Spartans Welcome Lipscomb for Key Conference Clash
10/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Spartanburg, S.C. – With the regular season winding down and conference seedings still up for grabs, the USC Upstate women's soccer team plays its final Atlantic Sun home game of the season Friday night at 6 p.m. when the Spartans welcome Lipscomb to County University Soccer Stadium.
Upstate will celebrate Senior Night prior to kickoff and recognize the achievements and accomplishments of Samantha Seelinger and Mary Stanton.
"We pride ourselves at Upstate as being a family, and I know the team really respects Samantha and Mary and all they have done for the program," USC Upstate head coach Abby Minihan said. "We will miss what they bring to the environment every day. We thank them for their perseverance and work ethic, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors."
The Spartans enter play Friday coming off a heartbreaking loss that saw Jacksonville convert a penalty kick in overtime to down Upstate 2-1 in its last outing. The Dolphins jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 15th minute, but Haley Gethin answered for Upstate with a goal in the 75th minute to pull the Spartans even.
Individually, junior Kenzie Major leads the Spartans and is tied for fourth in the A-Sun with five goals. The Rome, Ga., native also stands first on the team and seventh in the league with 11 points. Sophomore Rachel Baylor ranks second on the team with five points on two goals and one assist, while freshman Nicki Krejci has a team-leading three assists.
Lipscomb has won four of its last six games, but saw its five-game unbeaten streak come to an end following a 2-1 loss Sunday at Florida Gulf Coast. The loss to the Eagles was also the first in conference for the Bisons, as Lipscomb boasts a 3-1-1 mark in league play and a 9-5-2 overall record.
"We are looking forward to another A-Sun game that has a lot of significance in terms of whether or not we qualify for the conference tournament," Minihan said. "It's also our Senior Night, so we definitely have a lot to play for."
Sophomore forward Ellen Lundy leads Lipscomb with 12 points on five goals and two assists, while junior Anna Lail is second with eight points on three goals and two assists. Sophomore keeper Anna Buhigas has allowed 12 goals thus far this season and ranks second in the league with a 0.74 goals against average.
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