College of Charleston
Chattanooga
Second Half Goal by Alyssa Bearden Lifts CofC Women?s Soccer to 1-0 win over Chattanooga
9/26/2009 1:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - A goal in the 57th minute by freshman Alyssa Bearden (Cary, N.C.) was the difference, as the College of Charleston women's soccer team defeated Chattanooga 1-0 on Friday evening at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium. The match was the Southern Conference season opener for both teams.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 5-3-1 on the year, 1-0 in the Southern Conference, while Chattanooga fell to 5-1, 0-1 in the SoCon with the loss. Charleston returns to the pitch on Sunday, Sept. 27 when they host Samford beginning at 1 p.m.
"This was a terrific soccer match from start to finish," said head coach Kevin Dempsey. "You have to give Chattanooga a lot of credit, they played very hard. Overall, it wasn't our best effort, but we came out with a win. We are all very proud of the team."
In the first half, both the Cougars and the Lady Mocs had chances to score, with Chattanooga outshooting the Charleston 7-4. Both teams, however, failed to score in the first 45 minutes of action, as the match went into the half in a scoreless tie.
In the second half, both teams went back and forth with scoring chances in the first 11 minutes of the half. Late in the 57th minute, Bearden stole a pass from a Chattanooga defender, squared to the goal and fired a shot from 25 yards out that went over the outstretched arms of Lady Moc goalie Taylor Davidson for the score.
The goal was unassisted and the second for Bearden in as many games, as she registered the first score of her collegiate career in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Charleston Southern.
"After I stole the ball, all I did was look up and I just ripped the ball towards the net," said Bearden. "After it went through, it was just a unbelievable rush. It was definitely more exciting than my first goal."
From there, the Cougar defense took control of the match. Over the last 30 minutes, Charleston goalie Sarah Wiggers (Cincinnati, Ohio) made save after save to preserve a shutout victory, her third in as many games.
Overall, the Cougars outshot the Lady Mocs 10-9 and held a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks. Both Davidson of Chattanooga and Wiggers of Charleston made five saves on the night in goal.
