Spartans to Face a Pair of Georgia Foes this Weekend
10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 15, 2009
Gametracker (Friday) | Gametracker (Sunday) | ASun.TV (Friday & Sunday)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate women's soccer team will close out the home portion of its 2009 home schedule this weekend. The Spartans (0-15-0, 0-6-0 A-Sun) will host Kennesaw State (7-5-0, 5-2-0 A-Sun) on Friday evening with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
Following Friday's match, Upstate will entertain Mercer (6-6-2, 2-4-1 A-Sun) on Sunday afternoon. That match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. Both games this weekend are part of a men's and women's soccer doubleheader at County University Soccer Stadium.
Fans who cannot attend the match can follow the action via game tracker. Both matches will also be broadcast on ASun.TV.
At A Glance...
• In last Saturday's match against Campbell, Alyssa Roegner scored the fifth goal of her career and she is now tied for first in career goals (D-I era). Roegner needs just totally just two more shots on-goal to become the school's all-time leader (D-I era).
• Junior Daphnee Cadet continues to lead the Spartans in goals (3) and points (7).
• Friday's match with Kennesaw State will be the sixth meeting on the pitch between the two teams. The Owls lead the all-time series 5-0.
• On Sunday, Upstate will host Mercer in what will be final home match of the 2009 season for the Spartans. This will be the third meeting between the two schools. Mercer leads the all-time series 2-0.
Scouting the Owls
Kennesaw State enters the match winning three of their last four matches. Over the weekend the Owls defeated Lipscomb (10/9) and Belmont (10/11). They defeated the Bisons by a score of 7-0, followed by a 4-2 victory over the Bruins.
The Owls are lead offensively by Caitlin Dingle and Jade Dempster. Dingle leads the team in goals (6) and points (15). Meanwhile, Dempster leads the team with five assists. Staci Pugh has started all 12 games for the Owls and she has recorded 57 saves on the season while posting a 1.54 GAA. She has led the Owls to five shutout victories.
Scouting the Bears
In Mercer's last match, they defeated Lipscomb by a score of 6-1 (10/11). Prior to the victory over the Bisons, the Bears battled the Bruins of Belmont to a scoreless draw.
Oliva Tucker and Sara Elliot lead the offensive charge for Mercer. Tucker is the leader in goals (6) and points (12), while Elliot ranks second on the team with four goals and nine points. Lauren Johnson and Emerald Phillips are tied for the team lead with three assists each. Mercer goal keeper Jean Worts has appeared in all 14 games for the Bears and owns a record of 5-6-2. Worts has recorded 37 saves in 2009 while posting a GAA of just 1.06.
Record Chasing
Catherine Nolff, Alyssa Roegner and Leigh Ward all rank somewhere in the top five or 10 in various statisical categories. Leading the trio of juniors is Nolff who is the all-time Upstate leader (D-I era) for games played (52) and games started (51). Nolff is also tied for eighth all-time for games started and tied for 10th in games played (all years). Right behind Nolff in games played are Roegner and Ward. In the D-I category, Roegner is second in games played with 51, while Ward is third with 43 appearances. Roegner and Ward are also in the top 10 (D-I era) for games started. Roegner is tied for second with 36 starts and Ward is ninth with 21.
Roegner and Nolff find themselves in the top five in five other categories (D-I era). Roegner is tied for first with five goals and sits tied for third with three career assists. The Shelby Township, Mich. native is second with 19 career shots on-goal, second with 13 career points and ranks third with 31 career shots. Meanwhile, Nolff, the Irmo, S.C. product, is tied for fourth in career goals scored with four. She is third in points with 11. She also ranks fourth in both career shots (24) and shots on-goal (12).
Super Savers
In her first match of her senior season, goalkeeper Brittany Daughtry recorded a career-high 14 saves at Furman (8/24). The previous career high for the Smithfield, N.C. native was 13 that she recorded last season at High Point (8/31/08). The 14 saves by Daughtry also tied the school record for saves in a game and is the second player to accomplish the feat since the move to Division I. Samantha Spradley had 14 saves vs. Charleston Southern in 2007 (Upstate's first season in D-I), while Diana Wabnitz had two 14 save matches (at Carson-Newman, 9/9/06 and at Armstrong Atlantic State, 10/3/06).
Daughtry has appeared in four other contests this season for the Spartans. In two of those contests, Daughtry has recorded double-digit saves. She recorded 13 at Lipscomb (10/2) and 10 at Belmont (10/4).
In her second career start, freshman goal keeper Sian Jenkins recorded nine saves at Charleston Southern (9/1). The nine saves by Jenkins is an Upstate single game record for a freshman (Division I era). Jenkins tied her career high with nine save versus North Florida (9/27).
Looking for Number Three
The women's soccer team is looking for its third shutout since they moved to Division I. The last shutout for the Spartans occurred on its home field when they shutout Campbell en route to a 1-0 victory on Oct. 11, 2007. The 2008 season was the first season that Upstate failed to record a shutout. The Spartan program has recorded a total of 45 shutouts in its history.
All-Tournament Duo
Juniors Catherine Nolff and Alyssa Roegner were named to the All-Tournament team at the 2009 Border Classic. In the event, at Gardner-Webb, Upstate faced off with SC State and Chattanooga. In the match with SC State, Nolff scored just four minutes into the match to give the Spartans a 1-0 advantage. The goal by Nolff was the first in `09 and fourth for the defender's career. She was assisted on the goal by teammate Alyssa Roegner. It was the first assist for Roegner this season and third for her career.
Upstate Successful at County University Soccer Stadium
Since County University Soccer Stadium was opened in 2001, USC Upstate has had a history of success at home. Upstate is 37-33-6 all-time at County University Soccer Stadium for a winning percentage of .526. The Spartans were 10-1-0 at home during the first season of play at County University Soccer Stadium in 2001, winning the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship.
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 69-100-13 record in ten 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.
