Oct. 26, 2008

The field for the 2008 C-USA Women's Soccer Championship was set today after UTEP, UAB and SMU all posted wins to clinch the final three berths. Four teams are still in contention for the regular season title. East Carolina and Memphis tied, 3-3, today to stay tied for first place in the conference standings. UCF and Colorado College also registered victories to stay within striking distance.

East Carolina and defending Conference USA champion Memphis tied 3-3 on Sunday in Greenville, N.C. The Pirates got scores from three different players for their second consecutive draw to remain unbeaten in the league (11-3-4, 6-0-4 in conference play). The Tigers are now 11-4-2 on the season and 7-2-1 in C-USA.

The tie means that East Carolina can clinch no worse than a share of the league title with a win over Marshall at Bunting Field on Friday. The Pirates could also earn the championship outright with a win and a Memphis loss or tie at UAB on Thursday. ECU would also take the No. 1 seed with a win Friday due to earning two ties against UCF and Colorado College while the Tigers lost to both of those squads.

Memphis dominated possession throughout the game and recorded eight straight shots to begin the contest. However, it was sophomore Bailey Wilcox who put the Pirates ahead in the 30th minute.

Freshman Amanda Malkiewicz took a run down the right side of the field and slipped a ball past the defense which found Wilcox, who powered the ball into the net past Tiger keeper Jordan Boyle for her first goal of the season. Memphis would equalize just a minute and a half later, when Elizabeth Hildebrandt crossed the ball from the right side and found the head of Krista Turner, who put it into the back of the net past a diving East Carolina keeper, senior Amber Campbell.

Despite added pressure, the Tigers could not score for the remainder of the stanza as the game balanced, 1-1 at halftime. Memphis outshot the Pirates 14-2 in the first half while fouls were even at four.

A duo of corners won by ECU in the first 10 minutes of the second interval proved valuable, as senior Blair Heffner and sophomore Amanda Broz both beat Boyle, three minutes apart, to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead. Senior Nicole Moore picked up an assist on both plays.

Eleven minutes later, the Tigers rallied, scoring goals by Kylie Hayes and Lizzy Simonin just five minutes apart to even the contest at 3-3 and send it to overtime. The shot margin was much closer in the second half, as Memphis unleashed eight shots as compared to five for East Carolina.

The Tigers had a great chance to end the game in the first overtime period, but Simonin hit the crossbar and was unable to get to the rebound as the Pirate defense cleared.

More information available on the East Carolina website and the Memphis website.

Freshman Aline Reis made four saves while three different players tallied goals to help UCF shutout host Tulsa, 3-0, Sunday. It was the Knights' third-consecutive shutout victory as they improved to 11-4-3 overall and 6-2-2 in Conference USA.

UCF still remains in contention for the C-USA regular-season title. Sitting in third place with 20 points, the Knights trail only East Carolina and Memphis which are tied with 22 points apiece. All 12 league schools have just one match left before the C-USA Championship Nov. 5-9.

Reis moved her season shutout total to six with her performance against the Golden Hurricane (7-9-3, 2-6-2). The Knights outshot Tulsa, 12-5, with senior Danielle dos Santos, junior Courtney Whidden and sophomore Kacie Horner all scoring goals.

In the second half of the season, UCF's offense has been peppering opposing teams, and Sunday's match continued that trend. The Black and Gold rattled off six unanswered shots in the first 30:48 of the opening stanza, forcing Tulsa keeper Kendall Harclerode to make four saves during that stretch. It was the seventh shot that mattered most as the Knights finally got one into the mesh.

With help from seniors Hanna Wilde and dos Santos, Whidden collected her fifth goal of the year into the left side of the net in the 31st minute for the 1-0 lead. The Knights went on to hold the Golden Hurricane to zero shots in the first half.

Tulsa may have started making Reis work in the final frame, yet it was the Knights who kept lighting up the scoreboard. One of the Knights most impressive offensive threats lately, dos Santos put away her fourth goal of 2008 on an unassisted marker in the 80th minute. To seal the victory, Horner notched her first of the season in the 86th minute on a 30-yard shot off a pass from freshman Stacie Hubbard.

More details available on theUCF website and the Tulsa website.

Sophomore forward Tiffany Brown struck for her ninth goal and third game-winner of the season just 6:18 into the match on Sunday, fueling Colorado College to a 1-0 victory over Houston at CC's Stewart Field.

With the triumph, the Tigers improved to 12-5-2 overall and 6-3-1 in league play. Houston, which upset UTEP in overtime on Friday, dropped to 6-10-1 overall and 2-7-1 in C-USA.

Senior keeper Geneva Sills, playing the final home game of her collegiate career, backstopped Sunday¹s victory with five saves. The shutout was her third this fall and her 22nd overall as a Tiger.

Brown capitalized on an early turnover by the Cougars, pouncing on a loose ball outside the box and rifling a shot from 25 yards out that beat UH keeper Shelby Scott low to her right. Scott finished with eight saves in the loss.

More details can be found on the Colorado College website and the Houston website.

UAB earned a 2-1 victory over host Marshall on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore MF Marie Yempuku scored the tying goal in the 58th minute and freshman midfielder Carolyn Polcari scored the game-winning goal in the 76th minute to secure the Blazer victory.

After going 4-0-2 in their last six outings, the Blazers' record stands at 7-9-2 overall and 5-3-2 in Conference USA matches and clinched a berth to the C-USA Championship for the sixth year in a row. Marshall falls to 5-9-4 overall and 3-7-0 in league games. Marshall's Marisa Leconte got a rebound off a corner kick and put one in the back of the net to give the Thundering Herd the first lead of the game, 1-0, in the 43rd minute. Leconte's goal was assisted by Erin Blakely and Angela Desumma.

