toward the net and scored, her fourth goal of the season, to make it a 2-0 contest. That was the score at halftime.
VMI claimed an insurmountable margin in the 50th minute. A cross from the far side was played toward the feet of Bligh, who let it roll through. A Citadel defender kicked the ball away, but right to the feet of Cotton for a quick shot from 10 yards out. She converted it for her fifth score of the year and a 3-0 VMI lead, which would be the final margin.
The Bulldogs averted several Keydet chances in the second half, including multiple team saves, but VMI's defense maintained the shutout.
Dunham was credited with nine saves in her second full shutout of the year. The victory moved her within two of tying for the program record for goalie wins in a season. The Citadel's Mora and Abby Koger combined for three saves.
VMI will return to action Sunday, when the Keydets take on the Mercer Bears at Patchin Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and before the match, the three members of VMI's senior class will be honored at midfield.
The Bulldogs are back in action on Sunday at 2 p.m. at UNCG when they take on the Spartans for the final SoCon road game of the season.
Wofford 1, Western Carolina 1 (2OT)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women’s soccer team played the Western Carolina Catamounts to a 1-1 draw at Snyder Field on Friday night after neither team could score in two overtime periods.
Midfielder Hayley Younginer provided Wofford (3-6-4, 1-3-2 SoCon) with an early lead in the 13th minute. The freshman was able to maneuver past a Catamount defender at the top of the box and shot a sinking line drive that got over keeper Carly Tintsman and into the net for the goal, a team-high fourth for her on the season.
Western Carolina (6-6-3, 2-3-1 SoCon) answered, however, in the 36th minute. Midfielder Amanda Schwartz threw the ball in from the left side, and midfielder Kasey Cooke was able to get a shot through the box and past Terrier keeper Alex Carroll for her fifth goal of the season.
The score remained 1-1 as the teams entered the second half, but neither team came out strong offensively, with the Terriers only able to muster one shot through the first 35 minutes of the second half.
After a shot by Catamount forward Kelly Pannell hit off the post in the 81st minute, the Terriers were able to get their best shot to win the match. Younginer received a leading pass in the box and shot from the left side past Tintsman for what looked like the game-winning goal, but the ball hit off the right post and back into play.
Both teams were presented chances in the overtime periods to score as well, but neither team found the back of the net, resulting in the draw.
Overall, Western Carolina outshot Wofford in the match 20-11 and took 10 corner kicks compared to the Terriers’ three corner attempts.
Carroll and Mayson Liner both played in net, with Carroll earning the tie decision. She made three saves in the match over 65 minutes, including both overtimes, while Liner played the second half in net.
Tinstman played all 110 minutes in net for the Catamounts, making two saves in the draw.
Younginer and midfielder Lucy Etro played all 110 minutes for the Terriers, while the Catamounts had four players go the distance.
The match was the fourth time the Terriers have gone to double overtime this season, going 0-1-3 in such contests. It also moves the all-time series against Western Carolina to 9-7-3 in favor of the Catamounts.
Wofford takes the field for the final home match of the regular season Sunday, as the team faces ETSU at 2 p.m. The Terriers will celebrate Senior Day before the match begins, and admission to Snyder Field is free.
Western Carolina plays at Furman on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Samford 3, Chattanooga 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The first-place Samford University soccer team extended its shutout streak to 673 minutes Friday as the Bulldogs notched their eighth consecutive victory in a 3-0 Senior Night triumph against the Chattanooga Mocs held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
Samford (12-4, 7-0 SoCon) has not allowed a goal since the second half of the Bulldogs' 5-2 road win at Kennesaw State on Sept. 20. Since then, Samford has notched consecutive shutout victories against Furman, 2-0, Wofford, 1-0, The Citadel, 5-0, Mercer, 1-0, VMI, 7-0, UNCG, 1-0, and Chattanooga (3-11-2, 1-5-1 SoCon), 3-0.
The Bulldogs' shutout streak of 673 minutes is the second-longest in school history.
Samford's duo of sophomore goalkeepers Anna Maddox and Katie Peters split the time Friday. Maddox started the contest in goal and earned the victory to improve to 5-1 on the season. Peters played the entire second half of the match and currently boasts a 0.81 goals-against average this season.
Prior to Friday's match, Samford's senior class comprised of Hallie Georgi, Alissa Hansen and Kinsey Sessions was honored with special Senior Night presentation. The trio has helped lead the Bulldogs to a remarkable 50-25-4 overall record, a 27-6-4 mark in SoCon play, as well as high-profile victories against Wake Forest, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Memphis and Auburn (twice).
Georgi added to her list of accolades versus Chattanooga by scoring the game-winning goal.
In the 24th minute, junior Taylor Borman sent a high, perfectly placed corner kick deep into the goalkeeping box. Samford's Malcanisha Kelley skied high for the header but barely nicked the ball, sending it careening off the bottom of the crossbar. Georgi, who had followed Kelley into the zone for a header, quickly gathered the ball and tapped it home for her sixth score of the season.
The Bulldogs' Borman also assisted on the team's second goal of the match.
At exactly 59:29, Samford's speedy native of Georgetown, Kentucky, stole an errant Chattanooga pass deep in Moc territory and quickly sent it across the field to Grace Packer, who rifled home the first goal of her career. The score gave the Bulldogs some breathing room with a 2-0 advantage and the assist was Borman's career-high ninth of the season.
Junior Sara Smeltzer continued her goal-scoring tear Friday as she notched her fourth score in three matches.
Smeltzer extended the Bulldogs' lead to 3-0 in 74th minute of play as she collected a crossing pass from Ella Baggett, slid by a Chattanooga defender and rifled home a shot into the left corner of the net. The goal was Smeltzer's career-high fifth of the season. She also scored a pair of goals against VMI on Oct. 9 and the game-winning score versus UNCG on Sunday.
In SoCon play, Samford boasts a perfect 7-0 record and hasn't allowed a single goal this season. The Bulldogs have outscored their league opponents by a total of 20-0.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Johnson City, Tennessee, for a huge SoCon showdown at second-place ETSU. Next week's matchup is slated to be held at ETSU's Summer-Taylor Stadium.
Chattanooga also returns to action Oct. 23, when it will face Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C., at 7 p.m.