Elon 1, Georgia Southern 0

ELON, N.C. – Chelsey Stark’s score in the 25th minute and a solid defensive effort helped the Elon University women’s soccer team to a 1-0 shutout against Georgia Southern on Friday night at Rudd Field.

Elon improved to 5-6-5 (3-1-3 Southern Conference) with the win, while GSU fell to 6-5-4 (2-4-1 Southern Conference) with the setback.

Stark netted her second goal of the season when Simi Dhaliwal hit her from the left side of the box near the right post for an open look. Stark’s strike landed in the back right corner of the goal to give the Maroon and Gold a 1-0 lead. Kimmie Krauss also earned an assist on the goal.

The Phoenix defense and goalie Kate Murphy kept the Lady Eagles in check for all 90 minutes in the win. The shutout marks the fifth of the season for Murphy, as the Sterling, Va., native registered six saves for Elon.

Elon ended the night with four total shots (two on goal), while the Lady Eagles finished with nine shots, including six on target. GSU also held a 5-1 advantage in corners.

Carlee Storey took three shots for the Eagles while Nora El-Shami cracked two shots, both on frame.

Elon returns to Rudd Field on Sunday at 2 p.m. when it hosts Davidson on Senior Day. The team will celebrate the careers of seniors Shannon Foley, Claire O’Keeffe, Shannon Cosgrove and Jaclyn Wood. Georgia Southern’s final road swing of the 2012 regular season concludes on Sunday at 2 p.m. at UNCG.

Furman 1, Western Carolina 0

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Freshman Stephanie DeVita scored her NCAA Division I-leading 16th goal of the season less than five minutes before halftime as Furman recorded a 1-0 shutout of Western Carolina in Southern Conference women’s soccer action on Friday evening at Stone Stadium.

With the victory, Furman improved to 10-3-2 overall and 3-2-2 in league play.  The Catamounts slipped to 6-8-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the SoCon.

In the 41st minute, India Robinson lined a low cross from the right wing that skipped through to DeVita on the left side of the box.  The Simpsonville, S.C., product played the ball around her defender and slotted a shot past WCU goalkeeper Jennifer Lauer for her league-leading sixth match-winning tally of 2012.

Freshman goalkeeper Rose Hull stopped three Catamount shots to make the lead stand up and earn her fourth clean sheet of the campaign as Furman reached double digit victories for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons.

Furman registered a 24-9 edge in shot attempts but managed just seven shots on goal to Western Carolina’s three shots on target.  The Paladins compiled a 13-2 shot advantage after intermission and finished the match with a 7-3 margin in corner kicks earned.

Western Carolina created its most dangerous chance of the night with less than 15 minutes remaining in the first half when Tara Budnick turned a shot on goal from inside six yards that Hull kicked wide.

DeVita and Robinson forced Lauer, who finished with six saves, into a pair of stops on long-range efforts before the lone goal of the night at the 40:17 mark.

Furman caps its 2012 home schedule on Sunday when it hosts Appalachian State for Senior Day at 2 p.m.  Prior to kickoff, the Paladins will honor fifth-year senior Martha Hall. Western Carolina completes its four-match road swing on Sunday at Wofford. Match time is set for 2 p.m.

College of Charleston 5, Chattanooga 1

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston women’s soccer team exploded to a high-octane, 5-1, Southern Conference win over Chattanooga at Patriots Point in the team’s finest performance of the season Friday night.

Sophomore Kate Twohig registered a goal and an assist and was one of five different Cougars to put the ball in the net. Nicole Koretsky scored her third of the season; Maryam Buazza netted her second of the year; Sarah Cardamone tucked in her team-high forth of the year; and Victoria Fichman scored her first-ever goal as a Cougar.

The Cougars (4-9-1, 3-3-1 SoCon) dominated possession from the onset and produced a 33-6 shot advantage, with 33 shots being the team’s highest single-game total in more than five seasons. More than half of the Cougars’ shots were on frame, as well.

