Sunday, August 30
Late Goal Pushes Troy Past Louisiana Tech
TROY, Alabama – Alissa Jones scored the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute that gave the Trojans a 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon at the Troy Soccer Complex to push their home-match win streak to 15.
Troy (4-1) scored the only goal of the game in the 86th minute as Abby Reynolds found Jones who found the back of the net from six yards out.
"This is the kind of game we have been looking for from our team," Jason Hamilton said. "Louisiana Tech is a very difficult team to play against. We knew that going forward, and we knew that chances would be few and far between. We're proud of how the team played and we executed our gameplan."
Both teams only took two shots each in the first half with the Trojans landing the only shot on goal. Troy bounced back in the second half and fired off 10 shots, with four on target. Jones led all players with seven shots and four of them being on goal.
Mikki Lewis (4-1) had four saves in the match and went on to record her second shutout of the season, the 14th of her career.
Louisiana Tech (2-2) took eight shots in the match and landed four on goal. Brittany Beddow led the Bulldogs in shots with two.
Sunday's win for the Trojans was the first win over Louisiana Tech in school history.
The Trojans will travel to Mobile, Ala., to participate in the Jaguar Classic, hosted by South Alabama. Troy will open play Friday, September 4, against Austin Peay at 4 p.m.
Jag Offense Explodes againts UT Martin
TROY, Ala. – Seven different Jaguars scored a goal and the University of South Alabama soccer team moved to 4-0 on the year with a 7-0 shutout of Tennessee-Martin Sunday afternoon at the Troy Soccer Complex.
USA is 4-0 for the first time in school history and unbeaten in its last 22 regular-season games (21-0-1).
"I'm really happy with the performance today," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "We put in a better performance than Friday night and were patient with our play. Today we moved the ball around exceptionally well, created a lot of chances and got a lot of players forward. The seven different goal scorers emphasizes the way in which we played today but also the quality of our whole squad."
Junior Monique Autmon (Ocean Springs, Miss.) and freshman Jemma Purfield (Cottingham, England) recorded a goal and assist apiece. Autmon put the Jags up early, then assisted the team's second tally just 46 seconds later.
"Mo was exceptional," Winkworth said. "We've moved her into a number of different positions and we changed it up again today. She did well in her role today and I'm really pleased that she managed to get on the scoresheet today; she deserves it."
Fourteen of South Alabama's season-high 23 shots found the target, and 10 different players got off an attempt.
"We probably could've had more shots but we were patient in our shooting; we weren't taking a lot of shots from distance. A lot of those shots were from very close range and some of those goals were tap-ins because of the creativity in the play leading up to the goal. This is the first time that I think we've really put some quality football together in the final third."
In addition to the quick doublefire early in the contest, South Alabama closed out the contest with three goals in a seven-minute span, the final two coming just over three minutes apart.
"There's no letting off and players were coming in off the bench and not only do they want to put in a good performance for the team but they want to make a claim for a starting position and more playing time for themselves," Winkworth stated. "Today was no different. We had a lot of quality performances from front to back all over the pitch.
Autmon got the Jags on the board at 8:41 then sophomore Rio Hardy (Workington, England) doubled the lead a short while later. Freshman Hannah Godfrey (Thornton-Cleveleys, England) recorded her first career goal at the 27:38 mark off a pass from senior Nini Rabsatt-Smith (Montgomery, Ala.) to send USA into halftime up 3-0.
Sophomore Chardé Hannah (Tupelo, Miss.) converted from the spot in the 52nd minute and Purfield put in her own rebound seven minutes later. Senior Jordan Duncan (Bay St. Louis, Miss.) and sophomore Danielle Henley (Hattiesburg, Miss.) closed out the scoring with goals at 62:15 and 65:18, respectively.
"I keep stressing to the girls that it's not about the statistics on this team, it's about the team performance, and it's not even a team game, it's a squad game," Winkworth noted. "We've played four different starting lineups in four different games and there really isn't a best XI because it can vary from game to game based upon the system we play and our opponent. It emphasizes that we've got so much quality and depth, and today was no different."
The Jaguars held the Skyhawks to three shots in each half for their second consecutive clean sheet and third of the season. Junior Sarah Hay (Waxahachie, Texas) made six saves in 90 minutes.
"All weekend we've looked extremely solid defensively," Winkworth said. "Steffi (Hardy) has led the back line extremely well in the middle and Hannah has been very solid. Jemma has done a great job getting forward, and Alyssa (Mayer) and Nikki (Shirtcliffe) have done well too. We've got a lot of quality and defended well all weekend."
