CSU Rally Dooms Gardner-Webb as the Runnin' Bulldogs Fall 4-1 at Home Thursday Night
September 21, 2012 | Women's Soccer
Boiling Springs, N.C. - A staunch defensive effort in the first half from GWU went for naught when Charleston Southern stunned the Runnin' Bulldogs with three second half goals, and Gardner-Webb dropped its Big South opener, 4-1, at home Thursday night.
Gardner-Webb (1-7) dominated the first half with a suffocating defensive effort which allowed the Runnin' Bulldogs' offensive attack to control possession. GWU's offense responded by largely dictating the flow of the game in the opening period of play, outshooting the Buccaneers nine to five.
The Runnin' Bulldogs looked sharp early, controlling play with crisp passing and tight defense across the pitch. The first threatening look for the Runnin' Bulldogs came off the foot of leading scorer Shelby Hooe (Mechanicsville, Va.), who in the 7th minute got a shot off with a defender on her hip only to be saved by CSU keeper Caitlin Cody.
CSU (3-4-1) got outstanding keeper play from Cody throughout the match, as the redshirt sophomore was tested early and often by an aggressive Runnin' Bulldog attack.
GWU got another good look at the goal in the 15th minute when redshirt junior Karyn Latorre (Bogota, Colombia) took a cross and put a shot on frame from straight on in the box, but Cody was there for the save to keep the score knotted at 0-0.
Gardner-Webb was able to dominate possession for the majority of the opening half thanks to solid defensive play. Charleston Southern runs were time and again thwarted by heads up plays from the Runnin' Bulldog backline of Whitley Bowman (Damascus, Md.), Addison Abee (Charlotte, N.C.), Ele Margelos (North Potomac, Md.), and Brooke Kelly (Lawrenceville, Ga.).
Another shot on goal from Hooe threatened to put GWU up 1-0, but a save by Cody in the 26th minute kept the match scoreless.
A minute later the Runnin' Bulldogs were on the attack again, as freshman Tara Woelfel (Thurmont, Md.) dribbled just outside the CSU box and fired a shot through a crowd upper 90, but a leaping Cody was able to punch the ball away, giving GWU a corner kick. The ensuing attempt by Woelfel was played by sophomore Megan Curan (Mooresville, N.C.), but her header attempt went wide.
The Lady Bucs were able to settle and push the ball forward with consistency, but a save by sophomore Runnin' Bulldog keeper Amy Schmitt (Waxhaw, N.C.) kept CSU off the board in the 31st minute.
After entering the game as a substitution in the 30th minute, freshman forward Nichole Poppe (Youngsville, N.C.) took on three defenders, contolling the ball through the heart of the CSU defense and firing a shot on frame. Cody hit the turf for the save, and the score seemed destined to stay at 0-0 heading into the break.
A ball played forward by Buccaneer defender Emma Faubert in the 34th minute just cleared the heads of three GWU defenders and found the foot of Rebecca Hollstegge, who beat Schmitt one v. one to score the first goal of the contest and put CSU on top 1-0.
The Runnin' Bulldogs were able to settle despite the setback, keeping the Lady Bucs from attempting another shot attempt for the remainder of the first half. A shot attempt by Nichole Poppe in the 35th minute went just high of the crossbar in what proved to be the final shot heading into the break.
GWU's defense came out in the second half needing some stops, getting one in the 48th minute on a save of an Allison Lewis shot attempt by Schmitt.
Gardner-Webb got perhaps its best offensive look of the night in the 54th minute when a line-drive cross from Kelly found Latorre right in front of the Charleston Southern goal. Latorre got a strong foot on the ball, but a quick reaction from Cody allowed her to collect the goal bid and the match remained scoreless.
Hollstegge found the back of the net again in the 57th minute after she gathered a corner kick from Faubert that bounced around inside a crowded GWU box to put CSU up 2-0.
The Runnin' Bulldogs continued to fight offensively to dig itself out of the 2-0 hole. Hooe found enough space to get off a shot in the 60th minute, but it went wide of the goal.
CSU's Hollstegge completed the hat trick in the 61st minute after she was played in front of the goal by a streaking Chelsea Frankeny. Hollstegge buried the shot attempt into the back of the net to put the Runnin' Bulldogs in a 3-0 hole.
GWU fought to get the goal back, and appeared on its way to shrinking the deficit after a nice run by Hooe in the 63rd minute bought her some space inside the CSU defensive zone, but the eighth save of the match by Cody denied her attempt.
Charleston Southern's Toni Lashley's speedy run in the 69th minute earned her a goal to put the Buccaneers up 4-0.
A stunned Runnin' Bulldog team never relented. GWU's offensive attack produced a shot on goal a minute later, but Woelfel's attempt was again denied by Cody to maintain the Lady Bucs' lead.
A free kick from Kelly following a CSU penalty was played into the box in front of the Buccaneer goal. Junior Megan Loftin (Kings Mountain, N.C.) was on the other end to head the ball into the right side of the goal to put Gardner-Webb on the board. The goal marked Loftin's first of her career as a Runnin' Bulldog. Kelly picked up her first assist of the season on the play.
With some momentum in hand, Gardner-Webb continued to push to gain scoring opportunities inside the defensive zone in front of Cody.
GWU got a big play from Schmitt, who anticipated the one-on-one run of CSU's Morgann Wood and dived to collect the ball before Wood could deliver a shot. The nice defensive play by the Runnin' Bulldog sophomore in the 81st minute kept the score at 4-1 in favor of Charleston Southern.
Gardner-Webb earned a corner kick in the 81st minute, and the attempt by Woelfel was collected outside the box by defender Whitney Emerson (Olive Branch, Miss.). Her shot attempt went wide to the left to keep the score at 4-1.
The seventh Gardner-Webb corner of the night from Kelly was well-placed again, as Woelfel was on the receiving end to fire a shot off. Her attempt in the 85th minute went just above the crossbar, as the CSU defense held to provide the final margin.
Schmitt (1-7) took the loss for the Runnin' Bulldogs, allowing four goals to go with three saves in the contest. Cody earned the win, allowing one goal and collecting nine saves as both keepers played the full 90 minutes.
For the night, Gardner-Webb held the edge the Buccaneers in shots (18-12), shots on goal (10-7), and corners (8-2).
In addition to the efforts of the goal-scorer Loftin, GWU was paced offensively by Hooe, who recorded a game-high six shots including three shots on goal. Hollstegge's three goal effort led the Lady Bucs.
Gardner-Webb remains at home for its next match, a Saturday tilt with Big South foe Coastal Carolina. The September 22 match is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start time. Fans can follow all the action via live stats here: http://www.gwusports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?&SPSID=94846&SPID=11580&DB_OEM_ID=10300 as well as through live video coverage, courtesy of the Big South network, here: http://www.bigsouthsports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4800&db_oem_id=4800.
| Box Score: Charleston Southern 4 - Gardner-Webb 1 |
