Friday, August 26
Coastal Secures 2-1 Win over Winthrop
ROCK HILL, S.C. - With the score tied and under 16 seconds remaining in regulation, freshman Heston Neal gave the Coastal Carolina womens soccer team the offensive spark it needed to secure the 2-1 victory over Winthrop, Friday evening.
With the win Coastal improves to 2-0-1 overall. The Chanticleers outshot the Eagles 17-10 -- with eight of the teams' shots on frame -- holding the clear advantage of possession throughout the match. Daniella Famili and Amber Adams each led the team with five shots apiece and two on frame.
The Chanticleers took command the 17th minute as Adams drove the ball down the left flank beating two defenders sending a cross towards the back post finding Kayla Christian. Christian, who one-touched it back to the six yard box, set up Famili to finish for the 1-0 lead.
Minutes later, Adams found herself with a step on her defender driving down the line looking for goal but hit the post. Following Coastals' counter-attack, senior Becca Austin was put in a 1v1 situation but handled it with ease as she scooped up the ball for the save.
Early in the second half, the Chants look to score early as Adams ignites the play sending a ball over the back line finding Christians feet. The sophomore forward took a small touch but her shot is blocked last second by her defender.
Play began to even out through the middle of the second half until the 76th minute, when Adams received a through ball between the defenders to go 1v1 with the Eagles goaltender but is blocked by a diving save.
The Eagles regained possession creating a counter-attack in its' final third. A cross from Samantha Prytulak on the right flank set up teammate Keeley Leising on the six-yard box to pass in it to level the match.
Coastal is fouled right outside the 18-yard box putting the Chants in good scoring position. Famili sets up for a low left corner shot but a diving save from the Eagles goaltender pushes it out for a corner.
With under a minute remain, Coastal able to get off a quick corner but is knocked out to Neals' feet. Neal take one touch then blasts it over the goalkeepers hands from the corner of the 18-yard box to give Coastal the win. This was Neals' first goal as a Chanticleers.
McKee, Dingle Score as Troy Rolls Past Belmont
TROY, Alabama – Brooke McKee scored the game-winning goal in the 13th minute and Allie Dingle landed her first career goal in the 82nd minute as the Troy soccer team defeated Belmont 2-0 on Friday at the Troy Soccer Complex.
McKee picked up a rebound off the goalkeeper on a shot by Abby Reynolds, dribbled near the penalty spot, then fired a shot into the top corner of the net. It was the sophomore's second goal of the season.
With Belmont pushing forward late, Alex Huynh lofted a free kick into the box that floated over the keeper's head and hit the far upright. Dingle streaked in and volleyed in her first career goal.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mikki Lewis was seldom busy, but did register four saves in the match. The junior recorded her 22nd career shutout, which ties Ashley Branham for most-ever by a Troy goalkeeper.
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Belmont applied pressure for most of the second half, but Dingle's late goal put the game out of reach and guaranteed Troy its second win of the year.
QUOTABLE
"We knew what we were going to be up against today," head coach Jason Hamilton said.
"Belmont is a team that brings a lot of energy and they high-press. We wanted to come out have a good first 10 minutes and I think we definitely played well throughout. Maddie Brune was fantastic in the air and our overall defensive work rate in the second half won us the game."
UP NEXT
Troy (2-1-0) takes on in-state rival Jacksonville State in the Trojan Classic finale on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Gamecocks own a 10-4 advantage in the series, but Troy has won four of the last five meetings.
HARDY SCORES BRACE, LEADS SOCCER OVER JACKSONVILLE STATE
TROY, Ala. – Junior Rio Hardy (Workington, England) had a pair of goals and the University of South Alabama soccer team earned its first win of the 2016 season with a 4-1 defeat of Jacksonville State Friday afternoon at the Troy Soccer Complex.
The Jaguars, which picked up a draw against Samford last Friday and lost to then-No. 12 Auburn 1-0 in double overtime, even their record at 1-1-1. The Gamecocks fall to 1-2.