South Alabama opens its home schedule Friday against South Florida at 7 p.m., part of the Jaguar Classic.
Late Goal Sinks A-State at Home
JONESBORO, Ark. (8/30/15) – Jacqueline Greer and Ava Abner each recorded their first goals of the season, but it was not enough as the Arkansas State women’s soccer team fell to Murray State 3-2 Sunday afternoon at the A-State Soccer Park.
The Red Wolves (1-3) fell behind midway through the second half after the Racer (2-1), but tied the game in the 73rd minute on a header by Abner. The junior from Fort Thomas, Ky., received a throw in pass from Kassie Flynn that was placed perfectly for Abner to head on toward the goal for the equalizer.
Murray State responded seven minutes later when Harriet Whithers gathered a deflected ball off A-State goalkeeper Kelsey Ponder and turned and shot on a wide open net for the game’s go-ahead goal.
Ponder (0-2), came off her line in attempt to swat the ball away after Withers initially had a run on her. Whithers turned and kicked the ball toward Ponder, which deflected off her body and Whithers was able to chase down the rebound and put the ball into the net before Ponder could recover.
“Today we gave up the lead and then came back and we were able to tie it up which says a lot about the character of this group,” A-State soccer coach Brian Dooley said. “We were struggling a little with the heat and having played two overtimes on Friday and it is just the reality of things and it is just something we are going to have battle through and learn from.”
A-State jumped out to an early lead on the first goal of the year by redshirt sophomore Jacqueline Greer in the 35th minute. Greer took a well placed ball from Mykel Ward near the top of the penalty box area and turned on fired a shot on goal that was out of the reach of Murray State goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald.
The Racers tied the game in the 37th minute when Racheal Foxley was awarded a penalty kick after being taken down in the box. She converted on the chance to tie the game at one goal each.
Murray State took the lead in the 70th minute on a goal by Destiny White when Ponder could not collect the rebound on a shot by Marissa Burroughs, and White was in the right spot to send the ball past Ponder.
Arkansas State will continue it’s three-game home stand Friday, Sept. 4 when the squad welcomes Southeastern Louisiana to Jonesboro. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at the A-State Soccer Park.
Eagles Close Road Swing with Loss at Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Forward Jennifer Wittick got two first half goals, but it wasn't enough for Georgia Southern on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte. The Eagles dropped the 4-3 result in a match that saw a scoring spree of six goals in the first half. An 84th minute goal by Melinda Lukas cut the lead to one in the final minutes.
PARTICULARS
Charlotte (2-1-0) – 4
Georgia Southern (0-3-1) - 3
SCORING
CLT – 3' – Martha Thomas scored her third goal of the season off an assist from Emily Truelove. The bass forward put Thomas in position to slip a shot on the ground past the Eagle netminder.
GS – 5' – Wittick scored her first goal of 2015 by getting on the end of a Nora El-Shami cross. The one-touch shot beat the goalkeeper to tie the game at 1-1.
CLT – 18' – Truelove got a goal of her own when she sidestepped the Eagle goalkeeper and scored the goal on an empty net. Assists on the play went to Rebecca Beatty and Megan McCalister as the 49ers went up 2-1.
CLT – 19' – Just 76 seconds later, McCalister got a goal by making some space of her own from 15 yards. She spun from a back to goal position to shoot the ball across the face of goal and into the net for a 3-1 lead.
GS – 23' –Wittick wrote her name on the scoresheet for a second time by finishing again from inside the box. A shot by El-Shami hit the crossbar and rebounded back to Wittick who calmly finished to make it a 3-2 lead for Charlotte.
CLT – 31' – Perri Bonner got on the end of a cross in the box to push the lead back to two goals just 15 minutes before the break. A double assist for Shelby Hicks and Thomas was credited as the pair worked the ball forward with a long ball and a cross.
GS – 84' – Melinda Lucas got the Eagles back in striking distance with just more than five minutes remaining. Lukas shook free past her defender and rifled a shot past the keeper into the far netting.
Mountaineers Defeat Mercer, 2-1
MERCER, Ga. — Appalachian State University women’s soccer won on the road against Mercer on Sunday at Five Star Stadium. The Apps came back from a goal down to win, 2-1, on Merlin Beckwith’s penalty kick.
“Really proud of the girls for getting a win on the road today,” said head coach Sarah Strickland. “We had a lot of people step up today and it was definitely a team effort to get the result.”
The Mountaineers (2-1-0) went down,1-0, to the Bears (1-3-0) when Jamilah Tejan played a through ball to Haleigh Svede, who finished to ride side of the goal.
