Bulldogs Lose To Presbyterian, 2-0
October 01, 2008 | Women's Soccer
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb women's soccer team was unable to overcome a two-goal first-half deficit to Presbyterian Wednesday evening, falling by a 2-0 count in a Big South Conference match-up.
The Bulldogs now stand at 3-9 on the season and 1-2 in Big South play. The Blue Hose improve to 2-7-1 on the year and 1-2-1 in conference competition.
GWU had two solid chances in the opening seven minutes of play to get on the board, but PC keeper Sarah Beth Anderson came up with two good saves to keep the match scoreless to that point.
Just 1:13 into the contest, Jillian Dean booted a left-footed shot that curled toward the right corner of the goal, but Anderson was able to lay out and gobble up the shot. After a shot by Ashley Cook 6:27 in that Sarah Wyszynski was able to save, Megan Reimer dribbled from the left side of the pitch toward the edge of the box on the right side before planting her left food and connected with a hard-hit ball off her right food. Once again, Anderson was able to come up with the save, rendering the contest scoreless through the first seven minutes of play.
Sheldon Robinson took a corner kick for the Blue Hose and found a cutting Lytle Cannon down the middle of the box, who soared above multiple GWU defenders and headed home the ball in the left side of the frame for a 1-0 advantage.
At the 20:27 mark, Wyszynski thwarted PC's chance to go up 2-0 by saving a shot by Christy Howard.
As the two teams played much of the next 10 minutes in the middle of the field, neither recorded a shot or had a tremendous advantage that would have allowed either side to get a shot off.
In the 32nd minute, Stefani Thacker took the Blue Hose's corner kick and found Ashley Cook on the far side of the box. Cook, in nearly identical fashion as Cannon, found the back of the net, using her head for the 2-0 halftime advantage. It also marked the last goal the Bulldogs would give up on the night.
In the early going of the second half, GWU came out firing. Dean and Lauren Kelly rocketed shots that Anderson stopped in the first five minutes of play. Angie Harvey's attempt nine minutes in sailed just wide left.
Just like in the first half, the next 10 minutes were played between each team's offensive third of the field as neither registered a shot.
The Bulldogs tried to mount a comeback as they earned corner kicks just 30 seconds apart in the 66th and 67th minutes, respectively. However, neither resulted in a shot as PC was able to clear the ball out of the box.
GWU's last attempt at a score came in the 84th minute when Dara Goldstein headed the ball toward the goal, but Anderson made a brilliant save to record the shutout.
For the match, GWU tallied 15 shots to six by PC. The Bulldogs managed seven shots on goal while the Blue Hose had four. Each team was whistled for six fouls while GWU was called for two yellow cards.
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., as
they host UNC-Asheville in a key Big South Conference match.
| Box Score |
