SUWANEE, Ga. - Trinity, Birmingham-Southern and Hendrix have all punched a ticket to the SCAC Women's Soccer Tournament in two weeks hosted by the Panthers in Birmingham. Half of the field still has to sort itself out setting up for an exciting final weekend of SCAC regular season action.
- AROUND THE SCAC -
Austin College went 0-1-1 last week in two matches, falling 4-0 to Hardin-Simmons before battling to a 0-0 double overtime draw against SCAC rival University of Dallas. The 'Roos are now 6-7-1 overall and 2-3-1 in conference play on the year. Maya Warnock made nine saves as the 'Roos were out-shot 30-1 by HSU on Tuesday, and against the Crusaders the 'Roos owned a 16-13 shot advantage but were able to get on the board, with Warnock making five saves to earn the shutout. This week the 'Roos are home for Homecoming against Trinity on Friday and Southwestern on Sunday, and this Sunday the 'Roos will also be hosting a Give Cancer the Boot event organized by junior captain Natalie Nelms, with the women's soccer team working to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Birmingham-Southern played only one game this week, but made it count, shutting out Oglethorpe 5-0 in Atlanta. Five different Panthers scored in the match, all in the second half, and it was the fifth shutout of the year for the squad. Seniors Linda Amaya and Alicia Plotky lead the team and rank eighth in the conference with seven goals apiece, while Amaya leads with 18 points, putting her at seventh in the SCAC. Senior Amber Hernandez and sophomore Richelle Byrd have split time in goal, allowing only 15 goals this season for a 1.05 goals against average. The Panthers return home this weekend, hosting Sewanee on Friday and Centre on Sunday to wrap up the regular season before hosting the SCAC Women's Soccer Championship, Nov. 4-6.
#23 Centre had a busy week playing three matches in seven days. Monday, October 17, Centre defeated Maryville College (Tenn.) (10-3-2) 1-0 in overtime. The game winning goal came just 14 seconds into the overtime period by first-year forward, Anne Mitchell of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Friday evening, Centre posted a 1-0 victory over Rhodes in regulation play. Centre earned their 10th shut-out of the season on Sunday in their 5-0 victory over Millsaps. The outing was a showcase for Centre's youngsters with every goal in the match being scored by first-year athletes; including a hat-trick by first-year forward Megan Rueth of St. Charles, Illinois. With Sunday's victory, Centre improves to 11-3-1 overall and 4-2 in SCAC play. The Colonels wrap-up regular season play this weekend with a trip to Oglethorpe on Friday and Birmingham Southern on Sunday.
Dallas (11-5-2 (2-3-2)) went 1-0-2 on the week, defeating Dallas Christian College (DCC), while tying Austin College (AC) and the University of Houston-Victoria (UOH-V). Dallas handled DCC, 12-0, on Friday afternoon at Crusader Field, where the Lady Crusaders managed 25 shots on goal. It was a record-setting game of sorts, with freshman Nicole Johnson and sophomore Claire Sexton each recording a school record five goals. Additionally, the dynamic duo tallied two assists apiece, giving each a school record twelve points on the day. Sexton leads Dallas in scoring, with fifteen goals on the season, while Johnson has twelve goals to her name. On Saturday, Dallas squared off with AC. The two teams played stingy defense, and the game ended in a 0-0 two-overtime draw. On Sunday morning, the Lady Crusaders hit the road to play at UOH-V -- this game also resulted in a 0-0 double-overtime tie for a tired Dallas squad. Of note, sophomore goalkeeper Brigid Hasson now has seven shutouts in 2011. This week, the team will host Southwestern University (Oct. 28) and Trinity University (Oct. 30; 'Senior Day').
