Sunday, September 13
Mountaineers Draw Even with Marshall
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University women's soccer ended Marshall's six-game winning streak on Sunday afternoon when the schools tied 0-0 after two overtimes.
The Mountaineers (4-2-1) shut down the Herd's (6-1-1) high-powered offense that had been averaging 2.5 goals per game with big defense performances from Aubrey Fletcher, Lindsey Tully, and Kelly Flanders.
"Our defense played great. They stepped up when they needed too," said head coach Sarah Strickland. "Aubrey Fletcher, Kelly Flanders, and Tulley made it so Merlin Beckwith could join the attack based on how strong they were playing."
The Apps battled the Herd through a back-and-forth first half that produced chances on both ends. App State Successfully defended six corners in the first 45 minutes.
Marshall turned up the pressure in the second half recording 11 shots to App State's four. With the score still level at the end of regulation, the teams headed to overtime.
App State tallied two shots and two corners in the two overtime periods but were unable to find a game-winning goal.
Megan Roberson made nine saves and recorded her second shutout of the weekend after blanking High Point on Friday. Roberson now has 11 shutouts in her career.
Strickland also praised the performance of her senior goalkeeper.
"I thought Megan was outstanding in the net today. I thought she was great off her line. She made some great saves and stopped through balls coming in. Its great to have a rock in the net and be ready to go. Marshall, the past six games, has had lots of shots and some great goals, so to shut them out is a pretty big deal for our team."
The Mountaineers are back in action on Thursday when they take on Duke in Durham, N.C. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
A-State Falls at Home to Louisiana Tech
JONESBORO, Ark. (9/13/15) – Louisiana Tech scored three unanswered goals to come away with a 3-1 victory over the Red Wolves in a non-conference soccer battle Sunday afternoon at the A-State Soccer Park.
A-State struck first on the second goal of the season by senior Jordan Adams, but the Lady Techsters tied the game minutes before the half and added two more goals in the second half to drop Arkansas State’s record to 2-6 on the year. La Tech improved to 5-3 with the win.
Adams’ goal came in the 21st minute off a flip throw by freshman Kassie Flynn, who is now tied for the team lead in assists with four. Flynn’s throw was perfectly placed inside the box and deflected off Katherine Padgett and on to the waiting header of Adams who flicked it into the net for an early 1-0 advantage.
The Red Wolves controlled much of the pace in the first half and dominated possession in the attacking front, but Louisiana Tech was able to flip the field in the second half and put the pressure on the A-State defense.
La Tech scored the equalizer in the 43rd on a goal by Anne Armstrong in front of the net, and took the lead on Donya Salomon-Ali’s header in the 60th minute. Kathryn Sloan made it a two-goal lead with a goal in the 78th minute.
Sophomore Alexis Phillipe made six saves in net, while Adams finished with two shots both of which were on target. Amy Andrea also added a shot on goal, while Arianna Delli Carpini, Flynn and Loren Mitchell all had shots on goal.
Arkansas State will take to the road for its final non-conference game of the season on Friday, Sept. 18 against Southeast Missouri State. Kickoff in Capre Girardeau, Mo., is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Panthers Remain Unbeaten, Now 5-0-2
ATLANTA- The Georiga State women’s soccer team returned to home on Sunday and earned a 1-1 double overtime draw with Western Kentucky 1-1, to remain unbeaten on the season.
Georgia State's 5-0-2 start is the longest it has gone at the start of the season without a loss. The Panther team of 1998 started 7-1 and the 2008 team started 6-1 to rank among the best starts.
Ashley Nagy had Georgia State’s only goal, coming within the first ten minutes of the game. Nagy was assisted by Alexis Thomas. This was Nagy’s fourth goal of the season and the 15th of her career.
The Panthers went into the half leading the Lady Toppers 1-0, but a late second-half goal from Western Kentucky tied the game.
Georgia State outshot Western Kentucky 12-10, and held WKU to only one shot during overtime. The team has now attempted 114 shots for the season.
Christa Fox had another solid game, with three saves against the Lady Toppers. Fox now has 115 career saves.
“It was a hard-fought battle against a very good team. Ashley's goal was excellent, and I’m really impressed with the job the backline did. We had a couple close chances to score, with the ball hitting the crossbar and the post a few times. Overall, I’m proud of the team and the way they performed,” head coach Derek Leader said of the win.