UAB tied the game at 1-1 in the 58th minute when Yempuku scored a goal, her second of the season, off a corner kick by freshman MF Carolyn Polcari. Junior MF Ayana Russell was also credited with an assist on the goal.

Polcari scored a goal of her own in the 76th minute off a free kick that was placed in the top right of the net to give UAB the 2-1 victory over Marshall. The score was the sixth time this season that Polcari has found the back of the net for the Blazers.

Marshall held a 19-11 advantage in overall shots. The Thundering Herd had six shots on goal, while the Blazers took five shots on goal.

The Blazers were led by junior F Danya Barsalona, sophomore D Toni Gockel, senior MF Caitlin Marple and freshman F Laura McCalla with two shots each.

Erika Duncan and Marisa Leconte paced Marshall with four shots apiece. Missy Gordon took three shots and Ali Lizotte added two for the Thundering Herd.

Sophomore GK Kate Blankenship earned the win for UAB, allowing one goal and tallying five saves. Liz Orton received the loss in goal for Marshall, giving up two goals and grabbing three saves against the Blazers.

More information can be found on the UAB website and the Marshall website.

UTEP wrapped up a bid in the upcoming C-USA Championship after picking up an emotional 1-0 victory against Rice Sunday afternoon. Brandi Aston buried a shot for the match winner in the 79th minute, while freshman GK Sara Kaltwasser registered five saves to lead the stop troops.

The Miners (12-6-1, 5-4-1 C-USA) played hard from the opening whistle and were rewarded for their efforts with the crucial win against a very talented Owls (10-7-0, 6-4-0) squad.

The tension was palpable at the onset of the contest, with both teams understanding the importance of the match. UTEP controlled possession early, content to play in the midfield. As the half wore on, the Miners started to pick up their intensity and forced a faster pace of play while looking to attack. Chelsea Winbush was heavily involved in the stretch, firing three shots that screamed in on net. Each of the chances, though, rocketed wide.

Cara Nordin registered the Miners' first shot of the match at the 11-minute mark, but the blast was corralled by Rice netminder Meghan Erkel.

The Owls then generated some offense of their own over the next several minutes, but the Miners' stop troops were up to the task on each occasion. UTEP made plays in the air to wipe out potentially dangerous situations off corner kicks while blocking shots before they could even reach Kaltwasser.

UTEP was back on the attack at the 30th minute, nearly finding the match's first strike. A shot from Sumter was deflected by a defender, but it bounced right to Winbush. She controlled the loose change and rifled it on net. Erkel was perfectly positioned, though, and recorded the stop. Rice mustered its initial shot on net in the 37th minute, with Erin Scott using a nifty move to create some space. She then blasted a shot toward Kaltwasser, who easily handled the try.

The Miners were an inspired squad at the onset of the second half, quickly working the ball down the pitch. UTEP peppered the Owls with a pair of shots in the opening two minutes, with the latter being blocked over the end line for a corner kick.

Nordin lobbed a ball into the area, but Rice's defense found a way to send the ball out of harms' way before the Miners could get there.

UTEP continued to pressure the Owls as the game progressed into the midway point of the second stanza. A give-and-go from Casey to Aston afforded the senior a partial breakaway. Erkel flew off her line to cut down the angle, and she was able to turn away Aston's try.

Following the close call, Rice pushed the ball back down the pitch. The Owls tested Kaltwasser with shots in the 53rd and 62nd minutes, but the freshman was more than capable and made the stops.

Aston was knocking on the door again at the 67th minute, forcing Erkel into making another point-blank stop. The keeper deflected Aston's shot at the last second over the line, awarding UTEP a corner kick. Nordin lifted the ball into the area where Katie Dorman elevated above the pack but the header was off target.

Four minutes later it was Nordin initiating the offense, slicing through the Owls' defense with dazzling dribbling. As she entered the area, the senior drilled a shot that skipped in on net.

Off the goal kick, the Owls moved down the field via quick hitting passes. Christine Petric sent a shot streaking in on net, which Kaltwasser gobbled up to keep the match scoreless.

UTEP's relentless pressure proved to be too much for Rice to handle at the 79th minute, with the Miners finally breaking through. Winbush laced a cross toward a streaking Aston. Her initial shot was blocked, but she was there to bury the rebound into upper 90's country.

It proved to be a moot point, with the Orange and Blue closing out the contest in style. They did not permit the Owls to register a shot on net in the final 10 minutes, and controlled possession for most of that timeframe.

More information available on the UTEP website and the Rice website.

SMU closed out its 2008 home schedule with a 4-0 romp over Southern Miss on Senior Day, marking the final game at Westcott Field for forward Caitlin Carter, goalkeeper Ashley Gunter, defender Katie Leonard and defender Carley Phillips.

Phillips fittingly scored the game-winning goal in the seventh minute when she went up over the Southern Miss defense and headed her first goal of the season into the upper right corner of the goal. Phillips' goal proved to be the only goal the Mustangs would need, but they were far from done. In the 15th minute, freshman Sarah Catherine Ryan scored her first collegiate goal from point-blank range after assists from sophomore forward Lauren Shepherd and freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Eidson to put the Ponies ahead, 2-0.

That score held up through the halftime intermission and well into the second half before freshman forward Mary Connally doubled the SMU lead with a pair of late goals. In the 76th minute, Connally buried a shot that deflected off a Southern Miss defender after assists from Eidson and freshman forward Logan May, and then finished off the scoring in the 80th minute when she collected a long lead pass from freshman Devon Herrman and beat USM goalkeeper Holly Cox inside the right post for her second goal of the game and her third of the season.

More information is available on the SMU website and the Southern Miss website.