Women's Soccer to Begin Conference Play on Thursday
9/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate women's soccer team will make its final trip to Buies Creek, N.C., as they face the Campbell Camels for the final time as Atlantic Sun Conference members on Thursday night. The conference opener for both teams is slated for a 7:00 p.m. kick-off at the Eakes Complex.
Following the conference opener, the Spartans will travel to Montgomery, Ala., for the final non-conference tilt of 2010 as they square off against Alabama State. Sunday's start time between the Spartans and the Hornets is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.
At A Glance...
• Scouting the Camels and the Hornets
• Looking Back at Morehead State and Chattanooga
• Spartan Trio Earns All-Tournament Honors
• Nation's Largest Freshman Class
Scouting the Camels
Campbell, selected seventh in the Atlantic Sun preseason coaches' poll, enters Thursday's conference opener for both teams with a 3-4-1 mark overall. The Camels are on a current two-game losing streak after dropping back-to-back matches in the state of Virginia. Campbell was downed in overtime, 1-0, by Radford (9/9), before falling at VMI by a score of 1-0 on Sept. 11. In 2010, the Camels have earned victories over High Point, Coastal Carolina and South Carolina State.
Olga Ekblom leads the Camels in goals (4), points (9), shots (16) and shots on-goal (12). Meanwhile, Kaili Terry owns the team lead in assists with four. Jamie Panfil has logged all 726 minutes of action between the pipes for Campbell. Panfil, who recorded the shutout victory vs. S.C. State, has recorded 45 saves while allowing just eight goals (0.99 GAA) and owns a save percentage of .849.
Thursday's match is the fourth in the series and will be the final conference matchup, as Campbell will move to the Big South Conference at the conclusion of the 2010-11 academic year. Upstate's first A-Sun win came against the Camels on Oct. 11, 2007 as Alyssa Roegner scored the lone goal of the match to lead the Spartans. Campbell has claimed the last two meetings (3-1 in 2008 and 2-1 in 2009).
Fans who are unable to attend Thursday's conference opener, can receive live statistical updates by visiting www.gocamels.com.
Scouting the Hornets
Alabama State sits 1-6 on the campaign, with its lone victory coming against Faulkner on Sept. 2. The Hornets opened the season with a 5-0 loss to Wofford before falling at South Alabama (L, 1-6) and Southeast Louisana (L, 0-5). ASU is currently on a three-game skid with losses to Spring Hill (L, 1-6), the Citadel (L, 0-4) and S.C. State (L, 0-2).
Monique Sylvester leads the Hornets in goals (2), points (4), shots (4) and shots on-goal (2). Helma Van Zadow is the only other player to tally a goal for ASU in 2010. Chelsea Nash has seen the majority of time in goal for ASU. In 492 minutes, Nash has tallied 37 saves while allowing 26 goals (4.76 GAA).
Sunday's match will be just the second in the series with Upstate claiming the first meeting on Sept. 9, 2007 in Spartanburg. The Spartans defeated the Hornets by a score of 9-0 at County University Soccer Stadium.
Looking Back at Morehead State and Chattanooga
For the fourth consecutive season, Upstate made the short trip to Boiling Springs, N.C. for the annual Border Classic hosted by Under Armour and Gardner-Webb. In the first game of the classic, the Spartans picked up several firsts in the 1-0 victory over the Morehead State Eagles (9/10). Freshman Danielle White tallied her first collegiate goal as she helped the Spartans pick up the first win of 2010, the first-ever victory at the Border Classic and it was head coach Renee Lopez's first victory at the helm of the program. White delivered her game-winning goal as her shot from 15 yards out found the back of the net in the 55th-minute. Gabrielle Fennell picked up the assist for her first point in a Spartan uniform. Goalkeepers Rachel Collins and Sarah Plantz combined for nine saves to help the Spartans earn the shutout victory, the first shutout for Upstate since a 1-0 victory over Campbell on Oct. 11, 2007.
To close out the 2010 Border Classic, the Spartans squared off against Chattanooga. The Spartans fell to the Mocs by a score of 1-0. Becca Smith scored the lone goal of the match as she connected on a header in the 72nd-minute off of Hayley Sloan's corner kick.
All-Tournament Trio
Three different Spartans earned All-Tournament honors at the 2010 Border Classic hosted by Under Armour and Gardner-Webb (9/10, 12). Senior Catherine Nolff was named to the team for the second consecutive season. Nolff along with Ashleigh Barkley and Courtney Mack helped solidify the back line for the Spartans as Upstate claimed the 1-0 victory against Morehead State (9/10).
Second to None
When Renee Lopez was hired on Nov. 18, 2009 as head coach, she immediately hit the recruiting trail. Lopez signed a total of 12 freshmen to her first recruiting class and not only is that the largest freshman class in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but only one other school in the entire nation has 12 incoming freshmen for the 2010 season. Joining the Spartans with the 12 freshmen mark are the Argos from West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.)
