Oct. 16, 2005

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina sophomore Lauren Atkinson came through with two assists, one to Tammy Jones and one to Meghan Reilly, to lead the Catamounts to a 2-1 decision over The Citadel Sunday afternoon in women's soccer action at the Catamount Athletic Complex.

The win brings Western's record to 12-3-0 on the season overall and 3-2-0 in the Southern Conference, while The Citadel falls to 2-13-0 overall and 0-7-0 in the league.

The Catamounts out-shot the Bulldogs 20-4 and controlled the ball much of the match as well. However, one of the Bulldogs' first three shots, came from Sarah Burke. The freshman midfielder blasted her shot from 45 yards out, which found the upper right corner of the goal to put The Citadel up 1-0 just over 11 minutes into the match.

With just over seven minutes left before the break, Western took advantage of one of its nine corner kicks in the match. Freshman Arlan Whittle served the ball into the goal box, which Atkinson settled and Jones finished for her first goal of the season.

The Catamounts then scored what proved to be the winning goal 12 minutes into the second half. From near midfield, Atkinson sent a pass down the left side. Reilly took the pass, beat a defender and fired a shot from the upper left corner of the goal box past Bulldog keeper Angie Ellenwood. It marked the first goal scored of the season for the junior from Texas.

Atkinson led Western with six shots, followed by senior Casey Davis with four shots on the afternoon, while Natalie Turgeon, Jones and Buki Baruwa each had two shots. For The Citadel, Holly Know had two of its four shots, while Lauren Merchant added one.

Western's Alesha Row notched two saves in the match. Bulldog keeper Ellenwood, who saw her first action this season, tallied seven saves.

The Catamount women's soccer team will be on the road Tuesday, Oct. 18 to take on the Furman Paladins, making up the match which was postponed on Oct. 6 due to Tropical Storm Tammy. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm at Furman's Stone Stadium. The team then returns home to take on Chattanooga at the Catamount Athletic Complex on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2:00 pm. After the match, the Catamounts will host a free youth clinic, conducted by the Catamount coaching staff and players.