CofC’s first goal came in the 16th minute when Koretsky made a long run through the right-center of the pitch. She made a late move in the box to beat the final defender in front of her and then ripped a shot across the goal into the far-side netting to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead for the ninth time this season.

Moments later, CofC suffered its lone lapse in an otherwise virtually spotless 90 minutes. The breakdown came on a corner kick in the 17th minute when Lauren Wilson collected a failed clearance attempt and sent it into the net to equalize the match.

Just under five minutes later, CofC took the lead right back when McCallie Jones, with her back to the goal in the penalty area, left a clever pass for Buazza streaking through the right side. Buazza had only the keeper to beat for CofC’s 2-1 lead.

It was Twohig’s turn in the 33rd minute when she stood over a free kick near the right corner flag and bent a ball toward the target. Chattanooga’s keeper was able to get her hands on the ball but could not keep it out of the net.

The Cougars took the 3-1 lead into the locker room after outshooting the Lady Mocs, 19-3, in the opening 45 minutes.

The Cougars wouldn’t relent in the second period and Cardamone reopened the scoring in the 69th minute when she made an individual run through the right center like Koretsky did, except Cardamone elected to pull up from 10 yards outside the 18-yard box and rip a shot that she slid past a sprawling Chattanooga keeper.

CofC put it further out of reach in the 85th minute when Twohig took a free kick from nearly 50 yards out and put it right on the head of Fichman in the six-yard box. Fichman redirected the ball into the side netting for a first-class finish and 5-1 Cougar lead.

CofC returns to action on Sunday when it hosts league-leading Samford in a rematch of last season’s SoCon Championship match. Sunday’s match is slated to kick off at 1 p.m. but not before the Cougars celebrate Senior Day and commemorate the outstanding career of six special seniors. Chattanooga will take on The Citadel across town at 2 p.m.

UNCG 1, Davidson 0

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Freshman forward Chesney White headed in the game-winning goal in the 67th minute to push UNCG’s women’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over Davidson on Friday as the Spartans celebrated Senior Night at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.

With the victory, the Spartans improved to a season-best 8-6-1 overall and a 5-1-1 record in the SoCon. The Wildcats fell to 6-7-2 with a 4-3 mark in the SoCon. UNCG remains tied for second in the conference with the win.

UNCG grabbed the lead in the 67th minute when senior Lauren Hein had her shot blocked to set up a corner kick for the Spartans. Classmate Cat Barnekow placed a perfect corner kick in front of the box, and White came charging in with a header inside the left post to score her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Freshman goalkeeper Jamie Simmons picked up her fourth shutout of the season after making three critical stops.

In the first half, UNCG took three shots, all on frame, while holding Davidson to just two shots. Hein had a header chance in the 24th minute but Rachel Locke made the save.

In the 27^th minute, senior Stephanie Partenheimer fired a shot on goal, but Locke made the save again to keep the game tied.

Locke took the hard-fought defeat, falling to 5-6-2 between the pipes after stopping four shots.

The Wildcats made a late push looking for the equalizer but Simmons turned away Julie Calhoun with just four minutes left in the game. Davidson had once last attempt on a corner kick but couldn’t produce the tying goal.

The teams were fairly even in the box score, with UNCG holding just a one shot lead, 6-5, while both teams had two corner kicks. Davidson put three of its five shots on goal.

UNCG remains home to face Georgia Southern Sunday at 2 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. The Wildcats remain on the road for a 2 p.m. matchup at Elon on Sunday. They have rattled off wins in eight of the last nine games vs. the Phoenix.

Appalachian State 3, Wofford 0

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three first-half goals propelled Appalachian State’s women’s soccer team to a 3-0 victory over Southern Conference foe Wofford on Friday night at Snyder Field.

With the victory, the Mountaineers improved to 5-1-1 in the conference and 8-5-1 overall. The Terriers fell to 6-8-1 on the season and 1-6-1 in league play. Appalachian State improved its unbeaten streak against Wofford to five straight matches.

The back line did not allow a shot on goal for the night as freshman Megan Roberson and junior Amy Kolowsky combined on the shutout. Wofford was limited to just five shots for the match.

