Thursday, October 22, 2009

Women's Soccer Preview: Winthrop

Women’s soccer will try to bounce back from two disappointing games last weekend when the team travels to Rock Hill, South Carolina, to take on Winthrop. The Bulldogs (4-7-1, 1-4-0) dropped a pair of close matches to Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina, despite outplaying their opponents for long stretches. The Eagles (3-9-2, 0-4-1) have struggled early in conference play, and look to turn things around during this weekend’s home stand.

Quality play by midfielders Meagan Bradham, Leilani Halkiotis, and Hannah Jeske enabled the Bulldogs to control possession and maintain pressure on the defenses of Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina, but Asheville struggled to convert scoring opportunities. The Bulldogs dropped the two contests, 1-0 and 2-0 respectively, even though they outshot Charleston and equaled Coastal. Despite the losses, goalkeeper Veronica Lazar still ranks first in the conference in goals against average, and will again need to keep the score down against Winthrop. The Bulldogs’ scoring line of McKenna Stockhausen, Katy Beeler, and Chloe McCleary-Small has produced six combined goals on the season¬¬. The trio did an excellent job of creating opportunities in the two defeats, and should build on that success this weekend.

Winthrop has also needed to rely heavily on defense this season. In 14 contests, the Eagles have managed only eight goals – and only one goal in five conference matches. Goalkeeper Kelsy Weavil has had an outstanding season, and she ranks third in the Big South in both goals against average and saves. Nevertheless, the Eagles’ struggles on offensive have them sitting in eighth place in the Big South, and in desperate need of a victory this weekend when they host Asheville and last-place Presbyterian. Junior Tricia Vensel leads the Eagles in scoring with two goals.

The match can be viewed on the Big South Network.

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