BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Campbell University (1-1-0) women's soccer team earned its first victory of the 2017 campaign, a 1-0 win over Appalachian State (0-2-0) at the Eakes Athletic Complex on Sunday afternoon. This is the fourth consecutive season in which the Fighting Camels have won the home opener in the Creek.
"We had 48-hours to recover," said head coach Samar Azem. "We played a bigger, faster, stronger team in the College of Charleston on Friday. When you're in that environment, it comes down to a lot of grit and being very efficient tactically because you want to conserve as much energy as you can."
Azem continued, "I was really proud of the girls. App State is a tough team to play. They are a really, really physical team. They are also very experienced. They were starting eight seniors. Our girls did a great job."
Haley Thoma earned a penalty kick after being toppled by App State keeper Lauren Burke in the 50th minute of play. Thoma connected on the PK, sending the ball past Burke's outstretched arms into the back of the net. This was Thoma's second career goal as a Fighting Camel, with her first coming against USC Upstate on Sept. 11, 2016.
It was a game of firsts for the Camels' on Sunday, as Samar Azem earned her first career win as head coach and first-year goalkeeper Erin Scott earned her first win at CU after recording a clean sheet against the Mountaineers.
"Our team just got the first win of the season. That's really all it means to me. I'm proud of them. They were the ones out there in the heat doing the work. It's really not about me. It's about their first win, and it's exciting that I get to be a part of that," said Azem.
CU relied on 21 different players during the match to give the starters some much needed rest after playing a tough game against the Cougars less than 48-hours earlier. According to Azem, she is still trying to find the top 16 players for this year's Camel squad, which will play on a more consistent rotation.
"We've been able to do well with the parity in our roster, and we definitely needed to give some more players time today to rest," said Azem. "It's also great because everyone is so bought in to what we're trying to do that when we put our subs in they understand what they need to do tactically. Everyone's building, everyone's moving forward, but we're still pretty young so we're finding our identity."
With the win, CU's record against Appalachian State stands as 6-2-2, and it is the first victory against the Mountaineers since 2000, a 2-0 victory for the Camels to open the season.
Campbell was strong on the attack throughout the entire match, as the team fired away 12 shots, including two on frame. The young Camel squad showed improvement from Friday's match, when the team recorded seven total shots. CU's backline held strong in the midst of a talented Mountaineer attacking front, holding App State to only seven shots, only two of which were on goal.
The Fighting Camels came out of the gate with a lot of energy, notching five shots in the first 15 minutes of play in the Creek. Alexa Genas narrowly missed out on her first goal of the season, striking the ball from the top of the box, but it sailed just over the top of the goal post. Skylar Wilcox had a stellar first half for CU, firing away four shots, but they were all fended off by the Mountaineer defense.
App State also had a few goal-scoring opportunities in the first half, as the Mountaineers had four shots during the opening frame. Lindsey Tully had an on-target shot from inside the box in the 37th minute of play, but Scott made a diving save to the upper left hand corner of the goal to keep the match scoreless towards the end of the half.
The Mountaineers got off to a fast start in the second half, as 6'0" attacker Sharon Osterbind got off a shot from inside the box that missed just left of the goal. In the 50th minute of play, Campbell recorded its first goal of the 2017 campaign when Thoma capitalized on the penalty kick to give CU a 1-0 lead.
Campbell remained strong on the attack during the latter part of the second half, as the App State squad has a reputation of being extremely resilient when trailing. During the last 30 minutes of the game, Wilcox, Rosie O'Neal and Shelby Denkert all recorded shots, but they could not manage to find the back of the net to extend the lead. Scott and the Camel defense played tough in the final frame, fending off two shots and several free kick opportunities for the Mountaineers.
Following two games in 48-hours, the Fighting Camels will have a week off prior to hosting Chicago State on Sun., Aug. 27 at the Eakes Athletic Complex. The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in Buies Creek. For the latest information on Campbell women's soccer, make sure to follow @GoCamelsWSOC on Twitter.
