Charleston Southern women fall to Radford

October 13, 2009
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Sarah Catenacci gave the home side the early lead, but the Charleston Southern soccer team was unable to hold onto the advantage, falling 2-1 in overtime to Radford University Saturday afternoon at Buccaneer Field.

The Highlanders (6-6, 3-0 Big South Conference) are still undefeated in conference action, and lead the way with nine points. CSU (8-4-1, 1-1-1 BSC) remains in third with four points.

Catenacci gave Charleston Southern the early advantage in the 11th minute after a nice combination from Lindsey Trexler and Jen Vroman sprung Catenacci. Catenacci ran onto the through-ball from Trexler and finished after dribbling around the goalkeeper.

Radford responded when Mary Wiley put the road side on the board in the 22nd minute. She received the ball from Jackie Cozza inside the 18-yard box and chipped CSU goalkeeper Jena Lalich to notch the equalizer.

Both Catenacci and Morgann Wood had amazing opportunities to put CSU back in the driver's seat late in the first half, but neither player could beat RU goalkeeper Lisa Lubke, who had seven high-quality saves in the game.

Catenacci had another chance to score in the 72nd minute, when she hit the crossbar with a header following a perfect corner kick from Vroman.

Marky Boyce is the best goal-scorer in the Big South this season, and she nearly added another game-winner to her resume in the 83rd minute. She received a perfect through-ball but just could not beat Lubke.

Charleston Southern could not find a way to get the ball into the back of the net despite earning many more chances than the Highlanders, and the two teams entered the extra session tied at 1-1.

The game was won when Wiley gave the Highlanders the overtime win in the 97th minute, scoring her second goal of the game. Amanda Heins stayed onside long enough to receive a pass that sailed over the top of the CSU defense, and she took a shot that was saved at the top of the penalty box by a charging Lalich. Wiley was able to get a flick on the ball after a scrum ensued following the initial shot, and it slowly crept into the net for the golden goal.

Lalich (3-1-1) saved four shots and allowed two goals in 96:29 of action, while Lubke (6-6) earned the win in 96:29 following a seven-save, one-goal performance.

The Buccaneers had a much stronger offensive attack throughout the game, outshooting the Highlanders 27-16 and earning one more corner kick (7-6).

Catenacci took a game-high 11 shots and scored her career-best seventh goal of the season. She put home six goals in each of her first three years as a Buc, and she now has 25 career goals. She moves into a tie for fifth on the CSU all-time goal-scoring list.

Trexler assisted on her fourth goal of the year, and Vroman notched her third assist.

CSU is now 0-9-4 against Radford over the last 11 years, and suffered its first loss at home since Sept. 20, 2008.

The Highlanders improved to 1-3 on the road, while Charleston Southern fell to 4-1 at home this year.

The Buccaneers will have to rebound quickly, as Virginia Military Institute travels to Charleston for a 3 p.m. matchup Oct. 12. The Keydets also lost Saturday, falling 3-0 to Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.
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