Western Carolina 1, Winthrop 1 (2OT)
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina (1-0-1) played to a 1-1 draw with Winthrop (0-0-1) on Sunday at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
The Eagles got a late first-half goal, with four minutes left in the opening half, when JoJo Taylor scored an unassisted goal inside the box. Western Carolina knotted the game at the 81:37 mark on an unassisted goal by freshman Sayres McKenna after Winthrop was called for a foul.
Western Carolina begins a two-game road swing Thursday, traveling to UNC Asheville. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Oklahoma State 2, Mercer 0
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Mercer women's soccer team closed out its opening weekend with a 2-0 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Sunday afternoon.
Despite spending a majority of time on defense, Mercer held Oklahoma State (1-0) scoreless for the first 36 minutes before the Cowgirls scored off a rebound shot that Mercer's Maggie Cropp originally saved. A second goal for OSU in the 54th minute put it just out of reach for Mercer.
Cropp led Mercer's defense for the second straight game, making a season-high nine saves. Cropp faced a total of 26 shots and allowed just two goals.
The Bears (0-2) will return to Macon and open the home slate of the season on Friday, Aug. 28 against Charlotte at 7 p.m. at Bear Field.
Northeastern 3, Furman 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Northeastern struck for a pair of first-half goals and held off a late Furman rally to down the Paladins, 3-1, in women’s soccer action on Sunday afternoon on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
Kayla Cappuzzo put the Huskies in front in the sixth minute by running onto a misplayed back pass by the Paladins and slotting a shot into the right corner at the 5:23 mark. Carly Wilhelm doubled the lead on another Furman mistake in the 32nd minute. A turnover by the Paladins gave Cappuzzo a clear run into the box from the left side. She fired a shot that was saved by Rose Hull, but Wilhelm tapped in the rebound to double the Huskies’ lead.
The two-time defending CAA champion Huskies looked to by on their way to a shutout in the 63rd minute when Furman earned a free kick and freshman Virginia Poe was pulled down in the box to win the Paladins a penalty kick. Senior Stephanie DeVita stepped up to fire a shot past Northeastern’s Nathalie Nidetch to trim the lead to 2-1. The score marked DeVita’s third of the season and 53rd career goal in 66 matches.
Northeastern put the game away with 3:21 left on a driving right-footed shot from 15 yards out by Hannah Lopiccolo on an assist from Nicole Gorman.
The Paladins (1-1-0) return to action on Friday when they host North Greenville in a 7 p.m. match at Stone Stadium.
Austin Peay 1, Chattanooga 0 (2OT)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga women's soccer team lost a heartbreaker Sunday afternoon at Finley Stadium with Austin Peay coming away with a 1-0 win in the season opener for the Mocs. Austin Peay evens its record to 1-1, while the Mocs start the year 0-1.
After battling it out through 100 minutes of regulation and one overtime, the Lady Govs' Jennifer Smith picked up a pass from Sydney Dawson for the score. Dawson sent a pass from the far post to Smith, who picked it up for a header into the bottom right side of the goal past Chattanooga keeper Katie Emig in the 102nd minute.
Emig made three saves on the day and Chattanooga got shots from sophomore Abby Linder, sophomore McKenzie Gregg and freshman Rachel Giampapa.
The Mocs return to action Friday night with its first road match of the season at Kennesaw State. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
USC Upstate 5, The Citadel 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind three first-half goals, USC Upstate took a 5-0 victory over The Citadel (0-2) on Sunday at County University Stadium.
Haley Gethin put USC Upstate (1-1) on top with two goals in four minutes early in the first half and the Spartans never looked back, registering 24 shots in the game. They would hold a 3-0 lead at half.
Gethin would strike again for the Spartans at the 54-minute mark, pushing the lead to 4-0. USC Upstate would tack on another goal late in the second half.
Andrea Davila led the Bulldogs with two shots on goal, followed by Ilana Green, who notched one. As a team, The Citadel recorded eight shots in the game. Abby Koger had another busy day in the net, playing 82 minutes and tallying 10 saves.
The Citadel will return home for a four-game nonconference homestand. The first game is set to kick off on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Northern Kentucky, followed by Stetson at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
High Point 2, UNCG 0
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The UNCG women’s soccer team went on the road for the first time in the 2015 season and suffered a 2-0 loss to Triad rival High Point on Sunday night at Vert Stadium. The Spartans return to action next Friday night when they travel to No. 16 Kentucky for a 5 p.m. start.
High Point struck first in the 30th minute of action. Meredith Dunker made a run down the left-hand side and sent a cross to the top of the 6-yard box. Michele Micciche got in front of the UNCG defender and made a diving header that got past redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Chloe Buehler for the 1-0 lead.
The Spartans were pushing for the game-tying goal but in the process allowed High Point to score a much-needed insurance goal in the 88th minute off a counterattack. Dunker again played a role in the goal as she sent a cross into the 6-yard box, where Meghan Beidleman was able to poke it past Buehler for the 2-0 advantage.
South Alabama 3, Samford 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford's Malcanisha Kelley scored a pair of goals Sunday as the Bulldogs built a 2-1 second-half lead over South Alabama, but the Jaguars charged back to score twice in the final 20 minutes of action en route to a 3-2 nonconference victory held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
Both of South Alabama's late goals were scored by sophomore forward Charde' Hannah. The equalizer occurred at 70:34, while the game-winner was tallied in the 79th minute.
With the loss, Samford (1-1) suffered its first all-time defeat against South Alabama (2-0) and moved to 1-1-1 in the overall series.
Samford's Kelley opened the scoring Sunday in the 35th minute as she notched her first of two goals in the contest. Just eight minutes later, the Jaguars evened the match at 1-1 as Chelsea Followwell headed home a crossing pass from 5 yards out. She was assisted by senior Jordan Duncan.
Samford struck early in the second half for a second straight contest Sunday. At 48:28, just over three minutes into the final period, Kelley scored her second goal of the match and her third of the young 2015 campaign.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs continue their string of tough home opponents with a high-profile showdown against the Memphis Tigers to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.