Furman 2, Davidson 0

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Junior Hannah Stanifer and freshman Stephanie DeVita each netted first-half goals as Furman blanked Davidson, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium to clinch a top-four finish in the Southern Conference standings and an opening-round home match in next weekend’s SoCon Women’s Soccer Tournament.

The 2-0 triumph, Furman’s fourth straight win and fourth straight shutout, improved the Paladins to 13-3-2 overall and 6-2-2 in SoCon play.  The Wildcats dropped to 7-8-3 overall and 5-4-1 inside the league.

Furman opened the scoring in the 17th minute on Stanifer’s fifth goal of the season.  DeVita played a long cross from the left to the far side of the box and Stanifer headed her back-post shot across the face of goal past Davidson goalkeeper Rachel Locke at the 16:46 mark.

After India Robinson hit the post in the 20th minute and Stanifer had a goal-bound header saved off of the line by the Wildcats’ defense in the 24th minute, Furman upped its lead to 2-0 at the 30:25 mark on DeVita’s SoCon-leading 18th goal of the season.  The Simpsonville, S.C., native fired a shot on goal that was saved by Locke before pouncing on the rebound to poke in her second goal of the weekend.  DeVita’s 18 goals rank her second in the nation behind Minnesota’s Taylor Uhl (19), who netted a hat trick on Sunday.

Furman outshot the Wildcats 19-3 in the first half but was forced to defend over the final 45 minutes as Davidson fashioned an 8-4 shots edge in the second period.  Freshman goalkeeper Rose Hull, who posted her seventh shutout of the season, answered the Wildcat attack with three of her four saves in the period to stretch the Paladins’ shutout run to 391:32 dating back to Oct. 7.

The Paladins finished with a 23-11 shots advantage and six corner kicks to Davidson’s two.  Locke recorded six saves for the Wildcats.

Sunday’s win was Furman’s third straight versus Davidson and upped its series lead over the Wildcats to 19-8-3.

It was the final home games for Davidson seniors Louise Timboe, Julie Calhoun, Rachel Barnett and Rachael Newmister, who were honored as part of Senior Night.

The Paladins conclude regular season play on Wednesday when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C., to face Wofford.  Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.  Furman will host its SoCon Tournament opening-round match on Sunday, Oct. 28. Davidson wraps up its regular season with a trip to Georgia Southern on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest vs. the Eagles.

UNCG 4, Chattanooga 0

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – UNCG freshman Katherine Rodriguez scored a pair of goals as the Spartans picked up a 4-0 win against Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon at Finley Stadium.

UNCG continues its road dominance in the SoCon as the Spartans are unbeaten in their last 20 road games. With the victory, the Spartans improved to 11-6-1 overall and a SoCon leading 8-1-1 conference record. The Mocs fell to 3-12-1 with a 1-9 mark in the SoCon. UNCG picked up its fifth straight shutout and will host a first-round game in the SoCon Tournament next weekend.

Freshman goalkeeper Jamie Simmons picked up her seventh shutout of the season after collecting three saves. Simmons has pushed her streak of minutes without giving up a goal to a season-high 409:20.

The back line of UNCG continues to lead the way as seniors Cat Barnekow and Tinna Bergthorsdottir played all 90 minutes to complete their fifth shutout in a row.

The Spartans jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead after Rodriguez scored in the 21st minute. It marked the third straight game that Rodriguez has found the back of the net as senior Karin Sendel and junior Katie Durst were credited with assists.

UNCG added another goal in the 33rd minute as freshman Shelby Brown fired home her first goal of the season. The Spartans finished the first half with a 9-to-3 advantage in shots and had three corners to just one for the Mocs.

In the second half, junior Nitang Jones found Rodriguez again for her second goal of the game and fourth goal in three games.

Nine minutes later, freshman Ashley Eddleman made a nice pass to classmate Zoe Fishman, who put home her third goal of the season to make it 4-0 UNCG.

The Spartans came out firing finishing with 17 shots and seven corners kicks, while holding the Mocs to just four shots.

UTC freshman Hannah Wyatt had two shots in the game, both on goal, while classmate Lauren Thomas recorded four saves on the day.

Celebrating its Senior Day, Chattanooga started the game with all five seniors on the field. However, injuries sustained to Jordan Middleton and Becca Smith in Friday night's game kept the pair from playing. After the opening kick, UNCG sent the ball out of bounds so the two seniors could be honored by the fans and left the field for the final time. Seniors Tayler Shelby, Kelsey Swann and Lauren Wilson were also honored prior to the game.

UNCG finishes the SoCon regular season with a trip down the road against in-state rival Elon on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Mocs will close out the regular season Wednesday night at Finley Stadium. UTC will host Samford at 7 p.m. in the Southern Rail Rivalry Series.

Georgia Southern 2, Wofford 1

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern’s women’s soccer team snapped a five-match winless streak on Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 win over Wofford on Senior Day. Freshmen Nora El-Shami and Stephanie Gratto both scored goals in the contest as the Eagles stayed eligible for the 2012 SoCon Tournament entering the final round of conference play on Wednesday.