The Panthers will host two home games next weekend, the first of a five home-game stand. The team will play Belmont on Sept. 18, at 5 p.m. and Davidson on Sept. 20, at 1 p.m. Parking and admission are free.
Little Rock Falls to Missouri State, 2-1
LITTLE ROCK – Despite an early 1-0 lead, the Little Rock soccer team could not hold on for a victory on Sunday afternoon.
The Trojans gave up a goal right at the end of the first half and allowed another in the second, eventually falling 2-1 to Missouri State at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex.
Cassie Le scored the game-winner for the Bears (4-2-1) in the 64th minute, taking a pass from Brooke Prondzinski and finishing past Sara Small. Despite a late push and a 17-8 advantage in shots, the Trojans (4-4-0) could not get the equalizer in the final 26 minutes.
The Trojans got their goal from freshman Jaclyn Purvine in the 13th minute, and Fali Garuba picked up the assist on the strike.
The loss was Little Rock's first non-conference home loss in nearly two full calendar years, breaking a streak of 10 consecutive non-league wins at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex.
The Trojans' goal came early in the game with Purvine striking for the second time this season. A Shannon Shields cross from the left side found Purvine's feet, and the freshman took a shot on goal that was saved by Jessica Perry. But Perry's save rebounded to the left for Garuba. Garuba nudged the ball back right for Purvine, and she slid the ball into the net to make it a 1-0 lead.
The Bears evened the score just two minutes before halftime. Taking the ball all the way down the field off a throw-in, Missouri State got the ball on the foot of Brooke Prondzinski. She cross a ball into the penalty box, and her teammate was taken down with a foul after bringing the ball down from the air. Lauren Fussell stepped up for the ensuing penalty kick, beating Sara Small to tie the game at 1-1 in the 43rd minute.
With that momentum behind them, the Bears capitalized again in the 64th minute when a streaking Prondzinski pulled a Trojan defender onto her and away from Le. With Le now open, Prondzinski found her with a pass to the right, and Le finished with a shot across the goal to the left.
Little Rock had its chances late in the game to tie the score. A cloes-range header from Quin Wilkes was parried away thanks to a perfect reaction save by Perry. And a Kayla Turner blast from distance just minutes later was also batted away from goal by Perry. The Trojans had four corner kicks in the span of four minutes but could not put an opportunity away.
Besides its 17-8 edge in shots, the Trojans also led the day in corner kicks with an 8-4 margin. Missouri State's Perry had nine saves on the afternoon, and Small made two.
The Trojans hit the road for their next four consecutive games, and that road begins on Thursday at Mississippi Valley State. Little Rock and the Delta Devils will begin their game in Itta Bena, Miss., at 6 p.m.
Pair of Goals from Schmidt Lifts Cajuns Past NIU
WACO, Texas – Junior forward Annika Schmidt scored a pair of first half goals on Sunday against Northern Illinois, allowing the Cajuns to extend their unbeaten streak to five matches in a 2-1 win at the Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field on the Baylor University campus.
Schmidt collected her second goal of the season in the fourth minute of action tapping in a rebound off a shot attempt by teammate Ashleigh Cade, pushing UL (5-2-1) ahead, 1-0.
Following three unsuccessful shot attempts following the first score, Cade found Schmidt on a break down the left side of the field where she fired a shot inside the box to beat Northern Illinois goalkeeper Mackenzie Lee.
The Louisiana defense held Northern Illinois' offense to three shot attempts in the match's first period as the Cajuns went into the intermission with a 2-0 advantage.
The Huskies trimmed the Cajuns' lead in half at the 57-minute mark, but were unable to deliver the match's equalizer for the final 33 minutes.
Senior goalkeeper Lindsey Stocks made her second straight start in goal for freshman Cosette Morche. The Cyprus, Calif., native matched her career-high with 10 saves on the afternoon (seven in the second period) to improve her record to 1-0-1.
"Our defense did a great job all weekend," Louisiana head coach Scot Wieland said. "Everybody needs to be ready to do their jobs when the time comes. Our defense did a great job all weekend and [Lindsey] Stocks really stepped up big for [Cosette] Morche."
