Spartans Tangle with Alabama State, Presbyterian
8/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team puts the finishing touches on the month of August with a match at Alabama State Friday at 8 p.m. and a Sunday contest with Presbyterian at 2 p.m. from County University Stadium.
Upstate enters the weekend coming off a 1-0 setback to UNC Asheville last Sunday in the home opener. The Bulldogs picked up a goal in the eighth minute and were able to hold off the Spartan attack for the remainder of the match.
Spartan junior Kenzie Major registered a game-high five shots and now stands third in the Atlantic Sun with eight total shots. Major has collected 68 shots during her career at Upstate and needs 12 more to become the program's all-time leader during the Division I era. Michelle Calmeyn, who played at Upstate during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, currently holds the record with 79 career shots.
Upstate has enjoyed a great deal of success in the all-time series against Alabama State. In fact, Upstate is 3-0 against the Hornets and has outscored Alabama State 17-0 in the series that began in 2007. The Spartans won 9-0 in 2007, 2-0 in 2010 and 6-0 in the most recent meeting in 2011.
Presbyterian owns a 6-1-0 lead in the all-time series with Upstate that dates back to 2002. Last season in Clinton, S.C., Presbyterian claimed a 1-0 victory over the Spartans behind a goal from Tori Lopez in the 11th minute. In the last meeting between the two at County University Stadium, Rebecca Sanzsole lifted Upstate to a 1-0 victory behind a goal in double overtime in the 104th minute.
"We're looking forward to another challenging weekend of games," USC Upstate head coach Abby Minihan said. "We've been working diligently trying to improve on specific elements, and we're excited to see how much progress we've made. These should both be competitive games that could go either way, but the prospect of coming away with two wins is very exciting for us. We understand the undertaking that is ahead of us, but I expect us to work together and show we have made the necessary improvements."
Fans can follow both games this weekend via live stats, while Sunday's home game can be viewed live on ASunTV.
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