BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Stina Kleppe's goal in the 74th minute proved to be the game-winner as the Runnin' Bulldogs defeated the Longwood Lancers, 1-0, on senior night.
Prior to the game, head coach Mike Varga and staff honor graduate student Maggie Mae Everett and seniors Kylie Ameres, Kayla Curatolo, Stina Kleppe, Ivy Spratling, Ty Snell, Amber Freeney and Jordan Vitale.
"Going into every season, we try to get home field advantage so we can host the quarterfinals. It came down to tonight and was a fitting way to end our season with Stina scoring off an assist from Maddie. This group of seniors is very close. .They are incredible young women and leaders. They bring so much to the team and mean a lot to their teammates."
When the game got underway, the two teams struggled to gain possession and get quality looks on goal due to the rain and soggy field conditions in Greene-Harbison Stadium.
Jada Newton and Maddie Turlington recorded the Runnin' Bulldogs' first shots on goal of the match in the 20th and 23rd minutes respectively. Turlington, in addition to Kleppe also placed shots on target before the half was over, but it was Longwood that threatened to take a lead before halftime.
In the 27th minute, Longwood's Danielle Tooney attempted to head the ball into the net by the far post, but Kellogg fended off the attempt and punted the ball away to keep the match scores.
After 45 minutes, the match was scoreless, but in the second half, Gardner-Webb began to control the tempo.
It looked as if Kleppe would break the tie in the 61st minute, as she attempted a free kick at the edge of the 18 in the 61st minute. Her attempt brushed the crossbar and ended high of net, but the result would be different in the 74th minute.
With 16 minutes remaining in regulation, Turlington gained possession and dribbled down the center of the field before finding Kleppe. Kleppe sent the ball into the upper left corner of the net for her 11th goal of the season, which gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Katelyn Kellogg was not challenged in the final minutes of the match, but the Goshen, Ky. native made four stops to record the shutout – her third in the past five matches.
The 'Dogs outshout the Lancers, 16-7 and 7-4 in shots on goal.
With the win, Gardner-Webb improves to 8-10-1 overall and 7-3-0 in Big South play. The Lancers drop to 6-8-2 and 4-4-2 in league play.
The win ensured that the Runnin' Bulldogs finished tied for third in the Big South Standings with the Radford Highlanders. The tiebreaker went in favor of Radford, so the 'Dogs will be the #4 seed for the upcoming Big South Conference tournament, and will host the #5 Winthrop Eagles in the quarterfinals. Kickoff between the 'Dogs and Eagles is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, November 1 in Greene-Harbison Stadium.
