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Women’s Soccer Defeats Mocs in Overtime, Then Ties Samford Over the Weekend

Oct. 8, 2012. The Lady Mountaineers came back to Boone with a victory and a draw from the weekend games. Freshman Samantha Childress’ golden goal in the 100th minute of overtime clinched Appalachian State University women’s

soccer’s 2-1 victory over Southern Conference opponent Chattanooga Friday night at Finley Stadium in Tennessee.

With the key conference victory, the Mountaineers’ extend their SoCon winning streak to four matches, moving to 4-1 in league play and 7-5 overall. The Mocs fall to 2-8-1 on the year and 0-4 in the conference.

The winning streak is the first four-match conference winning streak since 2001 and the first time Appalachian has won three overtime matches in a season. The Mountaineers beat the previous record of two overtime victories that was set a year ago.

“I’m so proud of our girls,” head coach Sarah Strickland said. “We worked hard and scored two great goals to get the win.”

UTC began the match with a lot of pressure on the App State backline, committing three offsides and a shot on goal in the opening 11 minutes. As the match balanced out, the Mountaineers were first to get on the scoreboard in the 35th minute when sophomore forward Julia Holz knocked in a rebound for her fifth goal of the season, matching her goal total from a season ago. Holz currently leads the team in goals scored as junior forward Jamie Lockie was credited with the assist.

The Mountaineers took the 1-0 lead into halftime, outshooting the Mocs 10-1 for the opening 45 minutes. Holz fired two shots on goal, while Lockie also troubled UTC goalkeeper Lauren Thomas.

In the second half, the backline shined keeping Chattanooga scoreless for the majority of the half. As it looked if the Apps were about to claim their fifth shutout of the season, the Mocs were awarded a penalty kick in the 87th minute. UTC’s Becca Smith tallied her fourth goal of the season, beating Appalachian goalkeeper Megan Roberson to knot the score at 1-1, where that tally would lead the match into overtime.

After a back-and-forth start to the overtime period, App State was given a free kick right outside the Chattanooga box. Childress lined up the shot and fired the ball into the box, beating Thomas, and giving the freshman her third game-winning goal of the season.

The victory gives Appalachian its 13th victory all-time over Chattanooga as the Mountaineers control the series with a 13-3-3 record.

The Apps outshot the Mocs 19-6, as Holz, Lockie and Childress combined for six shots on goal. Roberson led the defense with four saves on the night.

The Black and Gold carry their winning streak into their next conference matchup on Sunday, Oct. 7 when the Apps traveled to take on Samford in Birmingham, Ala.

Appalachian State University women’s soccer could not find a golden goal for the fourth time this season, as the Mountaineers settled for a 1-1 tie at Samford, Sunday afternoon at the Samford Track and Soccer Complex.

With the deadlock, the Apps earn their first conference point in five meetings against the Bulldogs, moving App State to 4-1-1 in the Southern Conference and 7-5-1 overall. Samford earns its second conference tie of the season and goes to 4-0-2 in league play and 7-5-2 on the year.

The Mountaineers backline was pressured all day, as freshman goalkeeper Megan Roberson kept the Black and Gold in the match, making 15 saves in 110 minutes of action. For Roberson, it was her first double-digit save total since stopping 11 against NC State in early September. The freshman now has 44 saves on the year.

“We were very fortunate to get a point today,” head coach Sarah Strickland said. “Samford is a very organized team that has a lot of dangerous players. Megan, along with the rest of the backline, were all outstanding.”

After five saves by Roberson in the opening 37 minutes, the Mountaineers got on the scoreboard first as freshman forward Kebrina Keys netted her first collegiate goal by knocking in a rebound from 10 yards. Freshman Jenni Loveless was credited with the assist, as Keys is the fourth different freshman to score a goal this season.

The Apps took the 1-0 lead into halftime, despite the Bulldogs firing seven shots on goal, compared to Appalachian’s one.

App State hung on for 20 more minutes, but Samford made the match even in the 66th minute when Adrianne Mancino bounced a shot off the post and past Roberson for her third goal of the year.

The Bulldogs continued to pressure for the remaining minutes, but Roberson made two more saves to send the match into overtime.

Roberson shined in both overtime periods, stopping three shots to close out the match and keep the 1-1 deadlock. Sophomore Julia Holz recorded the lone shot for the Mountaineers in the overtime periods, sending the ball over the crossbar.

The backline continues to shine, giving up just three goals in the last five matches, propelling the Mountaineers to a 4-0-1 record. With the backline combining with the forwards, the Apps are off to their best start in the conference schedule in the program’s history.

Appalachian will be back on the road on Friday, Oct. 12 when the Mountaineers travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to face SoCon opponent, Wofford. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.