Katherine Cunningham Radford 2021
John Byrum
2
Winner USC Upstate USC (4-6-1, 3-3-0)
0
Presbyterian PC (1-13-1, 0-6-1)
Winner
USC Upstate USC
(4-6-1, 3-3-0)
2
Final
0
Presbyterian PC
(1-13-1, 0-6-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
USC Upstate USC 2 0 2
Presbyterian PC 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Goals From Katherine Cunningham and Campbell Gibson Back Women's Soccer's Strong Defensive Effort in Fifth Shutout Victory of 2021

CLINTON, S.C. – Heading back out on the road in Big South Conference play after a two-match stint at County University Soccer Stadium, USC Upstate women's soccer took the short trip to Clinton, returning home with three points, a victory, and a guarantee of a perfect afternoon for USC Upstate athletics.
 
Behind a pair of first-half goals, one from freshman forward Katherine Cunningham and one from junior forward Campbell Gibson, the Spartans claimed a 2-0 victory, pitching the team's fifth shutout of the season. For Cunningham, the goal marked her first in a Spartan uniform as she also tallied an assist on Gibson's second goal of the season.
 
En route to victory, Upstate's defense did something it had done just once prior this season, holding Presbyterian to 10 total shots, the second time the Spartans have held their opponents to 10 or fewer shots in a match in 2021. The Spartan defense also allowed only four shots on goal—all saved by sophomore goalie Cora Brendle—the fewest shots on goal allowed by the Spartans since 2019.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 2, Presbyterian 0
Records: USC Upstate (5-6-1; 3-3-0 Big South); Presbyterian (1-13-1; 0-6-1 Big South)
Location: Edens Field | Clinton, S.C.
 
How It Happened
  • 2' – Presbyterian found the first shot on goal of the match within the match's opening minutes, firing a shot from long range that bound into the arms of Spartan goalkeeper Cora Brendle for the easy save.
  • 6' – Upstate got its first scoring opportunity when Campbell Gibson fired a long shot that was similarly saved by Blue Hose keeper Megan Serrano.
  • 8' – Gibson found herself with another shot on goal minutes later, working herself in the box for a shot towards the left post, forcing Serrano to her right for the save.
  • 13' – Taking a pass from Ashley Finn atop the 18-yard box, Katherine Cunningham scored her first goal as a Spartan with a left-footed strike towards the bottom left corner of the goal, ripping past Serrano to start the scoring.
  • 19' – Off Presbyterian's closest look on target from inside the box, Kori Lawrence delivered a shot that sailed just wide of the right post, negating the Blue Hose's greatest scoring opportunity of the match.
  • 20' – Feeding a pass into the box and to the feet of Campbell Gibson, Cunningham tacked on an assist as Gibson got Serrano off-balance with a rocket shot off the right foot towards the right post to extend Upstate's advantage.
  • 36' – Looking to answer the two goals scored by Upstate, Presbyterian found a shot from just outside the box on frame but waiting on the other end was Brendle for her second save of the match.
  • 47' – Looking to tack on an extra goal to her and her team's tally, Gibson fired a shot from the top of the box toward the left post, testing new Presbyterian goalie Kelly Hall for the first time as she ranged to her right for the save.
  • 48' – Again trying to probe from distance, the Blue Hose lofted a shot on goal that resulted in another save from Brendle without moving too far from her line.
  • 63' – Taking a shot from atop the six-yard box, Upstate's Ashley Finn got a good look on target as she sent Hall flailing to her right to make the save.
  • 68' – Finding herself in the box, Presbyterian's Reyna Coston fired the Blue Hose's second shot attempt from inside the box, forcing Brendle to dive right toward the post for her toughest save of the evening.
  • 76' – Shooting from a similar spot to where she scored back in the 20th minute, Cunningham's shot stayed more center than her previous attempt as Hall made the save.
  • 88' – Looking for an additional goal of insurance in the final minutes, Upstate's Nora Vangsnes fired a shot from just outside the box as Kelly ranged to her left for the save.
 
Notable
  • With her fourth solo shutout and fifth overall shutout, Cora Brendle joins Rachel Collins (five shutouts—three solo; two combined—in 2010) and Sarah Plantz (five shoutouts-five solo--in 2013) as the only Spartans in the program's Division I era with five shutouts in a single season.
  • Brendle's four solo shutouts are the second most in a single season for a Spartan in the D1 era.
  • After tallying an assist on two of Ashley Finn's goals against South Carolina State, Katherine Cunningham—off an assist from Finn—netted her first career goal Saturday night. She joins Campbell Gibson, Marie Listenbee, and Rachel Satchell as Spartans who have scored their first career goal this season.
  • With her assist on Cunningham's goal, Finn tallied her first career assist, adding the assist to her seven goals in 2021 to total 15 points on the year.
  • Adding an assist on Gibson's second goal in as many matches, Cunningham joins Jane Bossler and Listenbee as Spartans who have scored a goal and tallied an assist in a single match this season.
 
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