Before kickoff, Georgia Southern honored its class of four seniors. Courtney Collins, Morgan Springer, Carlee Storey and Zoe Van Gorder were each recognized for their contributions to Georgia Southern in their respective careers.

El-Shami got the scoring started in the 17th minute when she struck a ball that was laid off for her by Collins. The shot from 23 yards sailed past a diving Wofford goalkeeper for a 1-0 Eagle lead.

Early in the second half, Gratto doubled the Georgia Southern advantage with an opportunistic goal. Alex Murphy, El-Shami and Gratto combined for a build-up that looked to end as Wofford’s defense won the ball from El-Shami while she was on the ground with possession. The defender, however, gave too hard of a touch and Gratto was there to take advantage. She dribbled the ball into the penalty area and scored the goal from eight yards for her fourth tally of the year and a 2-0 GSU lead.

Wofford gave Georgia Southern a nervy final 12 minutes as the Terriers scored in the 78th minute. Annika Jansson found Mary Beth Bleekrode for the goal, cutting GSU’s advantage to 2-1.

The Eagle defense responded by shutting down the Wofford offense in the final minutes of the match. Goalkeeper Katie Merson made seven saves in the contest as Wofford outshot the Eagles 12-11 with an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal.

Keeper Kimberly Cohn took the loss for Wofford and fell to 0-5-2 this season.  She made four saves on 11 shots faced in 78 minutes of play.  Kara Boggs did not see a shot in 12 minutes of action.

With the help of Western Carolina defeating The Citadel 3-2 in Cullowhee, Georgia Southern stayed alive in the race for the final spot in the SoCon Tournament. The Eagles need a win in their regular-season finale as well losses or draws by The Citadel and Western Carolina in their respective finales to earn the eighth seed in the 2012 SoCon Tournament.

GSU is at home on Wednesday night for the 2012 regular season finale against Davidson. The Eagles and Wildcats kick off from Eagle Field at 7 p.m. Wofford returns home Wednesday to host the Furman Paladins in the season finale and Senior Night.  Five Terrier seniors will be honored before the game, which is set to kick off at 6 p.m.

Western Carolina 3, The Citadel 2

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – On the day it celebrated its seniors, Western Carolina seniors Laura Greb and Samantha Hodge teamed up for the game-winner to give the Catamounts a 3-2 win over The Citadel on Sunday at the Catamount Athletic Complex.

Tied at 2, the Catamounts (7-9-2, 3-5-2 Southern Conference) were staring down the possibility of their third straight overtime match with 10-plus minutes left in the contest. A pair of seniors had other ideas. Hodge sent a pass from the left side to Greb, who headed the pass from five yards out over the head of The Citadel goalie Sarah Katchen and into the right side of the net.

The victory puts Western Carolina’s fates in its own hands for a spot in the eight-team Southern Conference Tournament. For the third year in a row, it all comes down to the final match of the season against rival Appalachian State. A win secures the Catamounts an invite to the SoCon Tournament. A loss would put Western Carolina’s fate in other teams’ performances.

The Citadel struck first in the contest, in the first half. Mariana Garcia scored her 14th goal of the season, ranking her second in the SoCon, from an assist by Jannel Johnson at the 11:35 mark.

Junior Christine Kaznowksi had just recently entered the match and it turned out to be a fortuitous sub by Western Carolina head coach Chad Miller. Kaznowski took a pass from Kayla Sedgley inside the box and knotted the contest at 1 with a perfectly placed shot that rocketed over the Bulldog goalie’s head to knot the contest at 1.

In the middle of the second half, Western Carolina took its first lead of the contest thanks to another Christine on the team. This time it was Christine Cockrell, notching her first Catamount goal of her career. The goal gave Western Carolina a 2-1 lead in the match. Cockrell got a pass from freshman Markie-Lynn Studnicky and took a shot from five yards out for the score at 66:14.

Six minutes later, The Citadel tied the match at 2. Vanessa Aponte scored an unassisted goal when she beat Catamount goalie Katie Jacobs and shot inside the box for the score, sending it in from the left side.

Jacobs got her first start in goal in a month. Her last start was against Elon on Sept. 21. She had five saves in the contest and improves to 5-5-1 on the season.

Prior to the match, seniors Katie Salmons, Lindsay Carter, Jacobs, Greb and Hodge were honored.

Western Carolina closes out the regular season on Wednesday at rival Appalachian State. Match time is set for 7 p.m. in Boone, N.C. The Citadel closes the season at College of Charleston on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Samford 2, Elon 1

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In its final home match of the 2012 regular season, the Samford women’s soccer team posted a 2-1 Southern Conference victory Sunday against the Elon Phoenix in a key conference tilt held at the Samford Track and Soccer Complex.

With Sunday’s victory, Samford (10-6-2, 7-1-2 SoCon) snapped a two-match winless streak in its all-time series against Elon (6-7-6, 4-2-4 SoCon) and reached the 10-win plateau for a fourth consecutive season. The Bulldogs retained their second-place position in the SoCon standings and will close out their regular-season schedule Wednesday at Chattanooga.