Appalachian started quickly in the sixth minute as sophomore Leah Drawdy fed a cross into the box and found sophomore forward Julia Holz. Holz knocked in a shot past Wofford goalkeeper Kimberly Cohn for her sixth goal of the season, topping her season total from a year ago.

The Mountaineers continued their pressure in the 11th minute, being awarded a free kick outside the Wofford box. Junior midfielder Sam Neill sent the ball into the box and senior midfielder Sam McVeigh was able to her head to it to notch the second goal of the match. The goal was McVeigh’s first of the season.

App State added to its lead when senior defender Taylor Dunlap fired a shot from 25 yards out past Cohn for her second goal of her four-year career.

The Mountaineers’ defense held the shutout in the second half, clinching Appalachian’s fifth conference victory of the season.

Cohn took the loss for Wofford and fell to 0-3-1 for the season.  She recorded two saves on six shots faced.

Dunlap led the Mountaineers with two shots on goal as she played the entire 90 minutes on the back line. McVeigh also tallied 90 minutes for the match as 23 different Mountaineers saw playing time on the night.

Appalachian returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Furman. Kickoff from Greenville, S.C., is set for 2 p.m. Wofford returns to the pitch on Sunday to host the Catamounts of Western Carolina.  The match is set to kick off at 2 p.m.

Samford 2, The Citadel 0

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Samford women’s soccer team opened its two-match Southern Conference road trip in stellar fashion Friday as the Bulldogs posted a 2-0 win against The Citadel Bulldogs in a critical league showdown held at Washington Light Infantry Field.

Samford (8-5-2, 5-0-2 SoCon) received goals from Ariane Lukens and Trine Taule and cashed in on a brilliant shutout performance from sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Montgomery. The shutout was Montgomery’s second of the season as the Bulldogs’ native of Georgetown, Texas, tallied five saves in the victory.

With Samford’s win, the Bulldogs will remain in first place in the conference standings with 17 total points. Samford still has remaining matches against College of Charleston, UNCG, Elon and Chattanooga looming in the regular season and will conclude this weekend’s road trip Sunday at 1 p.m. against College of Charleston.

The Citadel (4-9-1, 2-4-1 SoCon) continued its winless streak against Samford on Friday. With their 2-0 loss, the Cadets moved to 0-5-1 versus the Bulldogs in the all-time series between the teams.

Samford’s game-winning goal was scored Friday by Lukens in the 30th minute of play. The goal was her first as a Bulldog and was assisted by both Lindsey Hansen and Taule. A native of Arvada, Colo., Lukens transferred to Samford from South Carolina over the summer and has been listed in the Bulldogs’ starting lineup in five of the team’s last seven matches.

After taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, Samford came out in the second period and quickly tacked on its second score of the afternoon. At exactly 6:44 into the second half, Taule notched her fourth goal of the season to give Samford its decisive 2-0 lead.

Taule’s score was the 15th of her Samford career as she moved into sole possession of ninth place on the school’s all-time goal-scoring list. Taule’s second-half goal was assisted by senior defender Adrianne Mancino, her fourth of the season.

The Citadel's best scoring opportunity came in the 78th minute, when Ruth Leiva fired a laser on goal, but Montgomery was able to stymie the attempt and record her fifth save of the game to help her team collect the 2-0 win.

In a shootout Friday, the Bulldogs outshot The Citadel, 17-15. Samford’s Taule led the way with five attempts, while the Cadets’ Vanessa Aponte rattled off five attempts of her own. The Citadel outnumbered the Bulldogs in corner kicks, 7-4.

Samford will next be in action Sunday at 1 p.m. as the Bulldogs continue their tough conference road trip against the College of Charleston Cougars. Sunday’s contest will be held at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

The Citadel will close out its home schedule on Sunday when it takes on Chattanooga at 2 p.m. on WLI Field for Senior Day. The Bulldogs will honor senior goalkeeper Cassie Palmacci prior to the game.