NEWBERRY, S.C. - Totaling its lowest shot total on the season, Anderson University women's soccer ran out of time to find its equalizer, falling to South Atlantic Conference and in-state rival Newberry, 1-0, Wednesday afternoon at the Smith Road Complex.
With the setback, the Trojans fall below .500 for the first time since the middle of September, as they drop to 4-5-1 on the year and 2-3-1 in conference play. The Wolves, who improved to 7-1-1 for the season, remain unbeaten against AU since the Black and Gold joined the SAC before the 2010 season, moving to 4-0-1 in the five-year span. With the three points, Newberry remains in first place in the SAC standings, improving to 5-1.
Four different Trojans tallied shots for the afternoon as juniors Faith Johannes, Mariana Poveda and Emily Cowan were joined by freshman Lyssa Engle, as the quartet each fired a shot apiece. Cowan and Engle were the only AU players who troubled Newberry goalkeeper Alexis Carrillo, who claimed her sixth clean sheet of the 2014 campaign with two saves.
The NC offense proved to be too much for the Trojans as the Wolves totaled 16 shots for the match with six coming on goal. The home side got its eventual game-winner in the 11th minute when senior Sabrina Serafin collected a loose ball at the top of the Anderson box. Serafin fired a shot past Trojan goalkeeper, Sadie Lancaster, for her fourth tally of the year.
"The goal was a mistake on our part and that is hard to swallow," Anderson head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "Newberry is a very physical side and will be a tough opponent for any team in the conference."
Serafin would eventually tie teammate Breanna Naranjo for a game-high four shots, as the tandem combined for half of the home side's shot total. Rachel Jonas followed with three shots, as she recoded a match-high two shots on goal.
"I thought we were better tactically than Newberry and were very good in possession," Traquair said. "We lacked a cutting edge, but gave everything we could for the 90 minutes. I'm confident we will be good enough to get results against these teams in the future, it just wasn't today."
Anderson returns to action on Friday when it returns to Trojan Stadium to face-off with Lenoir-Rhyne. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
