Box Score MACON, Ga. – In the final road match of
the 2010 season, the USC Upstate women's soccer team fell at
Mercer, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at Bear Field.
Less than four minutes into the match, Upstate (3-12-2, 1-6-2)
had a chance to take a 1-0 lead, but Courtney
Mack's (St. Leonard, Md./Calvert) shot was saved by Mercer's
goalkeeper, Cagney Valloch.
"I was proud of the team's discipline today," said head coach
Renee Lopez. "Even though we allowed two goals in the first
period, our defense played very well in the second half as we
didn't allow Mercer to score. Kimberly
Ledwell played very hard today and it paid off as she scored
her first career goal."
After a foul inside the box, Mercer (7-8-1, 6-3-0) was granted a
penalty kick in the sixth-minute. Kacie Hudson's penalty shot
was saved by Rachel
Collins (Raleigh, N.C./Athens Drive) and the score remained
0-0.
In the 17th-minute, Mercer got on the scoreboard
first as Olivia Tucker scored from the corner of the box to give
the Bears the 1-0 lead.
After a shot by Jessica
Jackyra (Cary, N.C./Apex), freshman Kimberly Ledwell (Sterling,
Va./Dominion) scored her first collegiate goal as her rebound shot
found the back of the net in the 26th-minute.
The match appeared to be heading to halftime as a 1-1 draw, but
Kacie Hudson's header with 22 seconds remaining in the first-half
gave the Bears a 2-1 lead.
The Spartans nearly tied the match in the
70th-minute, but Alyssa
Librizzi's (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road) shot was denied by
Mercer's Cagney Valloch. In the 78th-minute,
Ledwell almost scored her second goal of the match, but like
Librizzi, her shot was saved.
Mercer took a total of 16 shots in the match, with five on
target, while Upstate took a total of six shots with five shots
on-goal. Upstate's Rachel Collins made three saves in the
match, while Mercer's Cagney Valloch recorded four.
Upstate was called for a total of 20 fouls, while the
homestanding Bears committed eight. Neither team was called
for offsides.
The Spartans will wrap-up the 2010 campaign next Sunday when
they host ETSU on Senior Day. Kick-off between the Spartans
and the Bucs at County University Soccer Stadium is slated for 1:00
p.m.
