Oct. 29, 2012. One of the most memorable seasons in Appalachian State University women’s soccer history came to a close, as the Mountaineers fell 1-0 to Elon on Sunday afternoon at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.
Appalachian ends its 2012 campaign with its sixth winning season in the program history and just its fifth season with 10 or more victories. On the opposite side, with the victory, Elon moves on the play the No. 8 seed Georgia Southern on Friday, Nov. 2, who upset regular season champions, UNC Greensboro, 1-0.
“Elon played great today and finished a great goal,” head coach Sarah Strickland said. “I am so proud to have coached these seniors and seeing what they created as far as the mentality, the belief and the environment. They phenomenal soccer players and I’m really proud of them.”
Elon earned its only goal in the 33rd minute when Olivia Mackey sent a corner kick in the Mountaineer box. App State tried to clear it with a header, but the ball landed to the feet of EU’s Jaclyn Wood. Wood fired a shot past Mountaineer goalkeeper Megan Roberson to give the Phoenix the early lead.
The Apps could not find much rhythm up front from the seven-forward rotation. Freshman forward Samantha Childress recorded three shots on goal while the Phoenix defense focused on App State’s leading goal-scorer, sophomore Julia Holz. Holz was unable to get off a shot for the 65 minutes she was on the field. It was just the fifth time Holz did not record a shot this season.
The EU backline headlined the shutout with Elon goalkeeper Kate Murphy finishing the match with six saves, including a couple of diving stabs to prevent the Mountaineers from getting on the scoreboard. For Murphy, it was her sixth shutout and seventh win of the year.
Appalachian’s defense was also stellar for the remainder of the match, but was unable to nab its equalizer. Roberson did not record a save, as Elon tallied just two shots on goal with one being Wood’s goal and the other being a kick save from junior defender Amy Werdine.
Senior Taylor Dunlap finishes her career with 74 starts, placing her in a tie for third all-time in career starts at App State. The Mountaineers will return six of their 11 starters from this afternoon’s match for the 2013 season.
You must be logged in to post a comment.