September 7,2000
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Bulldogs roll over Soccer season opens
Union College 4-2
PHOTO BY ANTHONY GRECO
Megan Harris, a freshman midfielder, struggles with a Union opponent for the ball, while
junior forward Sarnia Fercha runs up to block the other opponent.
Angela Nantz
Staff Writer
The UNCA women’s soccer team
combined teamwork with defense
to claim the 4-2 win over Union
college Sept. 2 at Greenwood Field.
The Bulldogs allowed Union
College to score two early goals,
but came back with four consecu
tive goals of their own.
“We struggled early but did a nice
job coming back against a good
team. As young as we are, it was
nice to see we didn’t panic or get
down when we fell behind 2-0,”
said head coach Michele Cornish.
UNCA (1-1) picked up their first
win of the season with goals from
various players. “It was nice that we
had four different people scoring
the goals. That makes for a good
team when we get a lot of people
finishing,” Cornish said.
Union College jumped out in
front in the first 19 minutes of the
game with goals from two of their
four strong, players who really stood
out, according to the athletics Web
site.
The Bulldogs put an end to
Union’s scoring opportunities. “We
came back from a slow start. We’re
beginning to use our midfield well,
our defense is getting organized.
We’re getting stronger,” said senior
forward Joanna Stocking.
Late in the first half, freshman
midfielder Christie Martin passed
to freshman midfielder Megan Har
ris, who scored from 20 yards out to
cut the lead to 2-1, according to the
athletics Web site.
In the second half, senior
midfielder Amanda Wilkinson was
able to score off a pass from junior
forward Samia Fercha to tie the
game.
“We came back strong in the sec
ond half and popped four right in
like it v/as nothing. They were tired,
you could tell, and we did a real
good job of pressuring them and
wearing them down,” Wilkinson
said.
The Bulldogs then scored twice
midway through the second half to
get the victory. Sophomore
midfielder Bridget Goss scored off
a pass from Wilkinson on a corner
kick to give UNCA the lead at 3-
2, according to the athletics Web
site.
Less than five minutes later, fresh
man forward Kelsey Dawson scored
to give the Bulldogs the final mar
gin at 4-2.
Several factors led to this win for
the Bulldogs, including coming
together as a team. “We started
creating space and passes, people
were moving off the ball, and we
started stepping up the intensity.
We won because we wanted it
more,” said central defense fresh
man Keri Canevari.
The freshmen came in strong, and
everyone started to work together so
they were able to get the points in and
hold them, according to Stocking.
“We kept control of the ball, and
after our first goal they didn’t even
gain control. We’re getting stron
ger and it’s going to be a good
season,” said Stocking.
The team is still a little shaky,
according to Cornish.
Nine players have played together
before on a roster, and everybody
else has not.
“We’re getting there progressively.
Every practice, every game, we have
to do little things better,” said Cor
nish.
There were good opportunities
the team missed at the game. Fortu
nately, there were four opportuni
ties they did not miss, which con
tributed to the victory, according
to Cornish.
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O I d s m o t) M e
Radford Volleyball Picked as Preseason Favorite
Radford University was chosen as the preseason favorite for the upcoming volleyball season, the Big South conference
announced today. Liberty University, last years Conference champion, was picked second and Winthrop University
was chosen in third place. Selected fourth was UNC Asheville. Coastal Carolina University finished fifth in the
voting, which is conducted by the League s head volleyball coaches and sports information directors. Elon College was
sixth and High Point University was chosen to finish seventh. Charleston Southern University rounded out the poll,
being selected to finish eighth.
Liberty Favored In Men s Cross Country Preseason Poll
The Big South Conference today released its annual preseason men s cross country poll. Liberty University, last
year s champion, topped the poll, garnering ten first-plaoe votes. Coastal Carolina University, was picked second and
UNC Asheville finished in third place in the voting, which is conducted by the League s head men s cross country
coaches and sports information directors. Chosen fourth was Winthrop University and fifth was Radford University.
Charleston Southern University was sixth and High Point was chosen to finish seventh. Elon rounded out the poll,
being selected to finish eighth.
Liberty Picked To Finish First in Women s Cross Country Preseason Poll
The Big South Conference today announced that Liberty University, has been picked to finish first in the women s
cross country preseason poll, garnering eight first-place votes. UNC Asheville, last years champion, was chosen second.
Coastal Carolina University, was picked third and Winthrop University was selected to finish fourth. Charleston
Southern University was selected fifth and Radford University finished in sixth place in the voting, which is
conducted by the League s head women s cross country coaches and sports infomiation directors. High Point was
chosen to finish seventh, and Elon rounded out the poll, being selected to finish eighth.
Coastal Carolina Opens Inaugural Women s Soccer Season with 1-1 Tie
Coastal Carolina University opened its inaugural season of women s soccer today with a 1-1 double overtime tie
against Appalachian State University. After a scoreless first half, the Lady Chanticleers took a 1 -0 lead when midfielder
Gretchen Shock recorded the program s first-ever goal at 63:12 of the contest. Shock tallied the goal on a penalty kick
that was awarded following a foul called on Appalachian State keeper Leigh Hooten. Appalachian State tied the match at
77:17 as Christine Monica s cross on a comer kick found the head of Carmen Huneycutt. This is the first season Coastal
Carolina has sponsored a women s soccer team.