The Energizer Bunny
Not only has senior Catherine Nolff seen action in all five games for the Spartans this season, the Columbia, S.C., native has not left the field for a single second. Nolff has played all 646:21 on the pitch for first year head coach Renee Lopez.
Fort Collins
Freshman Rachel Collins made her collegiate debut in the match against Charleston Southern. The Raleigh, N.C., native recorded nine saves in the first half and finished with 14 saves. Her 14 saves tied a school-record as she joined Diana Wabnitz, Samantha Spradley and Brittany Daughtry as the only players to accomplish the feat. Collins is the only freshman to record 14 saves in a single match. Her 14 saves is also a single-match high in the A-Sun this season.
Since the CSU match, Collins has tallied 40 saves, including a 10-save match against Wofford as well as a pair of nine-save outings against Furman and Gardner-Webb. Collins leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in saves per game (7.71) and ranks second in saves (54).
Ashlee Barrow Named as Player to Watch by TopDrawerSoccer.com
Each season TopDrawerSoccer.com lists its top 20 players to watch in each conference. This season, Ashlee Barrow was ranked 16th in the list of 20 players from the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Fishkill, N.Y., native was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team in 2009 and has an outstanding preseason to begin her sophomore season. With her selection to the All-Freshman Team, she became the first Spartan since 2006 and the first since the move to D-I to earn all-conference honors. Aside from the All-Freshman Team accolades in 2009, Barrow earned All-Academic Team honors from the A-Sun as well as Upstate's Coach's Award and the Wilde Soccer Scholarship.
Miss Dependable
Senior Catherine Nolff has appeared in every match during her Spartan career. Nolff, a senior from Columbia, S.C., has appeared in 63 matches and has started in 62 straight, a streak dating back to the second game of her freshman season (at Furman, Sept. 6, 2007). Nolff is the all-time D-I era leader for games played and games started. With her start at Furman (Aug. 24, 2010) she tied Lemeh Horace (2001-04) for fifth all-time in matches played and sits alone in fifth-place in matches started.
Sweet Sixteen
A total of 16 new players will suit up for the Spartans in 2010. Gabrielle Fennell (a transfer from Garner-Webb) and Karen Martinez joined the Spartans during the spring. Of the remaining 14, 12 of the newcomers are freshmen (Kimberley Anderson, Rachel Collins, Rachel Curd, Jessica Jackyra, Erika Kotterer, Kimberly Ledwell, Alyssa Librizzi, Courtney Mack, Kayli Moore, Sarah Plantz, Jessica Voigt and Danielle White). Julia Harris joins the Spartans after a two-year stint at Spartanburg Methodist College, while Krystal Hedderman comes on board after two years at St. Andrew's Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C.
The Spartanburg Circuit
Mary Rea was named as an assistant women's soccer coach on July 16, 2010 and joined the third and final Spartanburg four-year institution. Prior to joining the Spartan coaching staff, Rea served as an assistant coach at Converse College during the 2009 season. Converse is a NCAA Division II institution and is a member of Conference Carolinas.
She was a four year letterwinner at Wofford College from 2004-08, where she earned defensive MVP honors as a freshman and team MVP accolades as a junior. Rea, who earned all-academic honors for her hard work in the classroom, was a team captain as a senior.
These Days in History
On today's game date, Sept. 16, these notable events occurred: The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changed its name to Boston (1630)... General Motors was founded by William Durant (1908)... The American Legion is incorporated (1919)... Malaysia is formed from Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak (1963)... The Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City (1966)... Notable birthdays include: Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter B.B. King (1925)... Illusionist David Copperfield (1956)... Actress and comedian Amy Poehler (1971).
On this day in Spartan history (Sept. 16), Spartan volleyball player Angie Gambrell sets a school-record with 31 kills in a five-game match against High Point (1989). The Spartans won the match by a score of 3-2 (15-11, 15-17, 15-8, 11-15, 15-3).
On today's game date, Sept. 19, these notable events occurred: Melville R. Bissell of Grand Rapids, Mich. patented the carpet sweeper on this day (1876)... "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was seen for the first time on CBS-TV (1970)... Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for a free concert to benefit New York City parks. The concert attracted a crowd of 500,000 people in Central Park and was broadcast to a TV audience in the millions (1981)... Chart toppers include: "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash (1969) and "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac (1977)... Notable birthdays include: Former Washington Redskins running back, NFL Player of the Year in 1972 and NFL leading rusher 1970 & 1972 Larry Brown (1947)... Former MLB pitcher and 1988 Olympic gold medalist (U.S. baseball team) Jim Abbott (1967).
On this day in Spartan history (Sept. 19), Jovana Lubura sets a D-I era single-match record with 65 attacks in a five-game match against North Florida (2008).
