Little Rock's Purvine Blasts Overtime Winner in Season Opener
LITTLE ROCK – Jaclyn Purvine was the hero for Little Rock in its season opener, scoring a goal four minutes into overtime to give the Trojans a 2-1 victory over rival Central Arkansas.
Purvine scored her game-winner in the 94th minute, getting into space in the Trojans' half. Still a long distance from goal but with no one challenging her, the junior blasted an ambitious shot into the top right corner of the net over a leaping Lauren Mercuri to give the Trojans the victory.
Little Rock (1-0) got its other goal from Arola Aparicio in the first half, and freshman Megan Swanson got her first career victory and made five saves against the Bears (0-1).
Aparicio put Little Rock on the board in the 13th minute when she beat out UCA defenders to get on the end of a long, looping Doro Greulich pass. Aparicio kept the ball in the air, knocking it high over Bears keeper Anna Hughes who had come far out of her net to make a play on the initial pass.
In the 74th minute, Hadley Dickinson evened the game when she got on the end of a long clearance pass by Swanson. The keeper made a play in a crowded area outside the box to clear a ball away from her net, but Dickinson ran right into the clearance pass and launched the ball from distance into the net.
In total, Little Rock outshot UCA 18-12. Besides Swanson, Trojan newcomers Morgan Smocovich, Lillian Davis and Liesa Seifert also got starts while Bergros Ásgeirsdóttir, Erna Guðjónsdóttir and Camilla Olsson played their first minutes for the Trojans.
Little Rock is back in action on Sunday, facing Memphis on the road. The Trojans and Tigers kick off at 7 p.m.
Coastal Blanks Wofford, 3-0, in Opener
Spartanburg, S.C. - Coastal Carolina (1-0) women's soccer team opened the 2017 season with a 3-0 victory over Wofford (0-1) Friday in Spartanburg.
Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year, Daniella Famili scored what proved to be the game-winner as she tallied the Chanticleers' first goal of the season in the 34th minute for the 1-0 lead. Elisabeth Rockhill, who had two assists in the match, gave the dish.
Overall, Coastal was able to put consistent pressure on the Terrier defense in the first 45 minutes, outshooting Wofford 13-to-2. The Terriers were unable to take advantage leading in corner kicks 4-to-1.
To start the second half, Wofford pressured CCU freshman keeper Rylee Atteberry, forcing her to make a diving stop and a punch save to keep the score at 1-nil after the intermission. Atteberry picked up her first career win as a Chanticleer as she went the distance in goal. She finished with four saves while facing nine shots.
Midway through the second half, Mackenzie Gibbs (70th minute) found the back of the net with Rockhill getting her second assist of the day with the cross from the right corner to increase the lead 2-0.
In the 82nd minute, Brooke Horist closed out the scoring, pushing the lead to 3-0 on an unassisted goal.
Coastal Carolina out-shot the Terriers 18-to-9 overall and held an 8-to-4 lead in shots on goal. Wofford was able to muster more corner kicks (seven to two).
The Chanticleers will travel to Charleston to take on in-state opponent College of Charleston on Sunday, Aug. 20. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m., at Patriots Point.
O'Boye Scores Twice to Lead A-State to Victory
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (8/18/17) – Dana O'Boye converted two penalty kicks in the final 10 minutes of the match to lead to the Arkansas State women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Missouri State in its regular season opener Friday night Allison South Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 with less than 10 minutes to go in the match, freshman forward Sarah Sodoma was taken down inside the 18-yard box on the left side as she attempted to setup for a potential shot to tie the match. The takedown resulted in a penalty kick that was taken by O'Boye, who went to low right side as the goalkeeper dove to the other side for the uncontested goal.
“We were missing that final touch all game and Sarah was able to create danger and I was really surprised on the first situation because the girl just came out of nowhere and took her down,” A-State head coach Brian Dooley said. “I actually felt bad for Sarah because she was going to have a really good look if she would not have gotten taken down.”
Five minutes later Sodoma was on the attack on the left side once again and was taken down in the same area as she tried to avoid a defender to take a potential go-ahead shot. The Red Wolves turned to O'Boye once again for the penalty kick and the Plainfield, Ill., native went to the right side, but aimed for the upper corner as the shot sailed just out of the reach of the goalkeeper for a 2-1 advantage with 5:15 to go.
“We've been practicing our penalty kicks throughout preseason and it was never in doubt who would take the first one,” Dooley said. “The difficult decision came on the second one because most of the time a player will go to the same side and Dana did, but she made the right decision to go high this time and it was just a great strike.”
