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SPORTS

Davidson Women’s Soccer Hosts WCU Thursday and Georgia Southern for Senior Day on Sunday

by | Sep 4, 2019 | Sports

Senior Alexis Pheng

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. — It is a celebration week for Davidson as it returns home for a pair of women’s soccer games at Alumni Stadium against Western Carolina on Thursday and then a Senior Day contest against Georgia Southern Sunday afternoon.

The Matchup …
Davidson (2-2, 0-0 A-10) will celebrate 30 years of women’s soccer in addition to Senior Day this week and weekend when it faces Western Carolina (2-1) Thursday night at 7 p.m. and then hosts Georgia Southern (3-1) Sunday at 2 p.m.

30th Anniversary Celebration & Senior Day …

Senior Sabine Chandler

Davidson will celebrate 30 years of women’s soccer this week and weekend, with a celebration gathering over the weekend and then cap it off with Senior Day against Georgia Southern Sunday.

Coach Denton’s Thoughts on the Upcoming Game …
“We are looking forward to getting back on track with our two games at home this week.”

“First we play against SoCon opponent Western Carolina on Thursday. They are a strong and physical opponent, and we have to be ready for the challenge and look to brand our brand of soccer under the pressure we will be under.”

“Sunday will be a special day on campus as we celebrate our seniors in the game vs Georgia Southern. This is always a great event, and we want a positive performance and result against a team who is on a roll with some great results. It will be another tough game and we have to be ready to play for the 90 minutes. The depth of our team will be tested over this weekend and we are all looking forward to the games ahead.”

Previous Game for the Wildcats, Sept. 1 at Mercer …
Despite grabbing an early lead, Davidson was unable to counter a hat trick from Mercer’s Nicole Icen and dropped a 6-1 decision on the road last Sunday afternoon at Betts Stadium. The Wildcats took the early 1-0 lead thanks to Gretchen Pearson’s first goal of the season at the 7:13 mark, but Mercer would score six unanswered goals the rest of the way to take the victory. Freshman Sophia Caruso registered her first collegiate assist on Pearson’s goal.

A-10 Players of the Week …
Aug. 26 –
The senior duo of Sabine Chandler and Sarah L’Hommedieu were named the Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Player and Defender of the Week, respectively, for games played from Aug. 19-25. The pair played big roles in helping the Wildcats score wins of 3-2 and 2-0 against Gardner-Webb and Winthrop last week.

Chandler had a career week, scoring two goals, including the game-winner at Winthrop, and adding an assist for five points. The senior from Dublin, Ohio had a personal-best three points on a goal and an assist, which helped set up the game-winning goal, in the victory against Gardner-Webb. She then netted the game-winner at Winthrop late in the second half that broke up a scoreless tie. L’Hommedieu, a Hudson, Ohio native, netted her first two wins, including the first shutout, as a Wildcat between the pipes in the two victories. A transfer from Indiana two years ago, the senior earned five saves, three of which came at Winthrop, for the week and had a 1.00 goals against average in 180 minutes.

Scouting the Wildcats …
•This is Davidson’s 31st year of women’s soccer.
•Head coach Adam Denton enters his third year at the helm of the program.
Sabine Chandler paces the team with two goals and an assist for five points, all career highs already.
•Frshman Sophia Caruso has three points on a goal and an assist.
Michele Manceaux has taken a team-best seven shots and put three of them on goal, including her eighth career goal vs. Georgia State.
•Senior keeper Sarah L’Hommedieu is 2-2 and has a shutout to go with 13 saves.
•26 letterwinners return from last season, including seven starters.
•10 newcomers join the team this year.
•Six of the nine goal scorers from last season return, including Manceaux who had team-bests of five goals and 11 points.
•This year’s captains are seniors Michele Manceaux and Alexis Pheng along with junior Gretchen Pearson.

Scouting the Catamounts …
•Western Carolina has wins this year against Gardner-Webb (2-1) and UT Martin (5-4). 
•Regan Ward has a team-high three points on a goal and an assist. 
•Eight different Catamounts have scored a goal.
•Natalia Icen and Melody Mezzina have both played in the goal this year, with Icen earning both wins and has four saves.
•Last year WCU went 8-8-2 overall and 5-4 in the SoCon.
•19 letterwinners return, but only four starters.
•Head coach Chad Miller is in his 10th season and has 166 career wins with 72 of them coming at Western.

Scouting the Eagles …
•Georgia Southern plays at Stetson Thursday before traveling up to Davidson Sunday.
•The Eagles are off to a 3-1 start, scoring wins against The Citadel (4-0), Gardner-Webb (4-3 OT) and Presbyterian (2-1), while their lone defeat came at Maryland (1-2).
•Frida Brattum paces the team with four goals and an assist for nine points, while Marcela Montoya has two goals and two assists for six points.
•GSU has 11 goals and 11 assists as a team through its first four games.
•Between the pipes, Lauren Karinshak has started three of the four games with a 1.61 goals against average, 16 saves and two wins.
•11 starters return from last season and 15 letterwinners in all.
•Georgia Southern went 8-9-2 a year ago and 4-5-1 in the Sun Belt.
•Interim head coach Josh Moffel took over this August after being hired as an assist in May.

The All-Time Series/Last Meetings …
Davidson is facing the Catamounts for the 17th time since facing them for the first time in 1999. The ‘Cats hold a 10-5-1 lead in the series. The Wildcats last took on WCU in 2013 during their final year in the Southern Conference, taking a 2-1 win at home. Both teams were scheduled to play last year in Cullowhee, N.C., but weather forced the cancelation of the game.

The series against the Eagles is 30 games old dating back to 1993 and the ‘Cats hold a 19-10-1 record in the series. The two schools last faced each other during the 2018 season when Davidson traveled to Statesboro, Ga., and dropped a 1-0 decision. The Eagles scored the lone goal in the 41st minute and held off the ‘Cats the rest of the way.

Next on the Schedule
The Wildcats travel to Greensboro, N.C., to take on Southern Conference foe in UNCG next Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

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