"From a performance standpoint, I thought we played better last weekend than we did today," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "I am happy that we got our first goal and victory of the season for sure, but performance-wise we looked a little tired and didn't move the ball around quite as well as we'd done the previous weekend.
"It's important that we showed the depth of our squad today because it felt about 96 degrees out there, so it was important that we were able to rest some players and that some of our new faces got a chance to play their first collegiate soccer in a game like this. If they have to go in at any point of the season, it won't be their first time to go in, so this weekend is a great opportunity to rotate our squad and show we're not just 11 players, we've got quality and depth."
Hardy recorded her third career brace, and first since 2014. She scored on a header at 9:29 to double the Jags' lead to 2-0, then finished off the scoring with just over five minutes left in regulation off a pass from junior Chelsea Followwell (Sachse, Texas).
"On the first one she used her striker's instinct and was in the right place off a little bit of a scramble in the box," Winkworth noted. "But her second one was a well-timed run and an excellent header off a cross by Chelsea, which basically killed the game."
USA found the back of the net early, starting just six minutes into the contest. Junior Danielle Henley (Hattiesburg, Miss.) converted from just outside the penalty area for the team's first goal of the year, and Hardy followed with her opening goal under four minutes later.
"Scoring an early goal was very important today; it settled the team down," Winkworth said. "It was a nice strike from Danielle."
It took over an hour for the Jaguars to strike again when sophomore Jemma Purfield (Cottingham, England) hit from the top-left corner of the box from sophomore Caroline Torrens (Pace, Fla.) at 72:18.
The Gamecocks' Mackenzie Bellows converted a penalty kick less than a minute later to pull within two goals, but Hardy finished it off for the 4-1 final.
South Alabama put nine of its 17 attempts on target, led by Hardy's four, and outshot Jacksonville State 17-8 overall. Four of the Jags' five shots in the first half were on goal.
"In the first half we were very clinical," Winkworth said. "We didn't create as many chances because the game was tighter, but the chances we did create were good ones. In the second half, we weren't as clinical in front of goal, but we were very efficient in the first half."
Senior Sarah Hay (Waxahatchie, Texas) made three saves for the Jaguars, while her counterpart, Caroline Robinson had four stops.
South Alabama returns to the field Sunday when it faces Belmont at noon.
Mountaineers Fall 2-0 to High Point
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State women’s soccer dropped their first match of the season when it fell 2-0 to High Point University on Friday evening.
“Today was a battle against a very good High Point team,” head coach Sarah Strickland said. “While we had some great opportunities, their goalkeeper had several incredible saves. We definitely found some areas we need to improve before we start conference play. Despite the result, we saw some great attacking moments and huge opportunities created by Jenn Bass, Aubrey Fletcher, Jackie Nieradka, Jane Cline and Emmily Cowie.”
The match was deadlocked for most of the evening as both teams battled hard defensively. It wasn’t until the 79th minute when High Point’s (2-0-1) Bailey Beattie scored off an over-the-top kick over goalkeeper Sam Steyl to put the Panthers up 1-0. HPU would put the game out of reach in the 90th minute on an unassisted goal by Tyler Gordon on a breakaway off an Appalachian free kick.
The Mountaineers (2-1-0) were held to just eight shots and four on goal, but were led on multiple efforts by Bass, Fletcher and Nieradka, who all kept the pressure on High Point’s goalkeeper. Leading App State in shots were Cline and freshman Maggie Hanusek. Cline had two shots, both on goal, while Hanusek had two shots, one on goal.
Nieradka, Sarah Moon and Sarah Peatross all finished with one shot, while Cowie had one shot on goal.
Despite the two goals allowed, Steyl had a career-high seven saves in the match, as the Panthers launched 19 total shots on the evening.
The Mountaineers will play their second match of the weekend and the second of a three-match road trip at Radford on Sunday at 7 p.m.
Texas State Falls on the Road to McNeese State
LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Texas State women's soccer team dropped its first game of the season Friday night at Cowgirl Field to McNeese State 2-0.
