Runnin' Bulldogs Fall 3-0 in Road Tilt at Georgia Southern Friday
August 24, 2012 | Women's Soccer
Statesboro, Ga. - Gardner-Webb women's soccer was unable to get momentum running in its favor on Friday as the host team Georgia Southern sprinted to an early lead and never looked back as the Runnin' Bulldogs dropped a 3-0 final decision.
The loss drops GWU to 0-2 on the young season.
The Runnin' Bulldogs' starting lineup was dominated by true freshmen, as seven of GWU's eleven starters are playing in their first year of collegiate soccer. That youth was put to the test early on as Georgia Southern went on top with a goal by Nora El-Shami in the fifth minute.
Gardner-Webb freshman Tara Woelfel (Thurmont, Md.) nearly provided a counter point for the Runnin' Bulldogs two minutes later when she found a good look at the goal and put a shot on target, but it was saved by Eagles' keeper Katie Merson to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of Georgia Southern.
After its early struggles, the Gardner-Webb defense was able to bear down and keep the Eagles from capitalizing on any open looks for much of the first half.
Another Gardner-Webb freshman found open space to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a chance to tie it up, as defender Brooke Kelly (Lawrenceville, Ga.) put a shot on goal, but it was again saved by Merson to keep the Eagles on top 1-0.
The Runnin' Bulldogs caught a bad break when an Eagles corner kick resulted in a penalty inside the Gardner-Webb box. The ensuing Georgia Southern penalty kick by Courtney Collins found the back of the net to put the host team up 2-0 going into the break.
In the second half, Gardner-Webb continued to look to find offensive opportunities to chip into the Eagles' lead, yet was unable to put threatening shots on goal and consistently pressure the opponents' backline. Runnin' Bulldog keeper Amy Schmitt (Waxhaw, N.C.) helped keep GWU's hopes at mounting a comeback alive with five saves in the contest.
Georgia Southern added a goal in the 68th minute to provide the final 3-0 margin.
Gardner-Webb's youth will look to continue to improve as the early matchups in its 2012 slate of games progress.
The Runnin' Bulldogs turn around to play Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. against North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.
| Box Score: Ga. South. 3 - GWU 0 |