Hendrix finished the regular season 8-8-1 and 4-3-1 in the SCAC. They are currently in third place, but several teams have games left, so Hendrix will have to wait to see what seed they will be for the SCAC Tournament on Nov. 4-6 in Birmingham. On Friday, Hendrix and Southwestern battled to a 1-1 double overtime time. Junior Mogan Scott put the Warriors up 1-0 in the 15th minute when she shot from 18 yards out and found the left side of the goal. The score was the sixth of the season for Scott. Southwestern tied the game in the 47th minute on a penalty kick. Warrior senior keeper Allison Mosley recorded 11 saves. First place and third-ranked Trinity topped Hendrix 3-0 on Sunday. Mosley recorded eight saves in 73 minutes and junior Megan Childress had three saves in 17 minutes.
Millsaps dropped two contests this weekend and were eliminated from SCAC postseason play. On Friday, the Majors fell short to the Sewanee Tigers on Friday evening. The following Sunday, Millsaps could not get much going offensively as they fell the Centre Colonels, 5-0 on Sunday afternoon. The Colonels outshot the Majors 24-2 in the match and used a three goal first half to cruise to victory. The Majors conclude their season on Saturday, October 29th as they will compete on senior day against the Rhodes Lynx.
Oglethorpe lost to Birmingham-Southern on Salamone Field on Saturday afternoon, 5-0. The Petrels hung with the Panthers throughout a tight first half before Southern used fresher legs to notch 5 second half tallies for the win. The Panthers dominated possession on the afternoon, outshooting Oglethorpe 28-2 en route to the victory. The Petrels were done in by an injury ravaged lineup that had only two subs available to coach Woods all afternoon long. In the end, Southern was able to wear Oglethorpe down to earn the shutout. The Petrels are now 2-9-1 on the season and will host Centre College this Friday at 1:00 p.m.
Rhodes split two 1-0 decisions this weekend away to Centre and Sewanee. The Lynx dropped the Friday night game against #23 Centre, but then rebounded against Sewanee defeating them 1-0 in 2OT. The Lynx were held to 3 shots and 3 corners against Centre. Senior Stephanie Sermonet made 6 saves for the Lynx. On Sunday the Lynx found a bit more offense creating 12 shots, 5 on goal, and 4 corners. Senior Ashley Ladd provided the game winner in the 102nd minute when her shot from outside the 18 found the back of the net. The Lynx are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Millsaps.
Sewanee split a pair of SCAC matches over the weekend. Sewanee first picked up a 2-1 win over Millsaps on Saturday, before falling to long-time rival Rhodes 1-0 Sunday in double overtime. The Tigers were led by senior Faith Spencer, who scored both goals against the Majors. The three-year captain currently leads Sewanee with four goals, while sitting second among her teammates in points.
Southwestern opened the week with a quick turnaround and played Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on Monday afternoon. The Pirates turned their offense loose and scored three goals while the defense remained strong and held the Bulldogs scoreless. It was a night of celebration for the Pirates in their only conference-game of the week. Friday night SU hosted Hendrix College for senior night and a celebration of the newly installed lights. Hendrix came out strong and scored in the first 15 minutes of the game, but the Pirates fought back hard to pull even in the second half. Neither team was able to score the game-winner as the game went through the second overtime. With the tie the Pirates move to 6-6-2 on the year and 1-4-1 in the SCAC. SU heads out on the road for a busy final week of regular season action, taking on Howard Payne University on Monday in Brownwood and then heading north to face the University of Dallas and Austin College.
#3 Trinity won in its only game of the past week, knocking off Hendrix College 3-0 on Sunday afternoon to remain atop the SCAC standings. The Tigers and Warriors came into the game as the top two teams in the SCAC standings, but two first-half goals by Trinity proved to be more than enough to earn the win. Abby Loar scored both of those early goals for the Tigers, becoming Trinity's all-time leader in points scored. She now has 137 career points, passing Erica Adelstein (1999-02) and the previous record of 134. Loar also tied another Trinity career record with the two goals. She now stands even with Becky King (1997-00) with 52 career goals, which is the top mark in school history. Trinity will conclude its regular season with three games this week, starting with Monday night's matchup with Huston-Tillotson – a game that was rescheduled from earlier this season. The Tigers will then wrap up conference play at Austin College and the University of Dallas over the weekend.
To view the entire SCAC Kicks Weekly for week eight, click here.