The Cajuns' weekend efforts culminated with three players (Kimberly Grasso, Ashleigh Cade, Sarah Kozlowski) earning All-Baylor Tournament Team accollades.
"We got two good results on the road this weekend," Wieland said. "It was not about any one player. I was proud of their work ethic to get a win today and was most proud of how we were able to build on the things that will make us successful in conference play."
The Cajuns will return home to host Grambling next Friday, September 18 for a 7 p.m. first kick at the Cajuns Soccer Complex.
Warhawks Blank Grambling, 6-0
MONROE, La. – A dominant performance from the ULM soccer program resulted in a 6-0 victory over Grambling State on Sunday at the ULM Soccer Complex.
ULM (4-4-1) extended its unbeaten streak to five games at home including four wins. The Warhawks outshot Grambling State (0-2) 31-3 in the game and held a 6-0 edge in corner kicks.
“I was glad to see us move the ball around the field the way we did. It wasn’t just about being better, but we played the game the right way,” said ULM head coach Roberto Mazza.
Five different Warhawks scored including junior Jenna Pillon who recorded the first two goals of the game. She got it started in the second minute after making a run down the right wing. The second came in the 17th minute after junior Whitney Tuckfield crossed in a ball from the right that Pillon kicked in from the six-yard box.
ULM upped the lead to 3-0 before half on a shot by freshman Cke’Lana Caesar. It began with a drive by junior Nancy Kirk down the right side and her cross met the foot of Caesar who booted it in.
The Warhawks scored three more times in less than a two-minute span in the second half. Senior Karlea Fehr sparked the spurt with a fast-break goal in the 56th minute. Senior Kelley O’Dwyer intercepted a free kick from Gambling, fed Kirk down the middle who placed a through-ball to Fehr which left her one-on-one with the keeper.
Just 37 seconds later, Fehr and O’Dwyer were at it again as Fehr’s cross from the right was headed in from the six-yard box by O’Dwyer.
The final goal of the game came in the 57th minute by senior Mariah Mitchell. O’Dwyer, who notched four points in the game, found Mitchell open at the top of the penalty box who fired a bullet into the left side of the net.
Pillon’s two goals were her first tallies of season and 16th and 17th of her career. Caesar’s goal was the first of her career. Fehr’s score was her third of the season and 16th of her career. O’Dwyer’s goal was her second of the year, both on headers, and 10th of her career. Mitchell’s score her fourth of the season, a team-high, and 10th of her career.
Additionally, Fehr is now just one point away from the ULM all-time career record of 53 set by Cindy Barker (2000-03). Fehr already is the all-time leader in assists (20), shots (234) and shots on goal (117).
Freshman goalkeeper Julia Idalis Gonzalez (3-2-1) earned the win after her second shutout of the season. She made three saves in the contest. Jennifer LeSage (0-2) picked up the loss after making seven saves in 45 minutes.
Pillon, Tuckfield, junior Mary Ashton Lembo and freshman Kelsey Dazalla continued their streaks of starting every game this season. Junior Lauren Palmer played a team-high 60 minutes in the game.
“It was a team effort and a lot of players that haven’t played a lot of minutes this year came in and played very well. Our team is really starting to pick up its confidence and it's showing on the field,” Mazza said.
ULM improved to 14-0 all-time against teams from the Southwestern Athletics Conference under head coach Roberto Mazza. The Warhawks are now 8-1 all-time against Grambling State and have outscored the Tigers 26-0 in the last five meetings.
“We are coming off two positive weekends in a row and I am looking forward to our next challenge against Southern Miss. It is going to be a very competitive game which is what we need going into conference play the following weekend,” Mazza said.
The Warhawks will conclude non-conference action next weekend when they host Southern Miss on Friday at 4:00 p.m. and Southern onSunday at 1:00 p.m. at the ULM Soccer Complex.
Jags Fall to No. 9 Auburn, 2-1
AUBURN, Ala. - No. 9 Auburn scored twice within 68 seconds midway through the first half to rally from an early deficit and defeat the University of South Alabama soccer team 2-1 Sunday night at the AU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers improve to 7-1 overall while the Jaguars drop to 5-2.
