Boiling Springs, N.C. –
Anna Kate Highsmith's goal in the 89
th minute lifted Winthrop women's soccer to a 2-1 victory on the road at Gardner-Webb, Wednesday Night in Big South Conference action. Highsmith's goal was the second of two goals in the final nine minutes for the Eagles
Winthrop (3-2-2, 1-0-1 Big South) 2, Gardner-Webb (3-6-0, 1-0-0 Big South) 1
Sept. 22, 2021 | Greene-Harbison Stadium
Winthrop Starters: Giarrizzi (GK), Hocking, Mosquera, Perez, Gengler, Uptegrove, Meisten, Greene, Highsmith, Fudala, Pruitt
Gardner-Webb Starters: Kellogg (GK), Forde, Gossett, Holcombe, Turlington, Varga, Fish, Overfelt, Farias, Tanzier, Bradic
Scoring Summary
4' – GARDNER-WEBB – Tanzer (Farias, Turlington)
82' – WINTHROP – Uptegrove (Gengler)
89' – WINTHROP – Highsmith (Perez)
Game Recap
- Runnin' Bulldogs grabbed the early lead with a goal coming on a counter attack in the 4th minute
- Maddie Turlington dribbled the ball across midfield attacking the Winthrop defense, laid off a pass to Ximena Farias who then slipped a pass to an open Livi Tanzer in the box for the one-touch finish into the net
- Prior to the early goal for Gardner-Webb, Anna Kate Highsmith collected a ball on the Winthrop side of the field and then led a counter attack with numbers as she dribbled all the way until outside of the 18 and let a shot fly that was just off target to the left
- In the 8th minute, Haley Hocking intercepted a pass as Gardner-Webb tried to play out of the back and after a couple of touches lined up a shot from about 25 yards out to the left corner but Katelyn Kellogg was there for the save
- Izzy Giarrizzi kept it a one goal game in the 11th minute when Farias dribbled her way through traffic in the box and fired a low shot that was saved and cleared by the Eagles
- In the 23rd minute Valentina Mosquera played a pass ahead to Highsmith just beyond the center line and Highsmith dribbled with pace all the way into the box and hit a shot to the lower left corner but Kellogg was there to scoop up the ball for the save
- In the 28th minute the Eagles earned a free kick and Mosquera put a shot on from that was saved by Kellogg but gave up a rebound that was cleared away in time for a corner kick
- Eagles trailed at the break despite a 6-5 advantage in shots
- Winthrop had the first scoring threat in the second half as Jessica Gengler stepped in front of a pass and dribbled toward goal as she struck a shot from about 30 yards out to the left corner that Kellogg was able to move over and get in front of for the save
- In the 53rd minute Mosquera came up with a loose ball around the edge of the box, dribbled to her right to create space and hit a shot with good pace on frame to the right corner but Kellogg was positioned well and there for the save
- Eagles nearly caught a break in the 57th minute when Gengler fired a shot from about 25 yards out that hit a defender on the way and redirected toward the left side of the goal but Kellogg was able to change direction and make the diving save
- Winthrop dominated the first 15 minutes of the second half with a lot of pressure offensively but was unable to find the net
- Gardner-Webb had a good chance in the 62nd minute when Turlington let a shot go at the top of the box toward the left corner but Giarrizzi made the full extended save to her right
- Eagles caught a break in the 67th minute when Alisha Holcombe ran onto a through ball in the box and as Giarrizzi closed in she tried to curl a shot to the lower right corner that hit the post and came right back into the arms of Giarrizzi to keep it a one goal game
- Winthrop earned a free kick right outside the top of the box in the 71st minute as Mosquera stood over the ball but her shot sailed over the wall and the bar
- In the 75th minute Mosquera dribbled in the box toward goal near the end line and played ball back to Dee Burnett around the six and she struck a shot on frame that hit the side of a defender and went over the line for a corner
- Eagles had another great opportunity in the 81st minute off a corner as the service was long and eventually the ball bounced out toward the spot in open space as Laurin Uptegrove ran on but her shot was high over the bar
- In the 82nd minute the Eagles pushed the ball in transition as Mosquera received a pass outside of the box, worked her way to an open shot off her left foot that was curling toward the left corner as Kellogg got her finger tips on the ball to push it wide
- On the corner kick, Gengler put a ball right in front of goal that was headed home by Uptegrove for the equalizer in the 83rd minute
- Winthrop has been accustomed to overtime this season, but made sure the game had a chance to end in regulation as Highsmith scored in the 89th minute for the eventual game-winning goal
- Alex Perez dribbled down the left side and served a ball in front of goal between the keeper and behind the defenders as Highsmith came in at the back post and finished into the open net
Notables
- Winthrop avoided its fifth overtime game of the season with Highsmith's goal in the 89th minute
- Winthrop was 0-3-1 in the previous four meetings with the Runnin' Bulldogs and picked up their first win at Gardner-Webb since Oct. 4, 2017 in a 2-1 win
- Uptegrove and Highsmith become the 7th and 8th different goal scorers for the Eagles through six games
- For the third straight match, Giarrizzi tied her career-high with eight saves
Looking Ahead
The Eagles at home of their next contest when they host USC Upstate on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.
Follow Us On Social Media
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop women's soccer program follow the Eagles on Twitter (@WinthropWSoccer), Instagram (@WinthropWSoccer) and Facebook (/WUWomensSoccer)
