Box Score
Box score
ANDERSON, S.C. - Using a season-high 33 shots and two second
half goals from sophomore Alaina Gay, Anderson University women's
soccer sealed another Beville Cup point in favor of the Black and
Gold with a 2-0 victory over archrival Erskine on "Kick ALS" Night
on Wednesday at Trojan Stadium.
With the victory, the Trojans have won two of their last three
contests and improve to 6-9-1 overall as they wrap up the regular
season on Saturday. Erskine, which also closes its regular season
on Saturday, falls to 3-11-1.
On an afternoon that saw the program raise more than $700
towards the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou
Gehrig's Disease, Anderson cross the 30-shot plateau for the first
time this season. Freshman forward Lyssa Engle totaled 13 shots for
the afternoon, as she out-shot the entire Erskine squad for the
match in the first 19 minutes. Following the freshman was junior
Faith Johannes with six shots and Gay with five shots. Engle and
Gay led the shot on goal category with four and three,
respectively.
The Trojan attack began quickly in the first half, but was
unable to find the back of the net despite recording 14 shots for
the period. With the offense clicking, the AU backline held Erskine
without a shot until the 44th minute when Jamie Morris pushed a
shot wide.
In the second half, Anderson eventually found the scoreboard in
the 75th minute after it rattled off 23 shots prior to the goal. A
cross was sent into the Erskine box from the right side of the
field and found the head of freshman Abbey Mills. Mills got just
enough power on the header as the ball found the feet of Gay. With
some space to move, Gay placed a shot past Erskine goalkeeper
Ashton Burgess for the match's opening goal.
A minute later, Gay netted Anderson's insurance goal when Engle
flicked a pass back to Gay who was just inside the Erskine box.
Gay's one-timer went over the head of Burgess and into the
top-right corner, as the goal handed the home side a 2-0 advantage.
For Gay, the goal was her fourth of the season and for her
collegiate career.
The Trojan defense held their archrivals to just one shot for
the remainder of the match, clinching the win and the Beville Cup
point for women's soccer. In goal, sophomore Sadie Lancaster
claimed her third shutout of the year, making three saves in her
sixth victory. Lancaster's counterpart, Burgess, closed the match
with 11 saves.
"It's always nice to win your last home match, especially
against our local rivals," Anderson head coach Ciaran Traquair
said. "We were dominant in every area of the field and credit to
Alaina Gay for breaking the deadlock in the second half. We have to
be better in front of goal when creating so many chances. With the
win, we head to Carson-Newman in high spirits."
With men's soccer's win over the Fleet on Sept. 17, Anderson has
taken a 2-0 lead in the race to retain the prestigious Cup for a
third straight year. The next point will be decided on Nov. 22 when
both cross country teams go head-to-head at the NCAA Southeast
Regionals in Montevallo, Ala.
Anderson returns to the pitch on Saturday when it travels to
Carson-Newman. With a victory over the Eagles, the Trojans would
secure the final spot in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament,
which begins on Nov. 4. Kickoff from the Volunteer State is
scheduled for 5 p.m.