"The result is very disappointing because I felt like for large portions of the game we were the stronger team, but credit to Auburn, they are a very good, well-coached team," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "They hit us immediately after we scored, which is always a dangerous time - sometimes it's difficult to keep your concentration and Auburn scored on two nice crosses and headers at the back post. We know we'll be a lot more ready to defend those in future games."
The shots totals between the two teams were dead even at 13-13; Auburn put six on frame, USA had four on target. The Jags held the edge in corner kicks 7-4.
"We scored off a set piece - I was really pleased with that - I was just disappointed that we didn't keep our focus collectively for the next five minutes because for large portions of the game we possessed the ball extremely well and I'm really proud of the team's effort."
All three goals came in a span of just over four minutes. The Jags struck first at the 21:02 mark when freshman Hannah Godfrey (Thornton-Cleveleys, England) got on the end of a corner kick from freshman Jemma Purfield (Cottingham, England) for her second goal of the season.
"It was a wonderful delivery from Jemma - who earlier had one saved off the line five minutes earlier on a corner kick - and Hannah picked up a rebound and put it in the back of the net. It was a good finish and an important goal at the time."
Auburn struck back three minutes later. Ellie Leak took advantage of a failed cleared clearance and crossed it to Taylor Troutman who headed it home.
Just over a minute later, Leek and Troutman hooked up again for another goal, but it was Troutman's cross - after a pass from Leek - that found the head of Casie Ramsier to put the Tigers up for good.
"It's a dangerous period of time when you've just scored and they came back scored two goals," Winkworth said. "We were shell-shocked a little bit and we switched off. We've got to make sure that we play for 90 minutes and today we played for 86 against a very strong Auburn team."
Junior Sarah Hay (Waxahachie, Texas) made four saves in goal for the Jags.
Sophomore Danielle Henley (Hattiesburg, Miss.) paced USA with four shots and four different Jaguars put an attempt on net.
"We've been trying a few new things, putting players in positions that are new to them, and we did that again tonight and I'm very happy with the effort that they put in," Winkworth said. "I thought Jemma did excellent in the hole. She's used to playing as a forward - I've done that with other players in the past and she's another player that can play in that position. She did well, as did Rio (Hardy) and Twiggy (Sophie Haywood).
"All in all, we try to focus on results and they usually take care of themselves. Today we focused on performances and I think it was the most complete performance of the season so far and I'm really proud of them."
South Alabama hosts Marquette in the final non-conference home match of the season Thursday night at 7 p.m.
Bobcats Score Four in Shutout over SFA
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State soccer team littered the statistics sheet Sunday afternoon with a 4-0 shutout against former Southland Conference foe Stephen F. Austin. Three separate Bobcats scored as well as an own goal credited to the SFA defense lifted Texas State to its fourth victory of the 2015 season. Texas State is now 4-2 overall with two more non-conference matches left on the schedule.
The victory against the Ladyjacks snapped a home winning streak of nine matches for SFA, the fifth longest streak of its kind in the nation. The win also marked the first victory against the Ladyjacks since the Southland Conference championship victory in 2011.
Kira Zapalac got the Bobcats on the board first in the 12th minute with a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Junior Taylor Allen fed Zapalac the ball from the outside as she notched her second assist of the season. Zapalac's goal was her second of the year. The second goal of the day came after a corner kick by Alyssa Phelan in the 37th minute. Phelan's ball was fed right into the box where a SFA defender deflected into her own goal.
The goals kept rolling in the 61st minute as junior forward Lauren Prater tacked on her team-leading fourth goal of the season on a one-on-one down the middle. Prater was fed by Rachel Grout, who tallied her first assist of the season.
The final goal of the day was shot by Kassi Hormuth, who finished a cross by Maddie Nichols to the far post. It was Hormuth's second goal of the season.
The four goals scored by the Bobcats was the first time they had scored that many since the 2013 when they defeated Little Rock by a score of 4-0.
The Bobcat offense was effective all afternoon long as only two of the 10 Bobcat shots were not on goal. The Ladyjacks ultimately outshot Texas State 14-10, but only four shots were on goal for SFA. Caitlynn Rinehart was credited with the four saves as she recorded her third shutout of the season.
Texas State will now return home next weekend for a pair of matches against New Mexico State (Friday) and Lamar (Sunday). Kick-off against the Aggies is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.