Catamount soccer picks up big wins

The Lady Catamount soccer team has been on a roll as of late, and that continued in their two victories over the weekend of October 5-8 as they scored a combined total of nine goals, while allowing only two. With the wins, Western improves to 7-5-2 overall and 3-1-1 in the Southern Conference. Playing their hated rivals, the Appalachian State Mountaineers, Western came from behind after trailing at halftime to win 3-2 in front of 178 fans at the ASU Soccer Stadium in Boone. Appalachian State found the back of the net first in the match as Paige Morrow headed in the first goal of the match at the 21-minute mark, thanks to a cross pass from Dana Murphy for the 1-0 lead. The Lady Mountaineers increased their lead 12 minutes later as Caroline Lowe added a floating header that somehow found the back of the net; Casey Cleary was accredited with the assist as Appalachian State went into halftime with the 2-0 lead. A goalkeeper change was made at the beginning of the second half as freshman Kelly Gulledge was subbed in for senior Alesha Row. The goalie change seemed to be what the doctor ordered as Western came out firing on all cylinders at the beginning of the half. It paid off as Freshman Shannon Fowkes scored her first of two goals on the game just seven minutes after halftime to cut the lead to only a goal, 2-1; classmate Shanna Schmoker was given the assist. Western and ASU were tied six minutes after the first goals as leading scorer Heather Dittmer took a Jenny Mattheson pass and hit the dead center of the goal to tie the game at two. The goal was Dittmer’s fifth score of the season. After that goal, a strike of lightning caused the game to be delayed for half an hour, and with the thought of overtime looming, the Catamounts made sure that they did everything possible to prevent that from happening as Fowkes scored her second goal of the day and the second of her collegiate career for the game-winner with just 13 seconds left to play in the match for the 3-2 victory – the second straight last-second win against Appalachian State in as many years. Western won the battle of the shots, 15-11, including 10 shots in the second half. Gulledge was credited with the win as both she and Row only had to make a single save a piece. Arden, N.C. native, former T.C. Roberson High School star and Appalachian freshman Emma White suffered the loss, making four saves. The loss was the second league loss for Appalachian State, as they fall to 7-6 on the season and 3-2 in the Southern Conference. Three days, later the Catamounts went from the mountains to the beach as they dominated the Citadel (1-13-1, 0-5-0 SoCon) in every aspect in tune to a 6-0 win in front of 78 fans in Charleston, S.C. It took the Lady Catamounts 31 minutes to score their first goal as Shannon Fowkes scored her third goal in the span of two games for the early 1-0 lead. Asheville native Rebekah Mumm scored three minutes later on a rebound shot from Heather Dittmer, who got the assist and added to her leading point total with 10. Nine minutes later, Buki Baruwa scored her first of two goals, thanks to an assist from junior Melissa Berry, who picked up her first point of the season, to give Western a 3-0 lead at halftime. Western continued their scoring barrage in the second half as Shann Schmoker took a cross pass from Senior Keevy Harris and scored Western’s fourth goal of the day in the 60th minute, becoming the second player to score her first collegiate goal in this game – Mumm was the first one. Baruwa scored her second goal of the game thanks to a great pass from freshman Katie Kole for the 5-0 lead, giving Kole her first collegiate points. Senior Meghan Reilly contributed to Kole’s first collegiate goal as Kole picks up her second point of the day and the final tally for the 6-0 win. Western dominated in the shots column, 27-to-1, and also had more corner kicks than the Lady Bulldogs, 13-0. Goalkeeper Kelly Gulledge made just one stop for her third victory and second shut-out of the season. Both of the Citadel’s goalies could not figure out how to stop the Catamounts from scoring as Brit Bunnell made five stops but allowed three goals in only playing the first half. Emily Green took over in the second half and made three stops, but gave up three goals as well.