The Bobcats dropped to 2-1 on the season while the Cowgirls are now 2-0.
Starting the game, Texas State came out strong with Clarissa Leon tacking a crack at goal with just 21 seconds ticking off the clock. The Bobcats' defense did not allow McNeese State to take a shot until halfway through the 22nd minute while attempting five shots and three corner kicks themselves.
The Cowgirls scored their first goal of the game just inside the 36th minute when Savannah LaRicci headed in a cross from the left side off the foot of Morgan Middleton. With the score, Texas State's shutout streak to begin the season was snapped at 125:04.
A little over nine minutes into the second half, LaRicci tallied her second goal of the game on a breakaway. Alexis Rodriguez set up the score for her first assist of the season.
The Bobcats came close to getting on the scoreboard in the 59 minute when Alyssa Phelan directed a header on goal. However, the Cowgirls' goalkeeper made the save.
Kassi Hormuth took a team-high three shots. Rachel Grout, Maddie Nichols, Genesis Turman and Leon all attempts two shots.
In goal, Heather Martin started for the third straight game and stopped one shot in the first half. Kathryn Budde came on in the second half but was tested just once in the period.
LaRicci attempted three of McNeese State's four shots, putting all of her shots on goal. Gabi D'Alesandro was the only other Cowgirl to take a crack at goal. Making five saves to earn the shutout was Annie Bravenec.
On the night, Texas State held a 16-5 advantage in shots but only a slim 5-3 lead in shots on goal. The corner kick edge, 9-1, also was in the maroon and gold's favor.
The Bobcats return home Sunday to take on Houston at 1 p.m. at the Bobcat Soccer Complex. Live stats and video stream will be available for the game. The contest will also be broadcast on the radio in the San Marcos area on KTSW 89.9 FM.
Admission to all home soccer games is free of charge. For more information on the Texas State soccer team, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, like on Facebook at Texas State Soccer and follow on Twitter at @TxStateSoccer.
Eagles Draw North Florida, 1-1
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern women's soccer team posted a 1-1 draw against North Florida on Friday night at home. The Ospreys attacked early, scoring the first goal in the fifth minute of the contest. It wasn't until the second half when the Eagles retaliated on a series of corner kicks which led to a penalty kick by Jennifer Wittick, where she scored her first goal of the season. Despite two overtimes, neither team was able to pull away with a win.
MATCH FACTS
North Florida (0-1-2) – 1
Georgia Southern (0-2-1) – 1
SCORING
5' – UNF – Cross was deflected to the top of the box by GS defense, Kelli Crowley shot from 18 yards sinking the first goal of the night.
60' – GS – A series of corner kicks ultimately resulted in a mistake by the UNF defense and a Georgia Southern penalty kick. Jennifer Wittick hit the ball crisp from 12 yards to bring the Eagles level at 1-1. It was her 19th career goal and her third from the penalty spot.
NOTES
- Freshman Lauren Karinshak got her second start as an Eagle and recorded five saves on the night between the pipes.
- The Eagles earned 15 corner kicks throughout the night and outshot the Ospreys 23-15.
- Senior forward Jennifer Wittick, a preseason All-Sun Belt selection, recorded her first goal of the season.
QUOTE FROM COACH DUNLEAVY
Apart from a momentary lapse in the first five minutes of the game which was all us, it was a great performance. We've got 11 new players on this team, they are learning and growing and that has been great to see. Our returners are doing a great job as well, and the team is beginning to mesh. We will find that winning result to compliment the hard work the team has been putting in. We're looking forward to Sunday now.
ULM falls to Southern Miss 1-0 On Friday Afternoon
Hattiesburg, Miss. – The ULM soccer team came up on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision on Friday afternoon against Southern Miss.
THE TURNING POINT
Following a scoreless first half, Southern Miss broke the tie early in the second half when Bri Schubeck scored for the Golden Eagles to give them a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
NOTABLES
-Brooke-Lynn Scroggins with her seven saves on Friday moved ahead of Katherine Werther for sixth in program history now with 112 saves in her playing career.
