Nov. 4, 2004

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - The eighth seeded Western Carolina women's soccer team fell behind early to top-seed UNC Greensboro and couldn't recover from a second half scoring barrage, falling to the host Spartans, 7-0, in the first round of the 2004 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championships held in Greensboro, N.C. The shutout victory marked the fourth-consecutive tournament match in which the Spartans have held their opponent scoreless.

The Catamounts conclude their season with a 5-10-3 overall mark, while Greensboro advances to face fifth seeded Davidson, who pulled off the only upset on Thursday as they upended number four Chattanooga, 2-1. In the other two first round matches, the three-seed College of Charleston Cougars knocked off sixth seed Appalachian State, 3-1, and second seeded Furman defeated the seventh seed Elon by the same count in which UNCG defeated Western, 7-0.

Western was led by sophomore Stephanie Svoboda, who was named to the SoCon's All-conference second team earlier in the day, with three shots. Also recording shots for the Cats were sophomore Keevy Harris and a pair of freshmen, Heather Dittmer and Leah Daino, who earned the starting nod on the night. UNCG was led by Rakel Logadottir with two goals on the night, and Nicollette DeLaine, who dished out a tournament record four assists.

UNC Greensboro jumped out early, notching the game's first score after a mere 58 seconds had ticked off. Jamie Ableman tapped in a cross from DeLaine to beat Catamount keeper, Alesha Row for the early score. Western did its best to withstand the early Spartan charge that saw six shots and a pair of corner kicks awarded to the tournament host within the opening 13 minutes. However, the Spartans lit the scoreboard once again at the 16:24 mark when Logadottir scored on a corner kick. After the second goal, the Catamounts held their own, going in at halftime only down by two.

The Spartans lengthened the gap early in the second half, scoring two and a half minutes after the break to take the three goal advantage. Yet, the game-breaker came during the 60th minute. UNC Greensboro recorded four goals in a seven-minute window that sealed the victory.

Western was outshot 19-6 on the night, including a 9-2 disadvantage in the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Alesha Row surrendered five goals in the match, but did record a match-high eight saves for the Cats. She was pulled midway through the second for red shirt freshman Jennifer Deck who allowed a pair of goals in 27 minutes of action.

Also, the loss concludes the collegiate career of senior Brittany Bennefield, who saw 36 minutes of action in the loss. The Marietta, GA native was honored last Sunday at Schrader Field as she concluded her four-year career.