Samford 2, Furman 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a Southern Conference showdown that featured the top two preseason picks in the league standings Friday, the Samford University soccer team earned a 2-0 triumph over the Furman Paladins in a conference-opening contest held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
The Bulldogs’ Hallie Georgi (7’) and Taylor Borman (59’) both scored goals in the victory as Samford (6-4, 1-0 SoCon) snapped a four-match winless streak against Furman (7-4, 0-1 SoCon). The defending SoCon regular-season champion Bulldogs, who were picked to repeat as league champs in the annual preseason poll, improved to 6-3-1 in the all-time series.
Samford’s Anna Maddox received her second straight start in goal Friday and turned in a three-save performance.
The Bulldogs opened Friday’s scoring in the seventh minute as Georgi registered her third goal in two matches. Georgi knocked home the game-winning goal at 6:43 into the match off a picture-perfect crossing pass from junior Jermaine Seoposenwe.
The assist was Seoposenwe’s SoCon-leading ninth of the season. She entered the weekend ranked second in the nation in the category.
Just over 13 minutes into the second half, Samford’s Borman gave the Bulldogs some breathing room by scoring her second goal of the season.
At exactly 58:09 into the match, Samford’s Borman gathered a drop-off pass from Sara Smeltzer, faked to her left and then rattled off a shot that was placed neatly into the top shelf above Maggie Grisell’s outstretched arms.
Samford (6-4, 1-0 SoCon) will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Wofford Terriers to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. Furman (7-4, 0-1 SoCon) will take on Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tenn., at 2 p.m. Sunday.
UNCG 2, Western Carolina 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women’s soccer team (3-6-2, 1-0-0) improved to 21-0-2 in Southern Conference season openers Friday night with a 2-0 victory over Western Carolina (4-4-2, 0-1-0). The Spartans were led by Georgia Brown and Caylin Prillaman, who each tallied a goal in the victory.
UNCG accepted donations at the gate for their fundraising efforts with the American Childhood Cancer Organization as part of the organization’s Go Gold campaign. More than $250 was collected during Friday’s game, bringing the Spartans’ amount raised to $2,850, surpassing their goal of $1,000. To help the women’s soccer program continue to raise money, visit its fundraising page here.
Brown put the Spartans on the board early with a goal from 25 yards out in the 16th minute. Hannah Hoeksema sent a quick pass to Brown, who found the back of the net for the first time this season.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, Prillaman scored her first career goal as a Spartan for a 2-0 UNCG advantage. A rebound found her feet just 10 yards in front of the goal when WCU’s goalie Carly Tinstman let the ball loose after saving a shot from Ashley Eddleman.
Despite the Catamounts’ copious attempts to score in the second half with 13 shots, UNCG keeper Chloe Buelher was efficient, making a pair of saves in the final frame to secure her sixth career shutout in goal for the Spartans.
Tinstman made seven saves in net for WCU while her teammates outshot UNCG 22-19 on the field. The Spartans held a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks in the win.
Friday’s victory marks the 17th in program history over Western Carolina with the Spartans leading the all-time series 17-3-2. UNCG has not allowed the Catamounts to score a goal since 2012 as the Spartans have won the last three meetings by way of shutouts.
The Spartans return to the UNCG Soccer Stadium on Sunday when they host ETSU at 2 p.m. in SoCon action. Western Carolina heads to Lexington, Va., to face VMI at 1 p.m. Sunday.
ETSU 2, VMI 0
LEXINGTON, Va. – On a rainy Friday afternoon, the ETSU women's soccer team earned its first Southern Conference victory of the season, defeating VMI, 2-0. The Bucs recorded their third shutout of the season and second straight against the Keydets.
ETSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to junior Simona Koren scoring her fourth goal of the season with the assist from freshman Pauline Vienne. Vienne raced down the left side of the field, crossing the ball to Koren, who just got enough on the ball to put it into the back of the net. It's the fourth straight game in which Koren has scored a goal.
A couple of minutes later, the Bucs had another great chance to get on the board as junior Cecilia Re was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Re looked for the bottom left corner of the net but was robbed by VMI goalkeeper Darien Dunham, who made the diving save.
In the second half, it was much of the same story, as ETSU controlled the ball throughout the final 45 minutes. The Bucs added to their lead in the 59th minute when junior Molly Collinson netted her team-leading fifth goal of the season, giving ETSU a commanding 2-0 lead. Senior Sarah Zadrazil earned the assist by controlling the ball through the center of the box and making a beautiful pass to the left to Collinson for the goal.
VMI's best chance came in the 66th minute off a corner kick, as a well-placed ball by forward Blake Cashin found midfielder Kristen Whitehurst, who got off a shot that sailed just high.
The Bucs outshot the Keydets 15-8 in the second half and 25-8 overall. The Blue & Gold also held the advantage in shots on goal, 8-1 and corner kicks 8-2. Junior goalkeeper Jasmine Elliott picked up the 20th victory and eighth shutout of her career. Elliott is now just two shutouts away from becoming ETSU's all-time leader in shutouts, passing Megan Masch.
The Bucs (6-4, 1-0 SoCon) end the weekend at UNCG on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. VMI (4-6, 0-1 SoCon) hosts Western Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Chattanooga 2, Wofford 2 (2OT)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Wofford women’s soccer team opened Southern Conference play against the Chattanooga Mocs with a 2-2 tie Friday night at Finley Stadium.
Midfielder Mary Beth Bleekrode tied the match for the Terriers with six minutes left in regulation. She deflected a pass from fellow midfielder Emily Gaid past goalkeeper Katie Emig and into the net, sending the game to overtime.
In the overtime periods, both teams had chances with clear shots to win the match but the defenses held strong.
Wofford’s best chance to win it came with three minutes left in double overtime. Gaid streaked down the middle of the field and fired a left-footed shot that a diving Emig got her glove on to prevent the winning goal. The resulting corner kick did not produce a shot for Wofford.
A free kick opportunity provided Wofford the first goal of the match. Defender Rachel Fenner launched a long, arching shot from the left side of the field over Emig in the seventh minute, giving the Terriers a 1-0 lead. It was Fenner’s first goal of the season and the second in her career.
The Mocs then answered at the 15-minute mark. Forward McKenzie Gregg received a pass from defender Emily Moseley and fired a long shot from 25 yards out that starting Terrier keeper Alex Carroll got a glove on. Despite Carroll’s efforts, the ball popped backward into the net to tie the game 1-1.
Mocs midfielder Skylar Brewer sprinted past the Terrier defense to draw out Wofford keeper Mayson Liner, who entered after halftime, at the 64-minute mark. Brewer passed the ball from the right side to the middle, where midfielder Abby Linder was perfectly set up to tap the ball into the empty net and give the Mocs a 2-1 advantage.
Liner was credited with the tie to her record, the first decision of her career. She played 65 minutes of the match and recorded one save. Carroll notched three saves in the first half.
Emig finished the match with 11 saves for the Mocs and adds a draw to make her record 2-5-2.
The draw snaps a five-game winning streak for the Terriers against the Mocs that dated back to the 2010 season.
The Terriers (1-3-3, 0-0-1 SoCon) continue their road trip Sunday, when they take on conference foe Samford in Birmingham, Ala. That match is set to start at 2 p.m. CT. Chattanooga (2-6-2, 0-0-1) hosts Furman on Sunday at 2 p.m.