Wynne nets first collegiate goal, ETSU outshoots the Norse 22-7

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 12, 2012) -- The ETSU women's soccer team went into halftime with a one-goal lead, and maintained it throughout the second half to walk away victorious, 2-1, over Northern Kentucky on Friday night at Summers-Taylor Stadium.

Freshman midfielder Megan Wynne (St. Albans, England) put in her first collegiate goal to put ETSU (10-4-0, 4-2-0 A-Sun) in front, chipping a ball over the head of Northern Kentucky (4-11-0, 1-6-0 A-Sun) keeper Stephanie Glass midway through the first half. Wynne caught up to a perfectly placed pass off the foot of Sarah Zadrazil (St. Gilgen, Austria), who sent Wynne out wide on a 30-yard sprint before scoring the goal.

“Sarah played the ball up and caught me out wide,” said Wynne. “I saw the keeper off her line and decided to chip it over her head.”

ETSU took the lead initially in the 14th minute. Junior defender Samantha Kron (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) sent in a long free kick through a crowded box that skipped by everybody and harmlessly rolled inside the right post.

The Lady Bucs overcame a 22^nd-minute equalizer from Megan Frye, and were dominant in the shot count, outshooting the Norse 22-7 in the game. ETSU put on 11 shots and four corners in each half, but had to settle for just the one-goal victory.

“The most important thing was coming away with the three points,” ETSU head coach Adam Sayers said. “Northern Kentucky has some dangerous players. They have some strikers whose movement are good, are very quick and that run the channels well.

“As the game went on we continued to create chances and we managed to hold our lead throughout the second half.”

A big part in ETSU holding its lead came from the play of the back line. Sophomore transfer Andie Stone (Austin, Texas) came up with a big play in particular, dispossessing the Norse when they had numbers and were about to take a shot on the counterattack.

“We grinded out the win,” said Stone, who subbed on for Kron with 20 minutes to play. “We wanted the three points and to start off the weekend strong.”

Freshman goalkeeper Kara Krejenta (Cordova, Tenn.) came up with six saves as well, improving her record to 6-3-0 in goal. Two of those stops came in the final five minutes as the Norse looked to equalize once more.

It seemed as if it would be the kind of night where things would bounce ETSU’s way in the early going. Less than 15 minutes in, Kron’s free kick from near the left side line – an intended cross – landed in a box crowded with NKU and ETSU players. Glass held her ground near the middle of goal expecting a shot to come her way, but nobody could get a foot on the ball as it crept its way untouched inside the right post. Freshman Hannah Short (Bristol, England) appeared to get a foot on the ball as it came through, but it was later ruled that the goal belonged to Kron.

“Taking the lead early in the game was very important,” Sayers added.

Senior Morgan Thomas (Maryville, Tenn.) attempted to extend the early lead, driving in a hard shot from near the top of the box that missed a few feet over the crossbar.

The Norse equalized shortly after. Frye gained possession on the ETSU side of the field, and brought the ball through the left side of the penalty area, With an opportunity, she fired a shot between the left post and the outstretched hand of Krajenta.

The game was level for less than six minutes before Zadrazil found the streaking Wynne for what proved to be the game-winner. The assist moved Zadrazil’s total to nine this year, placing her one shy of Katie Green’s single-season ETSU record from 2007.

As they have done all season, the Norse switched up their keeper entering the second half with the substitution of Cassie Lingenhoel. The Lady Bucs treated her just the same, firing 11 additional shots at the second-half keeper, who wound up with four saves – the same as Glass in the first half.

The only difference in the second was that no additional ETSU goals were tallied. The closest chance came off the foot of the nation’s leading goal scorer, Ramey Kerns (Kings Mountain, N.C.), who was robbed of her 16th goal by a defensive save from Jaclyn Elmore. Kerns beat Lingenhoel with her shot, but Elmore was standing on the goal line to clear the ball away. Kerns wound up with a game-high six shots on the night.

“We created a lot of chances, but it was just one of those games where not many went it at all,” added Kerns’ teammate Wynne, who was not the only one to feel that way.

 “I felt we created a lot of good chances in the second half, but it just wouldn’t go in for us,” Sayers commented. “NKU’s keepers made some great saves and they cleared off the line very well.”

Regardless, ETSU takes the three points and climbs ahead of Jacksonville in the A-Sun standings after the Dolphins lost to Mercer, 1-0, on Friday night. Mercer sits in front with 14 points through six games, while North Florida, Jacksonville and Kennesaw State each have 13 after six contests.

The Lady Bucs can clinch a spot in the A-Sun Tournament with a win on Sunday against Lipscomb on Senior Day. Thomas, Kerns and Katherine Musacchio (Nashville, Tenn.) will be honored pregame.

ETSU Notes

 

- ETSU kept its halftime lead and moved to 8-0 this year when leading at the break.

 

- Megan Wynne scored her first collegiate goal, netting the game-winner in the 28th minute.

 

- Sarah Zadrazil tallied her A-Sun-leading ninth assist. She is just one shy of Katie Green for the ETSU single-season record.

 

- Samantha Kron put in her third goal of the year. All three of Kron’s goals have come on direct free kicks.

 

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For more information on ETSU women’s soccer, please visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s soccer links.