SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Paced by junior forward Jessica Kleinberg's two goals, one in each half, the Anderson women's soccer team earned its first win of the 2011 season by topping Converse, 3-1, Wednesday night at Hayden Abney Fulp Field.
Anderson (1-2) snapped a nine-match road winless streak that dated back to Oct., 2009 en route to winning its second straight past the Valkyries after shutting them out in last year's season opener.
Converse (0-3-1), in the midst of a four-game homestand, is
still searching for its first win of the young season.
The Trojans came out aggressively and threatened early, as
sophomore Krystal Goss ripped a shot less than a minute into the
match. Anderson took advantage of a corner kick from junior Ashley
Kleinberg at the 27:50 mark, as senior midfielder Britta Widenhouse
found Jessica Kleinberg and the Hamilton, Ohio, native netted her
first score of the season in the 29th minute.
Jessica Kleinberg notched what turned out to be the winning score, her sixth career game-winner, at the 56:57 mark, with freshman Catherine Funk collecting the assist. Leading by two goals, AU continued to pressure offensively, but the Valkyries' Sydnie Hickeyput Converse on the scoreboard with a goal in the 84th minute.
AU's Carrie Settle answered just more than two minutes later by
putting her third shot of the night into the back of the net off an
assist from senior Ashley Hollander, setting the final score at
3-1.
Anderson held a 27-3 advantage in shots and a 5-1 edge in corner
kicks. The 27 attempted shots equaled last season's high - also
coming against Converse in the season-opener. Sophomore goalkeeper
Kaitlyn Neipp went the distance between the pipes for AU, earning
her first win of the season.
Anderson closes out its season-opening four-match road swing by visiting Erskine on Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Huggins Field in Due West.
