ANDERSON, S.C. - Managing just one shot for the final half, Anderson University women's soccer fell short of snapping a setback streak, dropping to South Atlantic Conference rival Lenoir-Rhyne, 2-0, Friday afternoon at Trojan Stadium.
With the loss, the Trojans fall to 4-6-1 on the season and 2-4-1 in conference play with four conference matches remaining on the schedule. The Bears, who entered the unusual Friday matchup ranked No. 8 in the weekly National Soccer Coaches of America Association/Continental Tire Southeast Region Poll, improve to 8-3-1 overall and 6-1 in the SAC. The win marks their fourth straight victory on the year, outscoring their opponents 10-2 in the span.
After AU kept up with Lenoir-Rhyne in the opening 45 minutes, seeing the shot tally at 6-5, the LR offense proved to be the difference, rattling off 12 shots in the final period, compared to AU's one. Junior Emily Cowan and freshman Lyssa Engle paced the Trojans with two shots apiece, while junior Faith Johannes and sophomore Jaclyn Kubiak each posted one shot for the day.
With the 18 shots, the Bears sent 13 of them on goal, highlighted by their two goals. Substitute Hallie Hilliard recorded both of LR's goals for the day, as she scored in both halves. The goals were her first and second tallies of the year.
In the 27th minute, defender Lizzie McNamara sent a long ball down the right sound and found a streaking Hilliard. From there, Hilliard shook the near-post with a shot and it bounced past AU goalkeeper Sadie Lancaster to put the visitors on the scoreboard.
Following the halftime whistle, Hilliard stuck again as she found an open space in the Anderson box and received a pass from teammate Garcelle Alequine. With the room to move freely and Lancaster coming out of her goalkeeping box, Hilliard beat Lancaster on the short side and gave Lenoir-Rhyne its insurance goal.
For the day, Lancaster posted 11 saves, marking the first time this season the sophomore has tallied 10 or more for a contests. On the opposite end, LR goalkeeper Alayna Morris notched three saves and earned her third complete shutout on the year.
"We got the maximum from our ladies today, but it wasn't enough to get the result against a solid Lenoir-Rhyne team," Anderson head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "They are at the top of the conference for good reason. I couldn't ask more of my players over the past few days and they deserve a rest before we look to get back on track next week."
Anderson returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 15 when it steps away from conference play to travel to Lander. Kickoff from Greenwood is scheduled for 7 p.m.
