STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's soccer notched a pair of second-half goals off of corner kicks to collect a 2-0 victory over visiting Kennesaw State on Thursday evening at Tormenta Stadium in Statesboro.
The win was the first of the year for the Eagles (1-2), while Kennesaw State falls to 0-3 on the young season. Georgia Southern will return to action on Thursday, August 29, hosting Mercer at 5 p.m. at Bo Pitts Field on the GS campus.
The Eagles held a 12-3 edge in shots in the first half, but neither team could find the back of the net. The breakthrough for Georgia Southern came in the 61st minute as a corner kick from Erin Wilkins was headed by a KSU defender to Smith Cathey on the far post. Cathey headed it towards goal, and both Addison Comer and Ansleigh Crenshaw skied for the ball. Comer appeared to get the last touch on the ball, putting it in the net for the 1-0 lead.
Just over three minutes later, the Eagles had another corner kick. Wilkins' corner this time found the head of Claire Casey on the near post, who flicked the ball with her head to the far post. Smith Cathey headed it in for her third goal of the season and the 2-0 advantage.
Georgia Southern finished the match with a 21-6 edge in shots over the Owls. Katie Oakley made three saves in net to notch the shutout, while KSU goalkeeper Charlee Bernal made six saves for the Owls. Georgia Southern held an 8-2 edge in corner kicks and the Eagles were whistled for 10 fouls and three offsides, while the Owls were charged with five fouls and two offsides.
"When you come back from Hawai'i, you're just worried about getting your legs under you," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said. "We just had to make sure we were organized and not leave any gaps. I think we did a good job defending and only allowing three shots in the first half. We still had our legs after halftime and we found ourselves growing into the game, being able to press in the second half and as we've done in the past, we found a pair of goals off of set pieces. Great performance to just stay organized and find a way to get a win."
