CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Southern soccer team has struggled to a 2-3 record in its last five games, but have one game remaining until Big South Conference play begins to build some momentum heading into the stretch run. The Buccaneers will travel to Florence, S.C., Sunday for a 2 p.m. matchup against Francis Marion University.
CSU owns a 1-1 record all-time against the Patriots, which includes a 3-2 overtime victory last season. The first game between the two teams was played in 2006 with the 2-1 decision going in favor of Francis Marion.
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The Patriots are currently 1-9-1 this season, with a 1-2-1 at their home pitch. The lone victory was a 1-0 triumph Sept. 13 over fellow Big South opponent Presbyterian College. Since the win, FMU has been unable to find the back of the net since the win over PC, being outscored 10-0 in the last four games. Two of those losses came this week to Liberty University (4-0) and Winthrop University (2-0).
Amanda Hall (2g-0a=4p) leads the team in both goals and points, and Jennifer Dyer (0g-2a=2p) leads the Patriots in an assists. Angela Salem (1g-1a=3p) is the team leader with 13 shots, and Rebeccah Hoekstra (1g-1a=3p) is right behind her with 11. Kiley Williams also has a goal and an assist this season.
Goalkeeper Casey Durham has played 740:00 in net and owns a 3.04 goals against average. She is 1-6-1 with two shutouts and a .667 saves percentage.
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Charleston Southern is 6-3 this season, and will start Big South Conference next weekend. The Buccaneers are 1-3 on the road this year, including losses to Longwood University (2-1 overtime), South Carolina State University (3-2 double overtime) and College of Charleston (3-0). Despite starting off with a 4-0 record, CSU has gone 2-3 in its last five outings.
The team is fifth in the country with a 3.44 goals-per-game average.
The offensive juggernaut is buoyed by Marky Boyce (5g-6a=16p), who has already surpassed her career high in assists. Sarah Catenacci (6g-2a=14p) has now scored six goals in all four seasons as a Buc, and Michelle Dennis (5g-3a=13p) is one assist shy of tying her career high.
Morgann Wood (5g-2a=12p) is leading all freshmen in the conference in scoring, and Caitlin Wesnesky (4g-4a=12p) is one shy of career highs in goals and points, and has already notched her career high in assists. Jen Vroman (4g-1a=9p) has doubled her career high in goals. Vroman played in CSU’s loss to College of Charleston, her first action since being injured Sept. 9 at The Citadel.
Entering the week, the five double-digit scorers were all in the top five in the Big South Conference in points with Vroman sitting in seventh. All six were in the top five in the conference in points per game and they were all in the top six in goals.
Boyce was 25th in the country in points per game (2.0), and all six were in the top 100. Catenacci was 40th in the country in goals per game (0.75), and all but Wesnesky were in the top 75. Boyce was eighth in the entire nation in assists per game (0.75) and Wesnesky was 60th (0.50).
Boyce, Catenacci, Dennis, Wood, Wesnesky, Rebecca Hollstegge, Olivia Urig, Casey Bolduc, Lindsey Trexler and Emily Danchak were all top five in the conference in assists and were all top seven in assists per game.
Boyce is first in the Big South with three game-winning goals, and Wesnesky is third with two.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Budros has played 695:30 in net, and she owns a 1.42 goals against average. She is 5-3 with one shutout and a .656 saves percentage.