Hooe Heads in Game-Winner as Gardner-Webb Battles to 1-0 Home Win over Coastal Carolina Saturday
September 22, 2012 | Women's Soccer
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Freshman forward Shelby Hooe scored what proved to be the game winning goal on a header at the 63:30 mark and Gardner-Webb held on to win 1-0 at home versus Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
The win for Gardner-Webb (2-7, 1-1) marks the first home victory of the 2012 season, as the Runnin' Bulldogs also picked up their first conference win of the season Saturday.
Hooe's third goal of the season came on her only shot attempt of the game, as Hooe (Mechanicsville, Va.) took a brilliant cross from fellow Runnin' Bulldog freshman Tori James (Fayetteville, Ga.), who struck the ball from wide left all the way across the box to the right side of the Chanticleer goal.
An unmarked Hooe, stood waiting on the backside of the goal, getting a good head on the ball to bury it past Chanticleer keeper Megan Spencer and give the Runnin' Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with 27:30 to play in the second half.
The Gardner-Webb defense took it from there, weathering an aggressive Coastal Carolina effort which produced 11 shots in the second half alone. In just her tenth career start, sophomore goalkeeper Amy Schmitt (Waxhaw, N.C.) gave GWU perhaps the best effort of her young career, collecting eight saves to keep the Chanticleers off the board in earning her second career shutout.
Coastal Carolina (3-6, 0-2) controlled the pace of play early in the first half as an efficient effort by the Chanticleers in the opening period limited possession time for the Runnin' Bulldogs. A strong CCU backline was able to quell threatening GWU runs early, as Gardner-Webb produced two opening period shots compared with six for the Chanticleers.
Gardner-Webb was tested early by the Chanticleers. CCU's Alyssa Clark put a shot on goal just three minutes into the contest, but Schmitt saved her attempt.
The Runnin' Bulldogs responded by earning a corner kick in the 10th minute. Freshman Brooke Kelly's (Lawrenceville, Ga.) attempt came out of the box to freshman defender Whitley Bowman (Damascus, Md.), who put a good foot on the ball to force Spencer to make the save.
GWU's defensive backline was solid, holding the Chanticleers' bids for breakaway runs for much of the match. Sophomore Addison Abee (Charlotte, N.C.) played well in the middle in her 27th consecutive start for the Runnin' Bulldogs, leading a backline of Ele Margelos (North Potomac, Md.), Brianna Fraire (Clemmons, N.C.), and Bowman in keeping Coastal Carolina off the board.
A 25th minute shot attempt by CCU's Kacey Kelley was blocked away by a collapsing Gardner-Webb defense.
Coastal Carolina appeared poised to break through in the 36th minute off a quick throw in for the Chanticleers. Kelley was on the receiving end, and got behind the GWU defense for a one v. one opportunity with Schmitt. Pressure from Bowman and Abee forced Kelley to shoot, and Schmitt slid to deflect the shot attempt away to keep the score knotted at 0-0 entering halftime.
The Chanticleers came out firing in the second half, increasing its attempts at offensive opportunities early. A heads-up play by Abee stopped a dangerous CCU run in the 49th minute, as the sophomore stepped in front of a pass intended for Fia Jonsson and abate a numbers opportunity for the visitors.
Shots on goal from the Chanticleers' Kelley (47th minute), Miki Antzoulatos (47th minute), and Kelley once again (51st minute) pressured GWU defensively, but Schmitt saved each to keep the match scoreless.
Physical play coming out of the break from freshman forward Tara Woelfel (Thurmont, Md.) helped get the Runnin' Bulldog offense rolling. The freshman used nifty footwork and excellent body control to produce effective runs.
Gardner-Webb got some help thanks to solid play from Nichole Poppe (Youngsville, N.C.), another physical freshman forward. A nice run by Poppe allowed her to get a cross off in close, but Spencer came out of the goal to get two hands on the ball and keep the Runnin' Bulldogs off the board.
In the 58th minute, Woelfel produced the best scoring opportunity up that point for the Runnin' Bulldogs. Woelfel took a pass in space from outside the box, and fired a shot toward the left side of the goal. Spencer laid out for the save, as Gardner-Webb began to work some magic on the offensive end.
After another Woelfel shot attempt in the 63rd minute, Gardner-Webb was able to capitalize on its fifth shot attempt of the day when James connected with Hooe at the 63:30 mark. The freshman connection put the Runnin' Bulldogs up 1-0 with 27:30 to go in the match, allowing Gardner-Webb to play more conservatively and concentrate on its defensive efforts.
Coastal Carolina searched frantically for the equalizer, testing the bend-not-break approach employed by the GWU backline with more runs late in the match. CCU's Camille Christie got a shot off in the 71st minute, but Schmitt's seventh save of the contest kept the Runnin' Bulldogs in front.
Amid a frenzy of late second half substitutions to keep fresh legs in attack mode, Coastal Carolina produced a threatening offensive look in the 81st minute when Ali Morin forced Schmitt to make her eighth save of the match, but the sophomore GWU keeper stepped up to stop the ball and keep the score at 1-0 in favor of Gardner-Webb.
After substituting goalkeepers at the 85:32 mark, a final effort mounted by CCU in the game's waning minutes nearly produced a one v. one opportunity for the Chanticleers, but Schmitt hit the turf to secure the ball and help the Runnin' Bulldogs hold on for the win.
Hooe, the leading scorer for the Runnin' Bulldogs this season, scored her third goal of the year with her header in the 64th minute. James produced her first assist of the season as well as her career to put Hooe in position to score her second game-winner this season.
Gardner-Webb was also led offensively by Woelfel's two shot attempts (one on goal).
Schmitt collected her second win of the season, improving her saves count to 55 on the season. Spencer recorded two saves in taking the loss for Coastal Carolina.
Gardner-Webb stays in conference and at home to host Campbell on Thursday, September 27 in another Big South Conference showdown.
| Box Score: Gardner-Webb 1 - Coastal Carolina 0 |
