Gardner-Webb Women's Soccer Falls on the Road at Winthrop on Tuesday Night
October 24, 2012 | Women's Soccer
Rock Hill, S.C. - The Runnin' Bulldogs saw its 2012 season come to an end Tuesday night as Gardner-Webb fell on the road at the hands of the Winthrop Eagles by a 5-0 margin in Big South women's soccer action.
The road loss marks the ninth of the season for the Runnin' Bulldogs, who finish their 2012 regular season campaign just out of Big South tournament contention.
Gardner-Webb (3-14-1, 2-8-1) was unable to gain momentum early in its contest versus Winthrop (10-6-2, 7-2-2). An explosive Eagles team pushed the ball forward early on, pressuring GWU's defensive backfield with penetrating runs and well-placed through balls.
Winthrop's Lia Gorden found space in the 2nd minute, firing a shot to test sophomore Runnin' Bulldog keeper Amy Schmitt (Waxhaw, N.C.) early. Schmitt collected the save, adding to her third-ranked saves total within the Big South conference.
Winthrop was able to capitalize on its next attempt, getting a goal from its leading scorer Krystyna Freda in the 7th minute to put GWU in a 1-0 hole early.
Gardner-Webb was unable to settle, as the Eagles pressed its early advantage with a 15th minute goal from Lia Gorden, putting GWU down 2-0 early in the first half.
The Runnin' Bulldogs were finally able to push the ball into a suffocating Eagles' defensive zone, earning a Brooke Kelly (Lawrenceville, Ga.) corner kick in the 16th minute.
GWU continued to pressure Winthrop, working to get a goal back from the home team. Freshman forward Nichole Poppe (Youngsville, N.C.) gave the Runnin' Bulldogs its first scoring opportunity of the night, putting a shot on frame in the 22nd minute. Winthrop keeper Amelia Henderson came up with the save, stymying GWU's offensive rally.
Sophomore midfielder Megan Curan (Mooresville, N.C.) worked to give GWU's offense a boost, getting loose within the Winthrop defense to put a shot on frame to challenge Henderson. The Winthrop goalkeeper recorded her second save of the match, keeping the Eagles up 2-0.
After Schmitt saved Freda's goal bid in the 29th minute, Gardner-Webb garnered scoring opportunities in the 31st minute. Senior Sarah Morabito (Irmo, S.C.) had her shot blocked, and junior Ele Margelos (North Potomac, Md.) had one of her three first half shots go wide of the goal.
The Eagles netted a third first-half goal with a goal in the 36th minute after Ariel Kunde took an assist from Freda after a through ball, seizing back momentum for the host team with a 3-0 lead.
Margelos came up from her defensive position off a corner kick from freshman Tara Woelfel (Thurmont, Md.), putting a shot on frame only to have it saved by Henderson. Junior Megan Loftin (Kings Mountain, N.C.) had her eyes set on scoring her second goal of the season in the 44th minute, but Henderson collected her fourth save of the half to keep Winthrop up 3-0 going into the break.
Gardner-Webb and Winthrop each took seven shots in the opening period.
Winthrop continued to pressure Gardner-Webb coming out of the break, adding to its lead with goals from Freda (48th minute) and Grace Radler (59th minute) to take a 5-0 lead in the second half.
For the match, Winthrop owned a 19-9 shot advantage, including a 10-4 edge in shots on goal. GWU held a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.
Margelos' four shots (one on goal) paced the Runnin' Bulldogs offensively, while Freda (two assists, two goals) led Winthrop.
Schmitt (five saves) took the loss for Gardner-Webb, while Henderson (four saves) collected the win for the Eagles in 45 minutes of action.
Tuesday night marked the final contest for Gardner-Webb seniors Sarah Morabito, Taylor Napoli, and Mariah Peters, who all contributed valuable careers to the Runnin' Bulldog family during their time at GWU.
| Box Score: Winthrop 5 - Gardner-Webb 0 |
