BREVARD, N.C. - Highlighted by two first half goals by freshman Helena Moore, Anderson University women's soccer cruised to a 3-0 win over Brevard in South Atlantic Conference action Tuesday afternoon at the Brevard Soccer Field.
With the win, the Trojans earn a valuable three points in the SAC standings to move them into sixth place in the conference with league matches resuming on Wednesday. For the season, Anderson is 3-2-4 in the SAC and 5-6-4 overall, as the Trojans have two matches remaining in their regular season and ride a three-match winning streak into the weekend.
Moore, who entered the match with two goals on 40 shots for the year, got her long-awaited goal in the ninth minute when she received a pass freshman Paige Gowans-Smith. The goal was Moore's first goal since recording AU's lone goal against Newberry earlier this month.
Moore was not done in the opening 45 minutes, as she notched her second goal of the afternoon when she broke away from the Tornado backline. The Rock Hill, S.C. native's run down the field resulted in AU's second goal of the day, as she blasted a shot past BC goalkeeper Brittany Webster in the 29th minute of play.
For the time being, Moore tied senior forward Krystal Goss for the team lead in goals, but that mark soon evaporated when Goss added Anderson's third and final goal of the match in the 56th minute. Goss grabbed a cross from Moore and knocked in her fifth goal of the season.
Despite winning the shot battle 7-3 in the opening half, BC found more chances in the second half, outshooting the Trojans 7-5. Goss paced the attack with four shots, while Moore followed with three. Senior Olivia Scalzitti notched one shot, which tied with a quartet of freshmen of Gowans-Smith, Corinne Doll, Tera Dolan and Emily Perez. Gowans-Smith was the lone member of the group to trouble Webster with a shot on goal.
"We did very well to get some goals today and our players stepped up our attacking presence," Anderson head coach Samar Azem said. "We have to give Brevard a lot of credit, they're a very well-organized team and their players forced us to adjust the way we play. Helena (Moore) finally broke the gates on the goals and I know that is a big weight off her shoulders."
Senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Neipp continues to rewrite the SAC history books as she climbed into a tie for seventh place all-time for career shutouts. Neipp made five saves on the day, as she is now in a four-way tie with a trio from Catawba with 21 complete shutouts (Kim Clayton (1999-02), Catherine Balentine (2002-05), Lindsay Webster (2008-11)). For her career, the Anderson, S.C. native carries 21.4 shutouts, as she has 5.1 clean sheets on the year.
"I'm very proud of Kaitlyn (Neipp) of moving up in the SAC record book and proud of our team for helping her get there," Azem said. "We will continue to build off our momentum and prepare for the weekend."
Anderson closes out its regular season road schedule on Saturday, Oct. 26 when it heads to Wingate. Kickoff from the WU Soccer Complex is set for 5 p.m.
