ANDERSON, S.C. - Sophomore Allie Waters knocked home a penalty kick in the 108th minute of play to lift Anderson to its fifth consecutive South Atlantic Conference women's soccer victory, 1-0, past Tusculum Saturday afternoon at Trojan Stadium.
The Trojans improved to 8-6 overall and 5-2 in the conference, while winning their fifth in the last six outings. Tusculum (8-5-1, 3-2 SAC) suffered its third consecutive setback with the loss.
"I'm really proud of the girls for their effort today," said Anderson head coach Samar Azem. "What has set us apart as a team is our core values and our ability to work as a unit and we really relied on that today. You have to give it to Tusculum - they have a number of very talented players and had some quality chances against us. But our girls worked with and through one another, and fought for every minute of this game."
Tusculum outshot Anderson, 9-4, on the afternoon and also held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks, but the Trojans posted yet another defensive gem, equaling the school record for shutouts with six in a season which was set in 2001.
Anderson sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlyn Neipp earned the win, while notching seven saves on the afternoon. Freshman Marissa Williams finished with one save in goal for the Pioneers.
"There are so many players I would like to point out for their outstanding effort today, from our net, through to our bench and up to our front line. But at the end of the day our success came from each and every person investing in today's match and our goals. Kaitlyn took care of a number of balls in traffic very well, our back line was steady and organized, our mids were work horses and our forwards worked off the ball very well. Krystal got us the foul and Allie did a great job putting it in the back of the net again. Our girls certainly deserved the win and I am proud of them for conducting themselves with class, working hard and buying into the demanding the nature of this program."
Anderson steps out of conference play to host Valdosta State on Wednesday, with kick-off scheduled for 2 p.m. at Trojan Stadium.
