Spartans Aim to Build on Sunday's Win in Conference Play
10/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 6, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -
The Upstate women have the momentum on their side after Sunday's late victory over Lipscomb, 2-1. Sophomore defender, Catherine Nolff, scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with six minutes left in the game. The goal was her first of the season and helped lead the Spartans to their third win overall and first in Conference play.
Following Tuesday's game against ETSU, the Spartans will only return to County University three more times, playing the rest of their season schedule on the road.
History against opponents:
East Tennessee State: The Spartans fell to the Bucs last season, 4-0, in their first meeting. ETSU beat Belmont on Sunday, 1-0, in last week's A-Sun Game of the Week, breaking Belmont's undefeated streak in Conference play.
Campbell: The Spartans are 1-0 all-time against Campbell. In their first match up last season, the Spartans earned their first A-Sun victory thanks to Alyssa Roegner's early goal. Upstate looks to match well against Campbell this season.
Late Sparks of Comeback Haven't Been Enough
The Spartans' attempts at comebacks as of late have been too little and too late. The women lost 2-1 to North Florida on Friday night, getting a goal from freshman Jaclyn Bishop with five minutes left in the game. The situation was similar at Jacksonville, where Alyssa Roegner scored Upstate's only goal of the game with two and a half minutes left in the game.
Distributing the Offense
The Spartan offense hasn't just been led by one player. Numerous different players have made contributions on the field. Santana De Freitas, Caitlin Robinson, Crystal Hackett, Alyssa Roegner and Jaclyn Bishop have all scored for the Upstate team, while Carmen Osorio and Caitlin Beale have also tallied assists. Don't expect to see all the action from one player as this year's Spartans play with a combined team effort.
Upstate Thriving on Young Talent
It's no surprise that the Spartan team is young, with 8 freshmen and 8 sophomores representing the majority of the team. This year's newcomers to the team have undoubtedly made an impact on the field. Freshman Caitlin Robinson leads the team with two goals and one assist, while freshman Crystal Hackett has notched one goal, which was a game-winning goal against The Citadel, and two assists. Jaclyn Bishop has also notched a goal, while freshman Jordan Brown has been recognized as a Carolinas Border Classic All-Tournament player.
Daughtry Making Mark in Net
Junior goalkeeper Brittany Daughtry has played with veteran experience thus far into the season. She has combined for 70 saves in her team's first nine games, playing in their entirety. She had 13 saves in the Spartans 1-0 loss to High Point in August, which is the second- highest total in the Upstate record book. Diana Wabnitz set the record with 14 saves in 2006 against both Carson-Newman and Armstrong Atlantic. A year later, Samantha Spradley tied the record with 14 stops against Charleston Southern. Wabnitz also leads all goalies with 141 career saves.
Spartans Forcing Overtime Play at Home
The Spartans have forced overtime play in their most recent home games against The Citadel and Furman soccer teams. The Upstate squad defeated The Citadel, 2-1, on Sept. 19 under the light's at County University Soccer Stadium. Freshman Crystal Hackett notched her first career goal and also recorded an assist. On Sept. 22, the Spartans battled Furman into over-time after a scoreless 90 minutes of play, before losing 1-0.
A New Slate in Conference Play
The Upstate women's soccer team will continue with their A-Sun competition this weekend when hosting Campbell on Friday night and Lipscomb on Sunday afternoon. They will also play against ETSU on Tuesday night. The Spartans were 1-10 in Conference play last year and look to build upon that finish with this year's young, talented squad. The Spartans are 2-7 overall (0-2 in A-Sun), with five losses concluding with a 1-0 finish. The Spartans are unquestionably more competitive and greatly improved from last year's team, and look to upgradetheir play against A-Sun Conference foes this weekend.
Brown and Osorio Named to All-Tournament Team
The Spartans didn't finish the Carolinas Border Classic tournament in the fashion they had hoped on September 14, but they did nominate two players to the All-Tournament Team. Freshman Jordan Brown and junior Carmen Osorio received honors for their consistent play, hustle and effort in weekend play against Winthrop and Gardner-Webb. The captain and freshman have made a major impact on the competitive front and look to continue to succeed for the Spartans.
Reyes There From the Start
Not many coaches can say they were there when a women's soccer program was started and when it made its transition to Division I. USC Upstate head coach Kendall Reyes is the only women's soccer head coach in school history, arriving along with the program in 2000. Reyes has compiled a 68-76-13 record in eight seasons including a Peach Belt Conference regular season championship in 2001 and three seasons of 12 wins or more (2001, 2003, 2004). He was also named Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2001. In March 2007, Reyes was appointed to the position of State Technical Coordinator for Coaching Education by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). He is the first and only person of color to hold the position in the organization. In addition, he was also appointed as an NSCAA National Staff Instructor in the summer of 2007.
