SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Looking to snap its three-game losing skid, USC Upstate women's soccer did just that Thursday night by riding its calling card throughout its double-overtime match with Davidson.
The Spartans, behind sophomore goalkeeper
Cora Brendle and its seasoned backline, earned the team's first shutout of the season, playing to a 0-0 draw at County University Soccer Stadium. Brendle stood tall in goal, corralling a career-best 14 saves in the match to earn her first career shutout.
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 0, Davidson 0
Records: USC Upstate (1-3-1); Davidson (3-3-1)
Location: County University Soccer Stadium | Spartanburg, S.C.
How It Happened
- 6' – Winning the ball back in the midfield, Upstate looked to turn in a quick counterattack as junior midfielder Jane Bossler found freshman forward Katherine Cunningham with a ball down the right side. Cunningham worked herself into the box, firing a shot that was ultimately blocked by the Davidson defense.
- 24' – After receiving a pass from sophomore midfielder Raegan Meyer, Cunningham worked herself into the box, taking a shot that was blocked, earning a Spartan corner. Off the rebound of the Wildcat clearance of the ensuing corner, Meyer ripped a shot from just outside the 18-yard box towards that right post that was saved by Davidson's Mary Grace Bunch.
- 47' – Following her win of possession from Upstate's sophomore forward Ashley Finn, Davidson's Sam Cascio is tackled from behind, drawing a yellow card against Finn—the match's lone booking.
- 51' – Taking a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box, Cunningham ripped a shot with her left foot, being thwarted by Bunch who collected the save near the right post.
- 53' – Dribbling the ball into her team's offensive end, Finn took a shot from outside the box that was blocked by a Davidson defender. Reading the carom, she played the ball out of the corner, earning a second shot attempt off the in-line which was ultimately saved.
- 57' – Drawing a foul and earning a free kick deep in its own end, Davidson's Brooke Ditcham stepped to the ball and fired a shot towards the crossbar where a leaping Brendle was there to make the save.
- 88' – Off a set-piece near midfield, Davidson's Sophia Caruson fired a direct kick towards the upper 90 on the left post where Brendle was able to get just a piece of the long-distance shot to send the ball bounding away from the goal.
- 92' – Davidson took the lone shot of the first overtime in the 92nd minute as Caruso whipped a header on frame, forcing Brendle to use every inch of her body to leap and pluck the ball from the air.
- 100' – The Wildcats were the aggressors to start the second overtime as Rachel Schleicher fired a shot from outside the box that resulted in a diving, scoop save from Brendle.
- 104' – Upstate took its lone shot attempt of the overtime periods as freshman midfielder Nora Vangsnes fired a left-footed shot from outside the box as Bunch ranged towards the post to collect the shot.
- 108' – Brendle collected her 14th and final save as Davidson's Riley Patton forced a shot from long distance into the arms of a waiting Brendle.
Notable
- Thursday's match resulted in numerous notable achievements for goalie Cora Brendle as she recorded her first career shutout using a career-high 14 saves in a career-long 110:00 minutes in goal. She also collected seven of her 14 saves in the second half with the seven saves a career-high for saves in a half.
- Brendle's 14 save outing preserved the Spartans' first clean sheet of the season—the first since shutting out Charleston Southern during the 2020-21 season. Her 14 save performance also marks the first match with an Upstate keeper making 12 or more saves since Logan Pace corralled a school-record 15 saves against The Citadel on September 10, 2019.
- For the fourth consecutive match, forward Ashley Finn paced Upstate in shot attempts, putting forth a career-high-tying four shots in the match.
- In the first double-overtime match of the season, a pair of Upstate defenders turned in complete matches as freshman Claudia Mendinhas and junior Natasha Ferreira each played a career-high 110 minutes.
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