From that point the Red Wolves went into a defensive shape and prevented the Bears from taking a quality chance on goal until the final minute when Mary Disidore had a free kick from just outside the box sail high over the net.
Missouri State controlled the early part of the match and took several shots in the first 10 minutes before both teams settled into a rhythm. Kelsey Ponder made three saves in the first half for A-State, but got caught out of position in the 55th minute of the second half when Brooke Prondzinski chipped a rebound over Ponder's head for the first goal of the night. Ponder rebounded, however, and continued to stay aggressive as the Bears pushed for another goal.
Ponder finished the evening with four saves, while the Red Wolves forced Missouri State into five saves. Maggie Ertl, Riley Ebenroth, Sodoma, Bailey Reed and Lindsey Brochu each had scoring chances that landed on target.
For the match, Missouri State outshot A-State 17-14 but the Red Wolves had a 7-5 advantage in shots on goal.
“We started eight freshmen and sophomores and our first substitution was a freshman so it says a lot about the confidence we have in these kids,” Dooley said. “They continued to fight throughout the night and they got better when went down a goal, but the real spirit of this team came from the play of the upperclassmen. They held things together and allowed the younger players to find their way. It was an all-around team victory.”
The Red Wolves return to the field Thursday, Aug. 24 for a road contest at Lipscomb. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
For the latest on the A-State women's soccer, log onto the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateSoccer and follow them on Twitter @AStateSoccer.
Eagles Fall in Season Opener
STATESBORO, Ga. – Friday opened the 25th season of Georgia Southern women's soccer (0-1-0) with a talented opponent in Florida Gulf Coast (1-0-0). The Eagles would fall to FGCU 3-0, after keeping the score and shots level at halftime. The Blue and White will return to action Sunday afternoon as they face Gardner-Webb (0-1-0) at the friendly confines of Eagle Field.
MATCH FACTS
Florida Gulf Coast (1-0-0) – 3
Georgia Southern (0-1-0) – 0
SCORING
48' – FGCU – Hope Van Wagner takes a service from the far side, beats a defender and scores from 4 yards out.
72' – FGCU – Majorie Boilesen takes a cross from Lauren Greene at the 18 yard mark and scores far post, top right.
84' – FGCU – Kiana Rugar controls a service from Silvana Gordon and scores off a header from the edge of the 6'.
NOTES
- Florida Gulf Coast outshot the Eagles 5-1 throughout the game, with three being on frame.
- Sophomore goalkeepers Lauren Karinshak and Daniela Estrada split time between the pipes with Karinshak starting the game against Florida Gulf Coast.
WHAT HEAD COACH BRIAN DUNLEAVY SAID
"We faced a very hard working, organized team tonight, who capitalized on their limited chances. The first half was as even as could be, the difference in the second was their attacking players chased everything down and were more opportunistic than we were. We can play as attractive style of soccer that we want, but if we don't go and impact the game where it matters, in front of the goal, then we'll struggle to score."
NEXT UP
The Eagles will have Saturday off before returning for the second half of their two game home stand to open up the season. The Blue and White will face off against Gardner-Webb, who fell to Davidson in their season opener 4-0, at 1:00 PM Sunday afternoon.
Two First Half NAU Goals Down Bobcats
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Two first half defensive mistakes were costly to the Texas State soccer team as the Bobcats fell 2-0 to Northern Arizona at the Bobcat Soccer Complex in the season opener for both programs.
TXST begins the year 0-1 for the first time since 2010 while the Lumberjacks are now 1-0 overall.
Starting the game, the Bobcat were aggressive as they won a corner kick just 27 seconds into the match. Brooke Ramsey got a foot on the in-swinging ball but sent a towering shot over the net.
NAU netted its first goal of match late in the 22nd minute. Both Heather Martin and Chandler Cooney collided going to a ball in the air, followed by a poor clearance by another Bobcat defender saw the ball end up at the feet of Mei-Te Coco. She sent the ball into the left corner of the net for the score.
In the 34th minute, Carly Gamble knocked home a short pass from eight yards out from Ma Yarnell-Williams after another bad clearance by the TXST defense.
Jordan Kondikoff had a great opportunity to cut the deficit in half near the end of the 56th minute. She turned to her left and fired a shot that ended up in the left side netting of the goal thanks to a deflection off a Lumberjack defender.
On the ensuing corner kick, Alyssa Phelan got her head on the ball but NAU's goalkeeper easily corralled the attempt on net.
