Aug. 25, 2011

Box Score |   

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's soccer (2-1-0) defeated the University of North Florida 3-1 (1-1-1), in its home opener, Thursday night at the Catamount Soccer Complex.

The Catamounts were coming off an impressive 1-1 record at the Western Kentucky Tournament last weekend. The Osprey were entering the match with a tie against UNC Charlotte, a team that was picked second in the Atlantic Sun Conference, and has won a share of the conference title the last five years.

Head Coach Chad Miller was looking to see how his youthful team, chocked full of 18 freshmen and just one senior, would handle the home opener against a strong opponent. He got his answer 16 minutes into the game.

Junior forward Laura Greb got the Catamounts on the scoreboard early, scoring at the 16:23. Greb's shot, inside the box, sailed past the UNF goalie off the assist by Samantha Hodge.

Both teams buckled down on defense in the ensuring minutes after the WCU goal. However, North Florida caught a break, and their fortune, allowed the match to be scored at the half.

North Florida's Denisse Soltero picked up a shot and hit it toward the goal, the ball bounced off the cross bar and into the goal.

A pair of freshmen gave Western Carolina the lead, at 64:13 in the second period. A scrum in front of the goal, off a corner kick, had a mass of Catamounts and Osprey inside the box near the UNF goal. Kimberly Sullivan, off an assist by Madison Lee, just skimmed her foot on the ball, in all the madness saw the ball go in on the left side.

Redshirt junior Kayla Beauduy got the insurance goal for Western Carolina at the 71:11 minute mark. It was Beauduy's second goal in as many games. She now has two goals and one assist to start the season.

Neither team got many looks at the goal. Western Carolina had eight shots and UNF recorded nine.

Western Carolina will have almost a week off before it returns to action on September 2 at Cincinnati. Match time is set for 7 p.m.