Samford’s goals were scored by sophomores Lindsey Hansen and Brittany Hoffman. Hansen’s goal, which was tallied in the 42nd minute of play, proved to be her third of the 2012 campaign. The Bulldogs’ game-winning goal occurred in the 58th minute and was Hoffman’s team-leading fifth of the season.

Elon’s lone score of the afternoon was tacked on at 74:36 as Shannon Foley trimmed Samford’s late lead to 2-1. Foley’s goal was assisted by both Angela Funari and Catherine Brinkman and was scored off a corner kick. Her second score of the year proved to be the Bulldogs’ second straight goal that was allowed off a corner kick.

On Friday, UNCG topped Samford, 1-0, and its only goal of the match came off of a corner kick.

Melissa Montgomery, the Bulldogs’ sophomore goalkeeper and reigning SoCon Player of the Week, made a pair of key saves Sunday en route to her eighth victory of the season. Samford’s talented native of Georgetown, Texas, has compiled a stellar 8-2-2 record as the starting goalkeeper this year.

Elon’s goalkeeper Kate Murphy suffered the loss Sunday as the Phoenix’s seven-match undefeated streak came to an end. Murphy allowed a pair of goals against Samford but faced a 19-shot barrage from the Bulldogs and registered seven saves.

With 3:40 remaining until halftime, Samford received its first strike of the day as Hansen found the back of the net. On her goal, which was assisted by both Hallie Georgi and Amanda Abbott, Hansen rifled home a one-touched shot from the left side of the goal. The play started as Abbott sent a forwarding pass down the right sideline to Georgi. Georgi gathered the ball in stride and outran a Phoenix defender before finding Hansen on the perfectly placed crossing pass.

Hoffman’s game-winner occurred at exactly 57:18 and was driven home off a Samford corner kick. On the score, Hoffman took a short corner from Jordan Johnson and sent a 25-foot laser into the top shelf above Murphy’s outstretched arms. Johnson’s assist was her third of the 2012 campaign.

Samford outshot Elon, 19-4, on Sunday and has outshot its opponents by a total of 264-196 this season. The Bulldogs also registered six more corner kicks than the Phoenix, 7-1, while being whistled for more fouls, 8-2.

Samford will next be in action Wednesday at 5 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for their regular-season finale versus the Chattanooga Mocs. The matchup will be held at Finley Stadium. Elon returns to Rudd Field on Wednesday for its regular-season finale against local rival UNCG. Kick is set for 7 p.m.

Appalachian State 2, College of Charleston 1 (2OT)

BOONE, N.C. – Senior forward Meggie Graham made her Senior Day a memorable one, as her 107^th-minute, double-overtime goal gave Appalachian State’s women’s soccer team the 2-1 victory over College of Charleston on Sunday afternoon at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.

With the heart-stopping victory, the Mountaineers move to 9-7-1 overall and 6-3-1 in the Southern Conference, putting them in fourth place in the standings. With the win, Appalachian State clinched a home match in the SoCon tournament for the first time in the program’s history. While Elon and Davidson could catch the Mountaineers fourth place, App State holds the tiebreaker over both.

Graham’s game-winner was her first game-winning goal of the season and second of her career. With just three minutes left on the clock, the senior received a pass from sophomore forward Julia Holz and lofted the ball over Charleston goalkeeper Eli Sarasola from 18 yards out. For Graham, it was her third goal of the season and gives her the second-most points on the team with 11.

The Appalachian offense stayed silent in the first 45 minutes, as College of Charleston (5-11-1, 4-5-1) controlled possession for most of the first half, outshooting the Mountaineers 7-2. In the 26th minute, CofC looked to have scored the opening goal of the match when McCallie Jones floated in a shot past freshman goalkeeper Megan Roberson, but senior Taylor Dunlap was positioned on the back post goal line and headed it away.

In the second half, App State broke the scoreless deadlock when Graham found an opening in the Cougar back line. The Marietta, Ga., native found just enough room to feed Holz a short pass in the CofC box. Holz lifted a shot over Sarasola’s head for the 55^th-minute goal. With the goal, Holz became just the ninth Appalachian player to record eight or more goals in a season.

Charleston quickly responded in the 67th minute when a shot by CofC’s Jackie Weston bounced off the crossbar to the feet of Sarah Schaidle, who finished the chance for her third goal of the season.

The next best chance for the Cougars came in the 97th minute when Nicole Koretsky broke free of the defense and rocketed a shot over the head of Roberson, but the ball hit the crossbar, giving new life to the Mountaineers.

Graham ended the game with her 20-yard towering loft over Sarasola, giving Appalachian its ninth victory of the season, the most for the program since 2007.

Roberson finished the match with six saves, including four in the opening 45 minutes. Graham and Holz were joined by freshman Kebrina Keys to record the only shots on goal, totaling four for the match.

The Mountaineers currently sit in fourth place in the conference standings, one point behind Furman. Appalachian looks to end the season on a high note when it hosts Western Carolina on Wednesday. Kickoff from the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex is set for 7 p.m.

CofC concludes the regular season on Wednesday in a match which – depending on other results around the league – could determine which team gets the eighth and final seed for the SoCon Tournament. The Cougars host The Citadel at Patriots Point at 7 p.m.