ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Campbell University (3-2-0) women's soccer team shut out South Carolina State (0-3-0), on Saturday at the Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg, S.C.
"The game presented a lot of added challenges for us and I was very proud of the way our players responded to each challenge placed in front of us," said head coach
Samar Azem. "We kept up with the pace of play, were efficient with our decisions, and we found some ways to be more dynamic than we have been."
CU netted three goals in the opening frame and followed up with another one in the second half of play. Campbell had a balanced attacking front with four different Camels recording goals during the match.
Shelby Denkert,
Rosie O'Neal,
Alexa Genas and
Abby Major notched goals for the Orange and Black.
Campbell finished the game with 20 shots, including 10 on goal, to South Carolina State's three. In addition, the Camels secured 10 corner kicks over the course of the match, while the Bulldogs only had three.
The CU goalkeeper split the game, with
Erin Scott playing the first half and
Natalya Marcove entering the game for the second frame.
"I was really proud of the fact that both our keepers had a role in our shutout. They've both been working extremely hard. We called on Natalya in the second half to be exceptional with her distribution and she was," said Azem.
CU got off to a quick start against the Bulldogs, as Denkert put the Camels' on the board in the seventh minute of play. Genas served the ball into Denkert, who headed it into the back of the net for CU. This is the senior's third career goal, with her last coming against Presbyterian in 2016.
Following the opening goal, the Orange and Black continued to pressure the South Carolina State defensive line, with a multitude of scoring opportunities. Southern narrowly missed a shot to the back post in the 34th minute, while Genas had a one-on-one opportunity with the Bulldogs' keeper that was defended.
O'Neal notched her second goal of the season in the 38th minute to extend the Camels' lead to 2-0. Genas flicked the ball to O'Neal off a throw in, who beat her defender and the Bulldogs' goalkeeper to score.
Four minutes later, Genas rebounded
Abby Major's missed shot and put it in the back of the net for her second goal of the season.
Campbell came strong out of the half, with several close scoring opportunities in the first 10 minutes of action.
Major netted a goal of her own in the 59th minute of play for CU's final goal of the match.
Mackenzie Southern crossed the ball into Major, who one touched it into the back of the net for her first collegiate goal.
CU will return to training in the Creek in preparation for a match versus American on Friday at 4 p.m. in Washington, D.C. For the most up-to-date information about Campbell women's soccer, make sure to follow @GoCamelsWSOC on Twitter.
