BOX SCORE // UPDATED STATS
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer opened the 2012 season with a 2-0 victory over Stetson in a match that took seven and a half hours to complete due to two lightning delays on Sunday afternoon. Senior Morgan Springer opened the scoring in the first quarter of an hour, while freshman Stephanie Gratto made the lead 2-0 just after halftime. In the final half hour, a pair of lightning delays pushed the final whistle to 8:25 p.m. as the Eagles improve to 1-0 to start the year.
“It was a tremendously long day with those two weather delays,” said Head Coach Lindsey Vanderspiegel. “We defiantly battled today. It’s a very tough thing to play, then sit on a bus for three and a half hours, warm up again and sit again. I’m very proud of the effort of the team to keep mentally and physically focused for that amount of time.”
The Eagles needed just 15 minutes to score their first goal of the season. A cross by Alex Murphy from the left side of the box found senior Morgan Springer free inside the six-yard box. Springer one-touched the ball into the back of the net for her second career goal and first since the 2010 season.
Freshman Stephanie Gratto doubled the Georgia Southern advantage just seven minutes after the halftime interval. Courtney Collins took a shot from 12 yards out that was deflected into space by the Stetson goalkeeper. Gratto was on hand to score the goal from just two yards out.
In the 61st minute the Eagles earned a penalty as Zoe Van Gorder was taken down in the box. Emily Archer took the spot kick which was saved by Stetson’s goalkeeper. The rebound came back to Archer, but the referee’s whistle blew before she could score the second-chance attempt.
The notorious central Florida weather played its part in the 64th minute when a lightning delay brought a halt to the match. The team’s returned to the field after a delay of nearly four hours.
The match resumed for three minutes before another storm moved through the area, bringing on another delay which lasted an hour and a half.
Georgia Southern killed off the final 23 minutes to take the 2-0 victory, Southern’s first in a season-opener since 2008. Sunday’s match, the first regular-season contest in the Stetson Soccer Complex, dropped the Hatters to 0-2 on the year.
The Eagles are back at home this weekend with a pair of matches at Eagle Field. GSU faces Gardner-Webb on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. Southern faces High Point on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
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