ANDERSON, S.C. - Two late goals in each half doomed Anderson University women's soccer as the Trojans dropped to No. 17 Columbus State 3-2 in non-conference action Tuesday evening at Trojan Stadium.
The Cougars tallied crucial goals in the 44th and 89th minute, as both goals proved costly en route to CSU's fifth victory on the season. The heartbreaking loss moves AU to 2-4-3 on the season as it returns to South Atlantic Conference play this upcoming weekend.
The Trojans found the goal column first as freshman Paige Gowans-Smith sent in a corner in the 25th minute. After the ball bounced around in the mixer, it finally found the feet of Faith Johannes and she buried a shot in the left corner for the match's opening goal. For the redshirt sophomore, the goal was her third of the season as she moves into the team lead.
CSU got its equalizer when Mandy Janowitz found some room along the left side of the AU defense and made a long run. Janowitz got by Trojan defenders and beat Anderson goalkeeper Kaitlyn Neipp to even the score at 1-1. Both teams were unable to tally a goal in the final minute, as the 1-1 score took the match to halftime.
After the Cougars took the lead in the 60th minute when Janowitz notched her second goal of the evening, the Trojans bounced back quickly in the 71st minute. Freshman Savannah Adkins sent in a corner kick which was headed out by Columbus State. The backline's header fell right to senior forward Krystal Goss who fired a shot past CSU goalkeeper Meosha Hatcher. Goss' tally was her third of the season which ties her with Johannes for the team lead.
As the match looked to be heading to overtime, Columbus State was able to make one final run as Nicole Corcione broke away from the AU backline. Her cross found Courtney Jacquay in the Anderson box and her shot beat Neipp to her right with just over a minute left in regulation. The game-winner was Jacquay's first tally of the season.
"CSU is nationally ranked and a top contender in one of the strongest regions in women's soccer for a reason," head coach Samar Azem said. "They're a very athletic, well-coached team and I'm incredibly proud of our girls for giving them a competitive match today. It's hard for us to walk away with this loss after a solid performance. I'm proud of this team and we're doing the right things. We're learning against the best teams and soon we're going to see things start to go our way. I absolutely believe in that."
On the evening, Neipp tallied nine saves, as her counterpart, Hatcher, recorded just one. Goss and Johannes led the team in shot category for the night with two apiece as freshmen Corinne Doll, Tera Dolan and Helena Moore all notched a shot. Nine of AU's 11 starters played the full 90 minutes as all 11 played the full 45 minutes in the first half.
Anderson looks to snap a four-match winless streak as it heads to SAC foe Tusculum on Sunday. Kickoff from Greeneville, Tenn. is set for 1 p.m.