In the middle of the 63rd minute, freshman defender Sarah Everett cleared the ball from the top of the 18-yard box. She was then taken down as the Lumberjack's Malia Lyken slide into her with her spikes up and knocking Everett out for the rest of the game.
The last chance for the Bobcats in finding the back of the net came off a corner kick with 10 minutes left in the game. Renny Moore connected on the ball sent in by Jamie Brown, but the header attempt flew over the top of the net.
Kondikoff led all TXST players with two shots attempts. Both Sydney Kammer and Phelan placed a shot on net.
In the goal, Heather Martin got the start and made two saves in the first half. Kathryn Budde stopped all five shots that the Lumberjacks placed on net in the final 45 minutes of the match.
Next up for the Bobcats is a 1 p.m. match at home with Louisiana Tech, which is coming off a 1-0 victory at McNeese.
All home matches for Texas State are free admission. Parking for fans will be available at the Speck Street Parking Garage along with limited spaces southwest of the Soccer Complex except on Aug. 20 against Louisiana Tech. Because of new student move-in day taking place around the complex Aug. 19-20, fans are recommended to park along Sessoms Drive Lots R18 and R40.
Troy Drop Heartbreaker in Opener
TROY, Alabama – Troy's defense stood firm until the 84th minute when Mercer was able to breakthrough and down the Trojans 1-0 in front of 1,114 fans – the second-largest crowd in Troy soccer history – at the Troy Soccer Complex on Friday.
The Bears (1-0) caught Troy in the run of play and a spot-on pass from Jasmine Spence found Caroline Smith, who slammed home the game's lone goal with just over six minutes left on the clock.
The Trojans (0-1) took the lion's share of the shots on the night outpacing Mercer 13-4 in the category. In fact, of the Bears four shots in the game just the one was on target. Amber Harless led the way for the Troy attack with three shot. Qarli Stone had two opportunities in the game, both were saved.
Samantha Jacob and Amber Harless arguably had the best chances for the Trojans. In the ninth minute, Jacob pick up a failed clearance just outside the box and hit a laser that was saved by the Mercer keeper, one of five for the Bears. In the 25th minute, Harless received the ball with her back to goal, spun on the defender with one touch and fired a shot that sailed just right of the far post.
QUOTABLE
"We were too deep and too wide apart, we've got to do better there, but it happens," Troy head coach Ged O'Connor said. "We had a number of individual breakdowns, but we can work on that. Number one is that we gave the ball away too easily and then we're caught sprinting back to defend. We learned tonight, now we've got an even bigger game, which is the next game."
UP NEXT
Troy travels to Gainesville, Fla., to take on No. 7 Florida. Kickoff is set for noon (CT) and will be broadcast on SEC Network+; it will be the first ever meeting between the schools. Links to live stats and video can be found at TroyTrojans.com.
NOTEWORTHY
• Troy took 13 shots in the game, five were on target, while Mercer managed just four shots.
Warhawks Drop First Game of the Season at TCU, 5-0
FORT WORTH, Texas – Despite a strong defensive showing in the first half, the University of Louisiana-Monroe women's soccer fell, 5-0, at Texas Christian University Friday evening in the first match of the season for both teams.
Senior Allison Ganter scored the first goal for the Horned Frogs in the 15th minute of play off a penalty kick after a period of extended possession by TCU to start the match.
Junior goalkeeper Brooke-Lynn Scroggins held down the net for ULM in the first half, tallying eight saves and keeping the score to 1-0 in favor of TCU.
The Horned Frogs started off the second half with a goal in the 49th minute. Junior Danielle Eule scored off a corner kick from Ganter with an assist from junior Karitas Tomasdottir.
A cross from junior McKenzie Oliver in the 66th minute allowed freshman Natalee Heiser to plant a goal straight down the middle to put the Horned Frogs up 3-0. Heiser tacked on a second goal just a few minutes later, the fourth of the night for TCU.
Freshman Yazmeen Ryan scored the fifth and final goal for the Horned Frogs in the 85th minute of play off a cross from Ganter.
With the second half push from TCU, ULM drops the first match of the season 5-0 with Scroggins tallying a total of eight saves for the evening.
The Warhawks return to action Sunday, Aug. 20 at home against McNeese State at 4 p.m. CT.
PANTHERS FALL TO BLAZERS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- In the regular season opener, the Georgia State women’s soccer team fell to UAB 1-0 Friday night.
With the loss, the Panthers fell to 0-1 on the season and the Blazers improved to 1-0.