-Southern Miss outshot ULM 18-9, with Cke’Lana Caesar leading the Warhawks with three shots. Maia Mumford led the way with two shots on goal.
-Mumford leads the team through the first three games with six shots on goal.
-Lyndsey Lee led the Golden Eagles with four shots and two were on frame while goal scorer, Bri Schubeck had two shots and put one on frame that turned out to be the difference in the game.
PANTHERS FALL 4-1 TO CHARLOTTE
ATLANTA- The Georgia State women’s soccer team dropped its first match of the season with a 4-1 loss to Charlotte on Friday night at the GSU Soccer Complex. The Panthers fell to 1-1-1 this season while the 49ers improved to 2-1.
Charlotte scored in the first 10 minutes of the match, putting extra pressure on the Georgia State defense. Redshirt-junior Brie Haynes had two key saves before the 15 minute mark, but Charlotte was able to score again to put the Panthers down 2-0 early in the match.
Junior Taina Angalde had her first goal of the season off an assist from Kylie Ruffule at the 40th minute to cut the deficit in half, but the 49ers responded quickly with a goal from Julia Grainda to give Charlotte a 3-1 lead entering the half.
Georgia State managed just four shot in the second half and Charlotte scored its final goal of the game in the 61st minute
"Obviously this wasn't the result we wanted," head coach Ed Joyce said. "We made some mistakes and that was frustrating, but we definitely learned some things. Now we just have to focus on correcting those mistakes and get back out there on Tuesday."
The Panthers will be back on the field on Monday to host Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. Admission to the GSU Soccer Complex is free.
UL Lafayette Falls To Nicholls State On The Road
THIBODAUX, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns soccer team raced out to an early 1-0 lead, but were unable to hang on falling to Nicholls State, 3-1, on Friday at the Nicholls Soccer Complex.
The Ragin' Cajuns (1-1) scored in the 14th minute on a goal by senior forward MacKenzie Higgins off an assist from junior forward Ashleigh Cade.
Nicholls State (1-0) answered in the 20th minute on a header into the goal from Emily Werenskiold. Hannah Savoie was credited with the assist for the Colonels.
The teams remained tied at halftime and until the 64th minute when Nicholls State junior midfielder Mie Elvestad scored on a shot from 25-yards out. Savoie was again credited with the assist.
Nicholls State made the final score 3-1 on a goal in the 90th minute from Francesca Curteis.
Louisiana returns home to face Southern Miss on Sunday (Aug. 28) in a 1 p.m. match at the Ragin' Cajuns Soccer/Track Facility.
Sodexo is providing free ice cream bars to the first 500 fans in attendance for Sunday's game. The marketing office will be providing vouchers that will be handed out as fans come in the gate.
LR Scores Twice on Headers in Win at Missouri State
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Trojan soccer team got goals off headers from Fali Garuba and Talia Graves in a 2-0 victory over Missouri State at Allison South Stadium on Friday night.
After a frustrating opening weekend that saw the Trojans outshoot their opponents 45-15 but lose both games, the offensive dominance continued for the Trojans (1-2-0) and this time turned into goals against the Bears (0-2-1).
Garuba got the team's first goal in the 59th minute, striking on a header as Shannon Shields performed one of her signature long throw-ins from the right side. Garuba's header bounced off the turf first before sneaking past a diving Evan Stamp for the 1-0 lead.
Graves earned her first career goal in the 82nd minute, also on a header. This one came off a cross from the right side by Quin Wilkes, and Graves' aim was true from about eight yards away as she hit the ball into the right side of the net.
Little Rock outshot Missouri State 15-5 – maintaining that 3-to-1 shots ratio for the season – and Sara Small only had to make three saves as she earned her first victory and seventh solo career shutout. Her biggest moment of the night came in the 71st minute as she dove in front of a pass that could have resulted in an easy goal for the Bears had she not given up her body to make the play.
The Trojans return home to the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex on Sunday night when they take on Memphis at 7 p.m.