RALEIGH, N.C. – Clustering a trio of goals within a ten-minute timeframe, the Guilford College women's soccer team (1-0-0, 0-0-0 ODAC) blitzed Meredith College (0-1-1, 0-0-0 USA South) to a 3-0 score in a weather-shortened, season-opening contest at the Meredith Athletic Field and Track Complex on Friday night.
After four shots were evenly split between the two sides in the opening half, the Quakers took control of the tempo out-shooting the Avenging Angels 7-4, in the second half for a full-game advantage of 9-6 and 9-4 in shots on goal. The big difference ended up being the corners, with Guilford getting a trio and executing their set pieces on a pair of them for scores, while MC got just one opportunity from their corner.
Madison Motto (Waxhaw, N.C.) picked up right where she left off last fall when she posted the second-most shutouts by a freshman in program history. She made four saves to complete the clean sheet, her fifth in 10 career games to improve to 1-0-0. Delaney Thompson held up early, but yielded late, making five saves against three goals to take the defeat and fall to 0-1-1.
Who else but
Kylee Berry (Kernersville, N.C.) provided the Quakers with their first goal of the season, a tally that would stand as the game-winner.
Sarah Miller (Charlotte, N.C.) converted on her lone shot of the night as well for GC. The common denominator between Guilford's opening-two goals was
Keeli Crisco (Albemarle, N.C.), picking up her first-two NCAA points with assists.
Ashlyn Kahre (Fort Mill, S.C.) provided the final Quaker goal, an unassisted tally on a game-high three shots on goal.
Sam Carroll was the top offensive producer for the Avenging Angels, with two of her three shot attempts going on target. Claire Wagner and Sadie Jones each added on-target shots and Francine Rast had a look off-target.
The Quakers were in control in the opening half, generating consistent pressure in the offensive zone, although they were not able to convey that into looks on frame. Their best opportunity in the opening half cane in the 38
th minute when Kahre got some penetration deep off the left post from the edge of the 18', ripping a shot but straight into the waiting arms of Thompson. There was about a seven-minute stretch in the middle of the period when the Avenging Angels were able to sustain an offensive, but they only got one lightly contesting shot from about 25' away and a corner kick that sailed over everyone.
Guilford's urgency picked up in a noticeable way out of the halftime break and they would finally get a breakthrough in the 56
th minute. Kahre weaved between defenders from mid-pitch to a good shooting spot just beyond the box and while her shot got blocked by a Meredith defender, it did grant GC with a corner kick. Crisco came down to initiate the set piece from the right corner and she placed it perfectly, finding Berry on the weak side for a header on a wide-open goal for Guilford's first goal of the new year.
That tally ended up opening the floodgates of the Quakers offense, as they would strike again on a near mirroring play in the 63
rd minute. Once again, GC got a corner, although this one would come from the left corner, and once again, it would be Crisco who dropped down to feed the ball in. She placed a brilliant ball that glanced off the outstretched hand of a leaping Henderson and right to the waiting foot of
Sarah Miller, redirecting it into the bottom-right for Guilford's second goal of the night.
Just a couple of minutes later, in the 65
th minute, GC got deep and got the ball to Kahre and essentially ran an isolation play, giving the senior space to maneuver and beat her defender to the outside, turning the corner and ripping a shot from about 8' out inside the left border of the 18' and she found twine for her first goal of the year. Ultimately, an injury delay turned into a lightning delay and with the game having surpassed the threshold for being official, play was suspended at the 75:28 mark in a 3-0 final score.
It will be a quick turnaround for the women's soccer team as they will get less than a 24-hour hiatus before heading to Rocky Mount, N.C. tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, September 5, to matchup with North Carolina Wesleyan University at 3:00 PM.
#GoQuakes
