Sept. 23, 2005

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Sophomore Lauren Atkinson tallied the game-winning goal and an assist Friday night as the Western Carolina Catamounts blanked the Francis Marion Patriots, 2-0, in non-conference action at the Catamount Athletic Complex. The shutout was the sixth recorded by Western this season, and the third at the new home facility

Catamount goalkeeper Alesha Row was credited with her sixth shutout of the year, tying a WCU record for shutouts in a single-season. Row, who moved into second on the Western career shutouts list last weekend versus Gardner-Webb, now stands with 10.0 career scoreless appearances.

Atkinson broke the scoreless tie in the 37th minute of the game, giving the Catamounts the advantage. She took a rebound off of a Meghan Reilly shot which had been blocked by the Francis Marion defense. The sophomore forward gathered the bouncing ball and put it upstairs for the goal to beat the keeper. The one-goal lead would stand through halftime.

Aside from a few runs by the Patriots, Western Carolina (8-2-0) maintained possession with a renewed vigor at the outset of the second half. At the 22-minute mark, the Catamounts had a golden opportunity to push the advantage to two when senior Natalie Turgeon won a long punt from keeper Alesha Row. Turgeon spun it around between two defenders where sophomore Melissa Berry had slipped through for a breakaway, but her point blank blast was snagged by the Patriots' goalie, Jacque Sutphin.

Western did, however, manage to push the second goal across late in the second half. Surging the ball forward into the offensive zone, the Cats earned a corner kick opportunity. On the ensuing kick, freshman Arlan Whittle sailed a pass in front of the net where classmate Buki Baruwa, seeing her first action of the season, faked a shot, drawing the Pats defense. The ball skipped under the lifted leg of Baruwa where Atkinson tapped a one-timer to Pierce, who was pushed up on net because of the corner opportunity. Pierce deflected the ball on goal and found the back of the net for her third goal of the season.

A trio of Catamounts recorded three shots apiece in the win. In addition to Reilly and Berry, sophomore Heather Dittmer fired three times on the Patriot goal.

In the first ever meeting between the Catamounts and the Patriots in women's soccer, Western out shot Francis Marion, 21-6, and held an 8-to-1 advantage in corner kick opportunities, handing the Patriots their fourth loss of the season (1-4-0).

Western Carolina will returns to action on the road to play at Elon on Sunday (Sept. 25) at 2:00 pm.