Georgia State opened the match in defensive mode, with the Blazers controlling the ball in the first half. UAB scored early, with Rachel Green scoring the game-winner at the 14-minute mark.
The team came out of halftime looking to find the equalizer, but five Blazer saves kept Georgia State out of the net. The Panthers posted 13 total shots, seven of which were on target.
Junior Monique Hundley led the team in shots, posting five overall and three on goal. Freshman Alex Addington took three shots with two on goal for GSU.
The Panthers return home on Aug. 20 for their home opener against Kennesaw State at 7 p.m. Live stats will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and a live stream will be available free of charge on PantherVision. Parking and admission to the GSU Soccer Complex are free to fans.
Mountaineers Fall in Season Opener to High Point
BOONE, N.C - Appalachian State University women's soccer (0-1) put forth a valiant effort in a 1-0 setback on Friday afternoon against a tough High Point (1-0) team in the season opener at Ted Mackorell.
The Mountaineers fired away 17 shots in the setback to the Panthers' eight attempts, but the difference maker was the lone attempt at the net that gave the visitors the only goal of the game. Maggie Gruber barely got a hold of the ball inside the box
to pick up the score. App had its chances, mostly in the second half with three shots on goal, but Alex Hank showed why she was named the Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Sharon Osterbind had two attempts at the net while Sarah Moon also chipped away at a shot. With just under a minute left in the half, Kat Greer was able to have an open shot for the tie, but just sailed right of the frame.
Taylor Ray would start at the net for App while Lauren Burke saw her first action playing all 45 minutes in the second half. For the first match of the season, App has plenty to be proud about, going toe-to-toe with a team that finished 13-6-2 in 2016 and won the Big South regular season title.
App will look for its first win of the season on Sunday as it starts a three-match road swing against Campbell at 4 p.m.
Cajuns Fall 5-0 To Baylor In Season Opener
WACO, TEXAS – Despite freshman goalkeeper Victoria Ryan tieing a freshman school record with eight saves in the second half, Louisiana's women's soccer team dropped their 2017 opener with a tough loss to the Baylor Bears 5-0 at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field here in Waco, Texas.
The loss is the first of the season for Louisiana putting their record to start the season at 0-1-0, while Baylor gets their first win of the season putting their record at 1-0-0.
The Ragin' Cajuns were challenged from start to finish and played most of the game in their defending third, dealing with shot after shot from the Bears throughout the game.
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HOW IT HAPPENED (First Half)- Sophomore Victoria Mendes started in goal, and she was busy throughout the first half as the match started quickly for Mendes, with Baylor taking a shot in the sixth minute that was blocked, followed by a quick counter by the Cajuns in the seventh minute where senior Denice Emokpae ripped a shot wide left.
Mendes recorded her first save of the season in the eighth minute, but the Bears didn't relent their attack.
The Cajuns attempted to stay strong on the counter and in the 17th minute senior Taylor Kennedy ripped a shot just high of the Baylor goal.
As play continued Baylor earned a corner kick in the 27th minute that the Bears' Sarah King headed in past Mendes to put Baylor up 1-0.
Baylor added to their lead shortly after their first goal, when in the 29th minute, Baylor's Precious Akanyirige worked her way through the Cajun defense to put the Bears up 2-0.
Louisiana earned its first corner kick of the game in the 31st minute, which was taken by senior Cassandra Reyes, with nothing coming from it. But it showed that the Cajuns weren't about to roll over and give up maintaining a strong work ethic throughout the first half.
In the 37th minute Baylor earned their third corner kick of the game and the Bears' King headed in her second goal of the game, both off corners, to extend Baylor's lead to 3-0 through the first half.
Before the half came to an end, Baylor would add one more goal to their sheet, when the Bears' Marissa Kinsey scored in the 41st minute. When the half was done, the Bears held a 4-0 lead going into the locker rooms.
HOW IT HAPPENED (Second Half)- Ryan took over keeping duties to start the second half and she was quickly welcomed into the game with several shots on goal.
But Ryan was warmed up and ready for the challenge recording her first and second saves back-to-back in the 47th minute. Quickly after that she recorded another save in the 52nd minute, followed rather shortly in the 58th minute with another save making it four saves right off the bat for Ryan.
Baylor kept on the pressure, earning a corner kick in the 62nd and 64th minutes but the Cajuns defended the corners well keeping the Bears off the score sheet.
Ryan herself added yet another save, in the 65th minute, making it five within the first 20 minutes of the second half. But the early work by Ryan showed she was unwilling to let Baylor add to their lead.
