Francis Marion women fall to Charlotte

FLORENCE, SC – Junior forward Macky Wingo scored on a 6-yard shot in the 20th minute and the Charlotte 49ers made that lone score stand up for a rain-soaked 1-0 victory over upset-minded Francis Marion University, Sunday afternoon (Sept. 26) in women’s soccer action.

Rain began in the second minute of the match and continued, torrential at times, throughout the contest.  Francis Marion drops to 2-10-1 with its third 1-0 loss of the year and second-in-a-row.  Charlotte improves to 7-3-0.

Wingo’s tally, her third of the year, came after Megan Minnix played a ball into the right side where Oni Bernard received the ball and whipped a short cross to the top of the 6-yard box.  Wingo took the pass and scored.

Charlotte outshot the Patriots 16-8 and took all seven of the match’s corner kicks.

Charlotte freshman goalkeeper Alex Kubrick made two saves en route to her third shutout of 2010.  FMU junior goalkeeper Casey Durham allowed the one score and made two saves in 28:15 before junior Lauren Vetock entered the match.  Vetock registered four saves.

Francis Marion nearly stunned the 49ers with a goal in the fourth minute.  Junior Kiley Williams stole an errant Charlotte pass and dribbled into the 18-yard box.  Her shot from the right side was partially stopped by Kubrick, but rolled behind her toward the goal line.  A Charlotte defender then attempted to clear the ball but knocked it off Kubrick, who then dove to smother the ball within a few yards of the goal.

Prior to her goal, Wingo nearly cored in the 17th minute, with two shot attempts within a 12-second span.  Her first attempt glanced off the crossbar.

In the second half, Francis Marion has several opportunities to score the equalizing goal. In the 50th minute, freshman Teri Courtis beat Kubrick to a through ball, but her shot toward the open net was from a tough angle and it rolled outside the right post.  In the 85th minute, freshman Yasmin Bunter took a feed from Williams in the penalty box, but her attempt was wide right, and then with 2:06 remaining, junior Erin Breen was wide left on a shot from 19 yards out.

Charlotte’s Bernard had a scoring opportunity in the 76th minute, but her shot that eluded Vetock rolled some 15 yards on the ground before glancing off the left post where it was then cleared by FMU defender Michelle Brown.

“I am very proud of the way the team preformed today,” said FMU head coach Joel Person. “We are making progress every time out.  To put ourselves in a position to tie or beat an opponent the quality of Charlotte is a good step forward.

“Among many who played well today, Adrienna Osorio-McKenna stood out.  She has been moved to the back line of defense and is filling that role well, extremely well today.”

Francis Marion will play host to South Carolina State University on Saturday at 4 p.m. on Sea-of-Red Day.