Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Behind its largest scoring output of the season, the East Carolina women’s soccer team defeated Francis Marion University, 3-0, Friday evening at the ECU Soccer Stadium.

The Pirates recorded their second shutout of the season, and their first since defeating Davidson, 2-0, in the season opener. East Carolina (3-2-2) outshot Francis Marion (0-5) 19-3 in the contest.

The first 30 minutes saw both sides fight for possession, where the Pirates took just two shots but held the Patriots to none. ECU broke through in the final five minutes of the first half when senior midfielder Katelyn Custer scored her first goal in a Pirate uniform in the 41st minute to give ECU a 1-0 edge.

Freshman midfielder Kelsey Reeves sent a long pass up the left sideline to junior midfielder Brett Thomas, who then settled the pass and crossed the ball into the box where it found Custer’s head and was ricocheted past a diving Francis Marion goalkeeper. ECU took the 1-0 lead into the intermission, where it held a 7-1 advantage in shots.

The Pirates and Patriots exchanged possessions for the first 13 minutes of the second half, before redshirt junior striker Lexi Miller fed a pass from the end line on the right side of Francis Marion’s goal. The ball was collected and settled by junior forward Stephanie Seagrave, who then buried a shot into the right corner of the net for her second goal of the season to give East Carolina a 2-0 lead in the 59th minute.

Relentlessly attacking the Patriots’ defense, ECU struck again just five minutes later when freshman midfielder Abby Noble sent a cross into the box from the left wing. Reeves gathered the cross and hammered a shot from the right side of the goal box and into the back of the net for her second tally of the season, giving the Pirates a 3-0 lead to round out the scoring on the night.

Junior goalkeeper Saundra Baron earned the victory and made one save in 72 minutes of action. Junior Ally Glover relieved Baron for the final 18 minutes of the game and also made one save. The Pirates also owned a 5-0 advantage in corner-kick attempts on the evening.

East Carolina will travel to Columbia, S.C., and take on 18th-ranked South Carolina (6-0-1) on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m.