The Mountaineers had a great scoring chance in the 61st minute after successfully defending a free kick. The wall of defenders blocked the attempt and the ball fell to Jane Cline. Cline ran the length of the field but her shot was denied by the goal keeper.
Less than a minute later, Beckwith played a perfect pass through two defenders to Cline who launched a shot into the roof of the net for the equalizing goal.
The Apps continued to attack the Mercer goal and were rewarded when Sam Childress drew a foul in the penalty box in the 80th minute. Beckwith stepped up to the spot with a chance to put the Mountaineers in front for the second time in three games this season.
Beckwith drilled the penalty to the right side of the goal over the outstretched arms of the Mercer goal keeper. Beckwith now leads the team with six points and is only one point off of her season total from 2014. The Apps were able to hang on to their one goal advantage for the final 10 minutes to earn the road victory.
“Credit to Mercer for finding a way to get through the game even though there were complications with the weather. They were a disciplined, hardworking team that stuck to their game plan,” said Strickland. “A game like this will get us ready for our conference games in the Sun Belt.”
The Mountaineers are back in action next weekend on the road for two matches in Fairfax, Va. On Friday the Apps will face UMBC at 7:30 p.m. Then, the Black and Gold will take on Strickland’s alma mater, Georgia Mason, on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Cajuns Defeat Southern Miss on Sunday, 2-1
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns collected their second win of the season on Sunday afternoon, edging the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, 2-1 at the Southern Miss Soccer Complex.
The Cajuns (2-2-0) got their offense going early when junior Yazmin Montoya set up junior defender Lindsay Brammer for her first goal of the season in the seventh minute to jump in front, 1-0. The goal was the first of the Boynton Beach, Fla. native's career.
Freshman goalkeeper Cosette Morche saved five shots over the next 27-plus minutes in the opening half.
Louisiana junior defender Taylor Kennedy tacked on the second goal for the Cajuns in the 37th minute, her first of the season.
The Cajuns were outshot, 9-5 in the opening half, but held a 7-1 edge in saves.
The Golden Eagles sliced the Cajuns' lead in half to 2-1 in the 79th minute after Aisa Ribbens found the back of Louisiana's net. The Cajuns defense yielded just two shot attempts for the remainder of the match.
"We played a good 90-minute game on the road," head coach Scot Wieland said. "The girls played a good first half, and we knew on the road if you are up a goal or two, the other team is going make changes and force you to work.
"The team as a whole played very well together – we kept possession and our team defense was fantastic. It is a really good step in the right direction."
Montoya's assist tied Sara Vienberg for second place on the Cajuns' all-time list with 10. She also reached the 50-point plateau, moving her into a second-place tie with Kelli Jestes in Ragin' Cajuns history.
"Yazmin is that girl who does the job and is consistent," Wieland said. "It's not just her, it's a number of players who are playing well together. It's not about individual records, it's about the team playing well and that's what they did today."
Morche (2-2-0) earned the victory and piled up a season-high 10 saves. She leads the Sun Belt Conference with 30 saves through four matches.
The Cajuns will complete their three-game road trip next Friday, September 4 at McNeese State for a 7 p.m. first kick.
UCA Holds Off Warhawks, 1-0
CONWAY, Ark. – The ULM soccer program came out strong in the first half, but it was Central Arkansas which put away a shot in the second half that decided the game, 1-0 on Sunday at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex.
The game was tied 0-0 at halftime with ULM (2-3) holding a 4-2 advantage in shots, 2-0 edge in shots on goal and 2-1 disparity in corner kicks.
Though, Central Arkansas (2-2) withstood the Warhawks in the first half and got its lone tally in the 56th minute on a goal by Ashley Smith. The ball was crossed into the middle of the box by Kristen Ricks from the left wing and Smith was able to control it and fire a shot into the upper right corner.
“I give our girls a lot of credit for their hard work today. What hurt us in this game was that we were not able to get a grip of the game in the second half. The players that came on in the first half really gave us a boost of energy. We didn’t give up a shot on goal in the first half and had a few quality chances to be up at the break,” said ULM head coach Roberto Mazza.
ULM’s best chance came early in the first half when junior Jenna Pillon got through the defense on a fast break, but UCA goalkeeper Anna Hughes (2-2) made the save. Hughes picked up the win for the Sugar Bears after making for saves.
Pillon and junior Amanda Borstelmann each registered a pair of shots in the game to lead the way for ULM. Senior Karlea Fehr, sophomore Danielle Sabathe, senior Mariah Mitchell, sophomore Karen Tamayo and freshman Maia Mumford all recorded one.
