Top Four Seeds Advance In Food Lion SAC Women’s Soccer Tournament
The top four seeds all advanced in the quarterfinals of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference women's soccer tournament. Friday's semifinals will have top-seed Carson-Newman facing Lenoir-Rhyne, while Catawba and Wingate will meet in the other semifinal. The women's semifinals will start at 3 p.m. at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C.
No. 1 Carson-Newman 5, No. 8 Mars Hill 2
JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. - The Carson-Newman women's soccer team defeated Mars Hill 5-2 in the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The Lady Eagles will advance to the second round where they will meet the winner of Tusculum and Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday. The Lady Eagles improve to 14-5 and Mars Hill falls to 8-10-3.
The first goal came from the Lions in the 9th minute of the game. Abbie Hoard found the back of the net on an unassisted shot from just outside the eighteen. The ball dropped just over the hands of Carson-Newman keeper Lauren MacKenzie (Barrie, Ontario).
The Eagles responded just four minutes later when freshman Trenna Howell (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) put the ball in the back of the net. Howell was assisted by senior Katie Perea (Cumming, Ga.). Howell struck again three minutes after with a one touch finish from a cross served by sophomore Lydia Wright (Nashville, Tenn.) to make the score 2-1.
In the 31st minutes of the first half, sophomore Morgan Gruenenfelder (Sweetwater, Tenn.) placed the ball above Mars Hill keeper Becca Sellars in the top left hand corner of the goal. Gruenenfelder was assisted by Howell.
With ten minutes left in the half Perea shot the ball into the left corner of the goal from a corner kick served on the ground by Wright to make the score at half 4-1. Carson-Newman outshot Mars Hill 13-4 in the first half.
" I am very pleased that we are going on to the final four of the SAC tournament," said head coach Phil McNamara, "I thought the girls showed a lot of character after going down 1-0 and getting to half with a 4-1 score."
In the 14th minute of the second half, Mars Hill struck on a free kick caused by a Carson-Newman foul. Brittany Downs placed the ball in the back of the Lady Eagle net, making the score 4-2 in favor of C-N.
Most of the second half was a battle between the two teams until Carson-Newman's Howell found the back of the net for the third time of the game to make the final score 5-2.
"The girls worked hard and deserved the result," added McNamara, "Mars Hill made it difficult for us in the second half by playing four forwards but the girls stood tall and got the result we needed. That is the most important thing at this point in the season."
The Lady Eagles will be back in action Friday in Rock Hill, S.C. when they face the winner of Tusculum against Lenoir-Rhyne at 3 p.m.
No. 2 Catawba 1, No. 7 Newberry 0
SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba senior Paige Harrington (Albemarle, NC/Albemarle HS) scored the lone goal in the 73rd minute as second-seeded Catawba defeated Newberry 1-0 in a first round match of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament on Tuesday night at Frock Field. The Catawba Indians improve to 14-4-1 and advance to face Wingate in a semifinal matchup on Friday afternoon in Rock Hill, SC. Newberry ends its season at 8-9-1.
The teams combined for just five shots in the opening half with Catawba leading the way with four and having the only attempt on goal. Newberry held a 6-3 edge in the second half, but it was Harrington and the Lady Indians that found the back of the net.
Harrington scored off a ball that was deflected by a header. It was the only shot on goal for Catawba in the half. Newberry put two of its shots in the final half on goal, but both were saved by Lady Indian keeper Lindsay Webster (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton HS), who posted her sixth shutout of the season. Emily Rhoades (Buckley, WA) had one save for Newberry. Catawba also won the regular season meeting 1-0 in Salisbury.
No. 3 Wingate 2, No. 6 Lincoln Memorial 0
WINGATE, N.C. -- Wingate University freshman midfielder Kelly Adams (Matthews, N.C.) had a goal and an assist to lead the Bulldogs to a 2-0 women's soccer victory over Lincoln Memorial University Tuesday night at the WU Soccer Complex.
The contest was a first round match-up in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament. Number three seed Wingate (14-5-0 overall) will face number two seed Catawba College on Friday at 3 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. The semi-finals and the finals will be played at the Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex. Lincoln Memorial completes the 2008 season 11-6-1 overall.
Wingate defeated Lincoln Memorial for the second time in four days. The Bulldogs blanked the Railsplitters 1-0 in overtime on Saturday afternoon in Harrogate, Tenn. The host Bulldogs kept the ball on their end of the field Tuesday. In the process, Wingate outshot LMU 12-2. The Bulldogs held a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal.
The Bulldogs scored the only goal they would need in the 30th minute, as Adams found freshman forward Liz Kinney (Moore, S.C.) open on the right side of the field. Kinney threaded the needle between the right post and LMU sophomore goalkeeper Denise de Resende (Taguatinga, Brazil) for her team-best 10th goal of the season.
Adams tallied her seventh goal of the year in the 63rd minute on an assist from sophomore forward Kerstin Williams (Summerville, S.C.). Adams leads the Bulldogs in points with 27 markers. She has seven goals and 13 assists in her first season in the blue-and-gold.
Wingate senior goalkeeper Kathryn Smith (Indian Trail, N.C.) tallied her league-leading seventh shutout Tuesday night. Smith had two saves in 90 minutes. She has allowed only 11 goals this season.
Denise de Resende gave up both goals for LMU. She played 70 minutes and recorded three saves. Railsplitter senior Courtney Hollis (Fort Myers, Fla.) played the final 20 minutes in the nets for the visitors.
No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne 2, No. 5 Tusculum 1
HICKORY, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne University Women's Soccer Team (13-5-2) scored twice in the last seven minutes of play to rally and defeat Tusculum College (10-9-1), 2-1, in the First Round of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament Tuesday at Bears Field at the Moretz Sports - Athletic Complex.
Lenoir-Rhyne was the fourth seed in the tournament while Tusculum was seeded fifth.
Freshman midfielder Catherine Hauck (Lake Mary, Fla.) scored both of the Bears' goals as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Tusculum for the second time in four days.
After a scoreless first half, Tusculum broke through in the 63rd minute when the Pioneers' Danielle Tanner (Toronto, Ontario, CANADA) scored her league-leading 22nd goal of the season after finishing off a breakaway down the middle of the field.
Lenoir-Rhyne finally tied it at the 83:23 mark when Hauck fired in a shot from about 25 yards out from the right side.
Hauck then scored the game-winner with just 2:50 remaining after shaking off several Tusculum defenders and shooting the ball in from the left side and placing it in the upper right corner of the net.
L-R junior goalkeeper Katelyn Burwell (Carthage, N.C.) picked up the win after stopping six shots and allowing just one goal while Tusculum's Megan Kurtz (Waunakee, Wisc.) suffered the loss.
With the win, L-R advanced to the tournament semifinals and will face top-seeded Carson-Newman (14-5) Friday at 3 p.m., at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C.