Spartans Ready for a Weekend Pair
9/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team will host Belmont on Friday night in the home conference opener for the Spartans. Kick-off between the Spartans and the Bruins at County University Soccer Stadium is schedule for 7:00 p.m.
Following Friday night's match, Upstate will host Lipscomb on Family Day on Sunday. The Sunday matinee is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.
At A Glance...
• Scouting the Bruins and the Bisons
• Looking Back at Campbell and Alabama State
• Spartan Trio Earns All-Tournament Honors
• Nation's Largest Freshman Class
Scouting the Bruins
Belmont, who enters the weekend 1-7-0 overall and 0-2-0 in conference play, was selected third in the Atlantic Sun preseason coaches' poll and received two first-place votes. The Bruins lone victory of the season came at home against Arkansas State on Sept. 5 (W, 3-1). Last weekend, Belmont hosted Mercer and Kennesaw State to open the A-Sun slate. The Bruins fell to Mercer on Friday night, 1-0, in overtime before falling to KSU 2-0 on Sunday.
Lauren Paynter leads the Bruins in goals (2), points (4) and is tied for the team lead in shots on-goal (4). Jennifer Collins leads the team in assists (2), while Jamie Loftis paces the team in shots (10). Sari Lin and Nicole Berner have split time in goal for Belmont this season. Lin (0-6) has tallied 452 minutes of action, allowing 12 goals and recording 28 saves for a GAA of 2.39 and a save percentage of .700. Meanwhile, Berner (1-1) has played 315 minutes, recording 14 saves, allowing six goals (1.71 GAA) and a save percentage of .700.
Fans not in attendance can watch the action live online at ASun.TV by visiting the service's web site, www.asun.tv, and clicking on the USC Upstate tab. Fans can also receive live statistical updates by visiting the official Upstate Athletics Web site at www.upstatespartans.com.
Scouting the Bisons
Lipscomb was tabbed 10th in the preseason poll and enters the weekend 4-6-0 (0-2-0). Before arriving in Spartanburg, the Bisons will travel to Johnson City, Tenn., to face off against ETSU. Lipscomb, like Belmont, has already played two conference matches. Lipscomb fell 2-1 to Kennesaw State to open the conference season and fell 4-0 to Mercer on Sunday afternoon.
Tatjana Shirley and Andie Thornton are tied for the team's lead in goals scored (2) and Shirley leads the team in points (5). Kate Spellman is the team's leader in shots (15) and shots on-goal (8). Erin Zerio has logged all 910:22 between the pipes, recording 45 saves, owns a 1.29 GAA (13 goals allowed) and has a save percentage of .776.
Fans not in attendance can watch the action live online at ASun.TV by visiting the service's web site, www.asun.tv, and clicking on the USC Upstate tab. Fans can also receive live statistical updates by visiting the official Upstate Athletics Web site at www.upstatespartans.com.
Looking Back at Campbell and Alabama State
To open the conference slate, Upstate made its final trip to Buies Creek, N.C., as the Spartans and Camels battled for the final time as conference members. Campbell scored a goal in each half (16' and 88') to claim the 2-0 victory over the visiting Spartans. Kayli Moore led the way for Upstate as she recorded four shots and had two on target. Ashleigh Barkley also recorded two shots on-goal.
Upstate picked up its second win of 2010 with a 2-0 victory at Alabama State. Freshman Jessica Jackyra scored her first collegiate goal (38') and it proved to be the game-winner. Danielle White tacked on a goal, her second of the season, in the 78th-minute. Rachel Collins and Sarah Plantz each played 45 minutes in goal and combined for the second shutout victory of the season.
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, a Division II institution located in 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 826:21 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.
In 2010, Collins has tallied a total of 61 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 (6.77) and ranks third in saves. Collins also ranks fourth in save percentage (.813) and 10th in goals allowed average (2.01).
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 65 matches and has started in 64 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 Campbell (9-16-10) she tied Leslie Logwood (2000-03) for fourth all-time in matches played and sits alone in fourth-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. 24, these notable events occurred: Babe Ruth bid farewell to the New York Yankees. It was the Babe's last game in Yankee Stadium and for the team, NYY lost to the Boston Red Sox, 5-0 (1934)... Bullwinkle Moose and Rocky Squirrel were seen for the first time in primetime on NBC-TV, the Sunday night cartoon was called "The Bullwinkle Show" (1961)... Guns N'Roses "Appetite for Destruction" reached #1 on the Billboard album chart, tracks on the album included "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O'Mine" (1988)... Chart toppers included: "Play a Simple Melody" by Bing Crosby (1950) and "Jack & Diane" by John Mellencamp (1982)... Notable birthdays include: "The Great Gatsby" author F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896) and NFL Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steeler, "Mean" Joe Greene (1946).
On this day in Spartan history (Sept. 24), the volleyball team downed Erskine in three sets (15-2, 15-5, 15-3), it was the 10th win of the season as the Spartans started the season on a 27-match win streak. Under the direction of head coach Chris Hawkins, Upstate finished the season 38-4 overall and a perfect 10-0 in the Peach Belt Conference en route to the regular season and tournament championships (1994). It was the only season that Hawkins coached both volleyball and softball.
On today's game date, Sept. 26, these notable events occurred: "West Side Story" opened in New York, the musical ran for 732 performances (1957)... The first of the presidential debates between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy took place, it reached more than 69 million people via TV and another 17 million on radio (1960)... "Gilligan's Island" began its 98-show run on CBS (1964)... Shamu was born at Sea World in Orlando, Fla., and was the first killer whale to be born in captivity and survive (1985)... Chart toppers included: "Smoke on the Water" by Red Foley (1944) and "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry (1976)... Notable birthdays include: Nobel Prize-winning poet, T.S. Eliot (1888) and Singer Olivia Newton-John (1948).
On this day in Spartan history (Sept. 26), the women's soccer squad defeats Converse, 1-0, for win number six during a school-record nine-match win streak. Upstate finished the season 15-3-1 overall and 5-0-1 in Peach Belt Conference play and claimed the regular season crown (2001).