In net, freshman Julia Idalis Gonzalez (1-1) got the nod and saved six shots including a couple of diving stops in the second half.
Junior Mary Ashton Lembo played 90 minutes at midfield and fellow junior Whitney Tuckfield played 90 minutes in back. The Warhawks played 22 student-athletes in the game.
ULM moved to 5-3-1 all-time against the Sugar Bears. The teams have split a pair of meetings the last two seasons, each winning at home 1-0. It marked the first road game this year for ULM.
“We still have not seen the best of this team yet,” said Mazza. “We need to get on the training field and get some hard practices. It has been a touch five game run in 10 days and I know we are getting better each game.”
Up next, the Warhawks will return home for a pair of contests at the ULM Soccer Complex next weekend beginning with a 4:00 p.m. game against Northwestern State on Friday.
Bobcats Fall to UTEP at Home
SAN MARCOS, Texas – A first half goal proved to not be enough Sunday afternoon as the Texas State soccer team fell to the UTEP Miners by a score of 2-1. With the defeat, the Bobcats fall to 1-2-0 in the young season.
Texas State got on the board right away in the third minute with a goal by senior Lynsey Curry. Curry received a cross pass from Lauren Prater to knock it in on the left side. Her goal marked her second goal this season.
Play continued with the Bobcats on top until the 37th minute when the Miners equalized the game on a goal by Aleah Davis. Davis' goal was shot from the right corner and sailed over the head of Bobcat goalie Caitlynn Rinehart into the back left corner of the net.
After going into intermission tied at one apiece, the Miners tacked on their second goal of the contest in the 78th minute on a one touch after a throw-in by Davis. A red card in the 84th minute by Davis would put the Miners down a man, but the Texas State offense struggled to put together set pieces to tie the game up at two.
Curry led all Bobcats with six shots, two of which were on goal. Rinehart recorded two saves in the loss and the shots were equal at 12 apiece.
Texas State will now hit the road for a single game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday evening. Kick-off against the Islanders is set for 7 p.m. For more information on the Texas State soccer team, follow along on Facebook (Texas State Soccer), Twitter (@TxStateSoccer), and online at www.txstatebobcats.com.
Little Rock Bested by Oklahoma on Road
NORMAN, Okla. – The Little Rock soccer team put forth a strong defensive effort, but the Oklahoma offense proved too much for the Trojans in a 4-0 Sooners victory on Sunday afternoon.
Little Rock kept the Sooners off the board for close to half an hour, but a long distance shot broke the scoreless tie and an early second-half goal sealed the result for the home team.
Little Rock (2-2) was unable to get much pressuring going forward, taking just two shots on Oklahoma (2-2) all afternoon. The Sooners outshot the Trojans 28-2 and had seven corner kicks to the Trojans' zero.
Sara Small (2-2) started the contest in goal for the Trojans, making three saves. About an hour into the game, Sara Cavanagh replaced her and saw her first action of the season. Cavanagh finished with four saves of her own.
The Sooners took the lead in the 28th minute thanks to the fresh legs of Rasha Roberts. Coming off the bench just a minute earlier, Roberts got the ball at her feet in midfield and dribbled toward the arc above the 18-yard box. She took a low, sinking shot on goal, and Small was unable to make the catch. The ball went through Small's arms and then her legs, trickling into the back of the net.
Surrounding that goal, though, was solid defense throughout from the Trojans. The Sooners' chances offensively were limited, and while they did take eight shots only four of those were on goal. Small ended the half with three saves, including a diving one in the first five minutes.
Just minutes into the second half, though, Oklahoma got its insurance goal. With pressure on the defense and a ball coming toward the penalty area, Small came out of her net and made a diving play at the ball. While initially making a stop, she kicked it backward into open space. Sooner defender Rachel Ressler was the first one to reach the ball, and she had a vacant net in front of her for the simple finish.
Little Rock had its first shots of the afternoon after that goal as a Fali Garuba header was saved by the Sooners and another header by Quin Wilkes got blocked.
In the 75th minute, the Sooners put the finishing touches on the victory when Cavanagh dove at a bouncing ball. It went over her head, and Liz Keester ran forward to tap it in. An 82nd-minute penalty kick goal by Laura Rayfield capped the scoring.
Besides Cavanagh, Sunday's game saw the first action of the season for Naomi James and Oklahoma native Madi Motil.
Little Rock returns home next for a midweek matchup against Central Arkansas. The Trojans and Bears will face off Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex.