ANDERSON, S.C. - Using a season-high 33 shots and two second half goals from sophomore Alaina Gay, Anderson University women's soccer sealed another Beville Cup point in favor of the Black and Gold with a 2-0 victory over archrival Erskine on "Kick ALS" Night on Wednesday at Trojan Stadium.
With the victory, the Trojans have won two of their last three contests and improve to 6-9-1 overall as they wrap up the regular season on Saturday. Erskine, which also closes its regular season on Saturday, falls to 3-11-1.
On an afternoon that saw the program raise more than $700 towards the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, Anderson cross the 30-shot plateau for the first time this season. Freshman forward Lyssa Engle totaled 13 shots for the afternoon, as she out-shot the entire Erskine squad for the match in the first 19 minutes. Following the freshman was junior Faith Johannes with six shots and Gay with five shots. Engle and Gay led the shot on goal category with four and three, respectively.
The Trojan attack began quickly in the first half, but was unable to find the back of the net despite recording 14 shots for the period. With the offense clicking, the AU backline held Erskine without a shot until the 44th minute when Jamie Morris pushed a shot wide.
In the second half, Anderson eventually found the scoreboard in the 75th minute after it rattled off 23 shots prior to the goal. A cross was sent into the Erskine box from the right side of the field and found the head of freshman Abbey Mills. Mills got just enough power on the header as the ball found the feet of Gay. With some space to move, Gay placed a shot past Erskine goalkeeper Ashton Burgess for the match's opening goal.
A minute later, Gay netted Anderson's insurance goal when Engle flicked a pass back to Gay who was just inside the Erskine box. Gay's one-timer went over the head of Burgess and into the top-right corner, as the goal handed the home side a 2-0 advantage. For Gay, the goal was her fourth of the season and for her collegiate career.
The Trojan defense held their archrivals to just one shot for the remainder of the match, clinching the win and the Beville Cup point for women's soccer. In goal, sophomore Sadie Lancaster claimed her third shutout of the year, making three saves in her sixth victory. Lancaster's counterpart, Burgess, closed the match with 11 saves.
"It's always nice to win your last home match, especially against our local rivals," Anderson head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "We were dominant in every area of the field and credit to Alaina Gay for breaking the deadlock in the second half. We have to be better in front of goal when creating so many chances. With the win, we head to Carson-Newman in high spirits."
With men's soccer's win over the Fleet on Sept. 17, Anderson has taken a 2-0 lead in the race to retain the prestigious Cup for a third straight year. The next point will be decided on Nov. 22 when both cross country teams go head-to-head at the NCAA Southeast Regionals in Montevallo, Ala.
Anderson returns to the pitch on Saturday when it travels to Carson-Newman. With a victory over the Eagles, the Trojans would secure the final spot in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, which begins on Nov. 4. Kickoff from the Volunteer State is scheduled for 5 p.m.