UNCA's men's soccer loses to East Carolina in
overtime 2-1 and University of Kentucky 3-0
Ben Ezell
Staff Writer
The UNCA men’s soccer team
lost 2-1 in overtime during their
first regular season match of the
year on Sept. 2 to East Carolina
University (ECU).
In the ECU contest, played in
Greenville, N.C., the Bulldogs con
trolled possession of the ball for
nearly the entire game
“We played well and created a lot
of opportunities for ourselves
throughout the game,” said junior
midfielder Colin Barnes.
However, they could not keep the
ECU Pirates from scoring the tying
goal late i n regulation and the game-
winning goal early in the overtime
period.
UNCA opened the scoring at the
28:03 mark when Barnes knocked
one into the back of the Pirates’ net.
From that point until the middle
of the second half, the Bulldogs
continued to dominate play, but
couldn’t quite score the second goal
that would have broken the Pirates’
spirit and put the game a bit farther
out of reach.
“We kept all of our shots on frame
and made their keeper make a lot of
tough saves,” said Barnes. “We just
could not put them away when we
had the opportunity to do so.”
That opportunity started to leave
about midway through the second
half when ECU started to gain
momentum and mount the attack
that would eventually result in the
game-tying goal.
ECU began to start putting more
pressure on the UNCA defense,
but for the most part, the Bulldogs
were able to absorb and contain the
brunt of it, according to Barnes.
Eventually, ECU tied the score at
1-1 when a mis-struck UNCA goal
kick landed at the feet of Pirate
freshman forward Joe Ellington.
Ellington kicked the ball into the
back of the Bulldog net at the 84:00
mark with a mere six minutes re
maining in regulation.
In the overtime period, once again
it was Ellington who struck for the
Pirates. After the Bulldogs once
again controlled the ball on the
ECU end for the beginning ofover-
time, Ellington broke free and
scored from six yards out to win the
match.
“We played some very good soc
cer against a very good team. How
ever, coming close is simply not
acceptable. We had a great chance
to get a big road victory today and
did not get it done, and that is very
frustrating,” said UNCA’s head
coach, Steve Cornish, on the ath
letics Web site.
On Sept. 4 at UNCA’s Green
wood Field, the Bulldogs lost 3-0 to
the University of Kentucky.
The Bulldogs took on the Ken
tucky Wildcats, a team that com
peted in the National Collegiate
Athletic Association tournament
last season.
Even though UNCA lost to the
Wildcats 3-0, throughout the first
half the two teams competed evenly,
according to freshman midfielder
Will Matthews.
“As the game started out, the teams
were fairly even,” said Matthews.
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PHOTO BY ANTHONY GRECO
Freshman midfielder Greg Karrison, #22, blocks a Ken
tucky Wildcat from stealing the ball.
“However, I thought they were a
little bit faster and they closed out
on defense quickly.”
The only real miscue the Bulldogs
had in the first half ended up with
the Wildcats scoring their first goal
of the game.
UNCA lost the ball in the baclt
and Wildcat forward Brook Pearson
fo und his teammate Chris
McDaniel alone in front of the
Bulldog goal, where he promptly
knocked it into the back of the net
at the 22:10 mark to give the Wild
cats a 1-0 lead.
Despite the early goal, UNCA had
several scoring opportunities in the
first half but simply could not con
vert when they had the chance,
according to Matthews.
One of UNCA’s best scoring op
portunities occurred a few minutes
after the Wildcats scored their first
goal, when freshman forward Mike
Kachan found himselfopen in front
of the opposition’s net, but his shot
sailed just wide.
After the halftime break, another
defensive breakdown led to
Kentucky’s second goal of the con
test.
One of the Kentucky players was
grabbed in the penalty box and
awarded a penalty kick.
Chris McAlpine of the Wildcats
scored on the penalty kick to ex
tend the Kentucky lead to 2-0 at the
50:10 mark.
“That penalty kick hurt us badly,”
said Matthews, who admitted that
the call that lead to the kick was
questionable.
After another stretch, in which
the two teams played fairly evenly,
the Wildcats got their final goal of
the game when Kentucky’s Chris
Soler scored off a pass from J.D.
Stephenson at the 75:54 mark.
After the game, Cornish said his
players played well in some
stretches, but admitted that the skill
of the Kentucky team eventually
wore the Bulldogs out a little bit.
“For about an hour, we played
some good soccer against a great
Kentucky team,” said Cornish on
the athletics Web site. “They wore
us down a bit and took over the last
20 minutes of the game. We had
some opportunities to score and
didn’t, and just made some real
mistakes in the back to give them
their first two goals. Our effort was
tremendous, but we need to score
some goals and start getting a result.”
The Bulldogs play at home against
Warren Wilson Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. at
Greenwood Field.
Upcoming Bulldog Home Games:
Men’s Soccer vs. Warren Wilson Sept. 8 @ 2 p.m.
Women’s Soccer vs.-High Point Univ. Sept. 8 @ 4 p.m.
Tennis vs. Wingate University Sept. 12 @ 2:30 p.m.
Volleyball vs. East Tenn. State Univ. Sept. 12 @ 7 p.m.