WCU’s women’s soccer team got off to a fast start this weekend, opening the season with two home victories and making their bid to make last year’s impressive run look like a Lady Cat tradition.
Monday afternoon saw the Catamounts top Charleston Southern University on Charles W. Schrader Field 3-0.
Scoring began 20 minutes into the match when sophomore Lauren Bramlet found junior Nardia Moore in traffic and Moore found the net. Minutes later, sophomores Jordan Howell and Felicia Wilson teamed-up for a second strike. Wilson made the point and Howell assisted as the half wound down.
Charleston Southern mustered just three second half shots on goal to the Catamounts’ 13. Western finished the game with 26 shots to Charleston Southern’s nine tries.
With 34:32 left on the clock, Moore took a pass from Wilson, made her second score of the game, and dealt the final blow for the Catamounts.
“This is a nice win to carry us into Wednesday’s match up of our cross-town rival UNC Asheville,” head coach Debbie Hensley said. “But we need to improve on our focus for 90 minutes.”
On Friday, Western squared off against Coastal Carolina University beneath a drenching downpour. The rain cleared, but the Catamounts never let up in a match that saw Western look strong from start to finish in a 2-1 sudden death double overtime win.
The score reached 1-1 in the first half and remained knotted until Jordan Howell ran past the Coastal Carolina defense and, with 7:39 left to play in the second overtime period, launched the ball into the net to end the match. It was the only successful push to score in three periods packed with near-misses.
Howell was also credited with an assist on Nardia Moore’s goal in the first half. The Chanticleers responded minutes later, scoring on a free kick as the half expired.
The Lady Chants tallied just nine shots on goal compared to the Catamounts’ 20.
“This overtime victory was a great test of character for our team,” head coach Hensley said.
