ANDERSON, S.C. - On a day four seniors were playing their final home regular-season contest, Anderson University women's soccer made Senior Day memorable as it knocked off Lincoln Memorial, 2-0, Saturday afternoon for Homecoming at Trojan Stadium.
With the victory, the Trojans conclude their regular season with a perfect 7-0 record inside Trojan Stadium on the season, out-scoring their opponents at home, 23-2. Overall, AU boasts a 13-3 overall mark with a 7-3 record within the SAC. The Lady Railsplitters, who have just one victory for the month of October, drop to 4-8-3 on the year with a 2-6-2 record inside the conference.
"To get the win today and be unbeaten at home is an outstanding achievement," Anderson head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "We were restless in spells, but the quality shone through in the end and it's a deserved three points. I'm delighted for the seniors that they get to enjoy this moment and help us set standards for the future of our program."
Anderson posted 13 shots for the match to mirror LMU's total on the afternoon. Three Trojans fired two shots for the match, as senior Mariana Poveda, junior Idoia Agirre and sophomore Abbey Mills all led the team with a pair of shots apiece. Agirre, Mills, Jaclyn Kubiak, Lexxi Longmore and Megan Foster all placed a shot on frame.
In the 17th minute, the Black and Gold struck first when Poveda, who was playing in her final regular-season match at Trojan Stadium, saw her shot deflected inside the LMU box. Off the deflection, the ball found the feet of Foster who chipped in her fifth goal of the season to put the home side ahead, 1-0. For Poveda, the assist was her fourth of the season.
The goal would take the match into the halftime break and the AU backline consisting of the play of Kubiak, Faith Johannes, Sophie Riggs, Ali Palacios and Kristin Herbert preserved the clean sheet for the final 45 minutes. Anderson added its insurance goal in the 86th minute when a streaking Alaina Gay fed a pass into the LMU box and found an unmarked Agirre who fired in her 19th goal of the season.
"We had to dig deep for the second goal, but this group has continually done that all season," Traquair added. "I think our record this season is fantastic and I hope we can kick on from here."
With the two-goal advantage in the final four minutes, the Trojans held Lincoln Memorial without a shot for the remainder of the match to earn the 2-0 victory.
In goal, freshman Abby Helm corralled three saves for her 12th victory and fourth complete shutout on the season. On the opposite end, LMU's goalkeeper, Kayla Stephens, stopped four Anderson shots.
Anderson looks to close its 2015 regular season on a high note when it hits the road to Mars Hill for a SAC matchup next Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