Back-to-back saves again came from Ryan when in the 70th and 71st minute, she maintained the brick wall she had built in the half, giving her seven saves through 27 minutes of the second half.
In the 85th minute Ryan snagged her eighth save on Baylor's 13th shot in the half on goal, as she continued to not allow Baylor to the satisfaction of adding to their lead.
But in the 88th minute Baylor finally broke through Ryan's brick wall, scoring on a goal from Kennedy Brown, putting the score at 5-0 in favor of Baylor.
The Cajuns did record two shots in the final four minutes of the match with freshman Grace Champagne ripping a shot on goal in the 87th minute and senior Haley Boroch put a shot high over the bar in the 89th minute to make sure Baylor's keeper, Hannah Parrish, stayed on her toes all the way to the end.
GAME NOTES: The eight saves by Ryan ties her for the most saves in a half by a freshman in Cajuns history, with Lauren Berlingo having done it at ULM on Oct. 31, 2009; The Cajuns finished with four shots with one on goal; Baylor recorded 38 shots through the game with 14 on goal.
UP NEXT: The Ragin' Cajuns stay on the road and return to the pitch looking to rebound with their first win of the season at Lamar on Sunday, Aug. 20. The match starts at 6 p.m. and live stats will be available, courtesy of Lamar Athletics, on the women's soccer schedule page at RaginCajuns.com.
EARLY GOALS DOOM SOCCER IN LOSS AT No. 10 AUBURN
AUBURN, Ala. – No. 10 Auburn scored twice in the first five minutes en route to a 3-0 victory over the University of South Alabama soccer team Friday night at the AU Soccer Complex.
Three different Tigers scored, all on efforts from outside the 18-yard box. It was the season opener for both schools.
GAME FACTS
-Auburn's first goal came just 2:46 into the contest, when a service from the left wing from Taylor Troutman landed between two South Alabama players and an Auburn player, and bounced in
-The Tigers added another just over two minutes later on a 25-yard shot from Courtney Schell that hit the inside of the left post
-The third tally came 1:06 into the second half on another shot from distance by Ellie Leek
-Auburn outshot South Alabama 11-4, including a 5-1 edge on goal
-Freshman Selma Björgvinsdóttir led the Jags with two shots, and senior Chelsea Followwell had the team's lone shot on net
-USA goalkeeper Justice Stanford made two saves in 90 minutes and allowed all three goals
NOTES
-Auburn extended its win streak over South Alabama to 12 games, and leads the series between the two schools 13-1
-AU has held USA scoreless for a stretch of 355:29 in the last four games
-South Alabama last fell in a season opener in 2014, a 2-1 double-overtime defeat to Alabama-Birmingham
-Five freshmen were in South Alabama's starting XI, and two more made their collegiate debut off the bench
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts on the game: "I thought Auburn did a good job coming out. They came out strong in the first half and second half – that's when all of their goals came. It took us a long time to get settled in, but when we got settled in, we had some positive moments. Maybe we didn't create enough chances in the final third, but all in all, they were the better team for sure. They didn't really carve us apart – all three goals came from distance. If we had stayed in a game a little longer, it might've made it a bit more interesting for the fans that came out to support us."
On what led to the early goals: "I think we just overcompensated for the quality of our opponent. We sat so deep – maybe too deep – and that's a big difference when you play against some of the top teams in the country. If you sit off a kid from 25 or 30 yards, they're going to punish you. We sat too deep, anticipating a big, heavy push from them, getting the ball wide and crossing it. It was preventable, maybe, we just have to watch the video."
On the balance of the game: "They were pretty comfortable in possession, but I still think we have more special players that when they get on the ball they are magic. Sometimes you look at it and you wish you knew how to get that going from them all the time, but Auburn are quality opposition and you have to respect that. Ana Helmert had a good game, got the ball and was running at them, and made some high-quality players look average at times. They were the better team on the night. It's back to the drawing board and we have a couple of things to fix before Sunday."
On the adjustments that need to be made before Sunday: "I think the biggest thing is we're leaking goals. In three games we've played three quality teams and conceded seven goals. Nobody has really carved us apart and worked the ball around – maybe the Ole Miss goal was one – but today we allowed three shots from distance and LSU had two shots from distance. So there's five goals against in the same scenario. That's the biggest talking point right now – what is our defensive shape? We just have to get our bearings early on. This team grows as the game grows, so the longer we can keep teams at nil-nil, I think we'll grow into our confidence."
UP NEXT
The Jaguars continue their season opening road swing with a trip to No. 15 Florida State Sunday at noon CDT.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).