Senior defender Danielle Darius prepares to rip the ball in a match against Piedmont College (Ga.) The Eagles shut out the Lions 3-0 on Sept. 21. Forrest Martin/Senior Staff
The Emory women’s soccer team continued its strong form this weekend with two wins against Piedmont College (Ga.) on Sept. 21 and Huntingdon College (Ala.) on Sept. 23, improving to a 6-2 season record.
Starting off the weekend, the Eagles shut out the No. 24 Piedmont Lions 3-0.
Freshman midfielder Arielle Williamson led the Eagles after coming off the bench in the 27th minute to record a brace. Sophomore midfielder Samantha Hilsee bagged a goal as well.
The Eagles survived an onslaught of scoring chances from the Lions within the first minutes of the game. But due to two goal line saves by Emory senior goalkeeper Dani Staffin and a shot deflection off the Eagle crossbar, the contest remained scoreless.
Williamson opened the scoring in the 39th minute off a rebound from freshman forward Rachel White. Hilsee added her goal soon after the halfway mark from a pass into the box from junior forward Shivani Beall. Williamson secured the team’s victory with a final goal in the 70th minute.
The Eagles followed the victory two days later with a strong performance against the Huntingdon Hawks and a 6-0 victory that dragged the Hawks down to a 3-3-3 season record.
Hilsee impressed again for the Eagles, scoring two goals. Huntingdon only had one shot on goal, in stark contrast to the Eagles’ 17.
Senior forward Abbe McCarter notched the only goal of the first half, and her fourth of the season, off an assist from Beall.
Head Coach Sue Patberg said the team took needs to work on its starting speed.
“We started off too slow [and] casual,” Patberg said. “We are definitely working through that.”
Senior forward Abbe McCarter chases the ball at home on Sept. 21. Forrest Martin/Senior Staff
But the floodgates opened soon after the second half whistle. Hillsee scored two goals in the 48th and 58th minutes with assists off passes from sophomore defender Caroline Moore. In the 63rd minute, Beall found the goal, her fourth of the season. Junior defender Paige Santee and sophomore defender Jordan Fitzgerald finished off Huntingdon at the end of the second half with two late goals.
Emory goalkeepers Staffin, junior Haley Pratt and freshman Ellen Ziaja, along with the rest of the defensive unit, helped the Eagles win their fifth shutout of the season.
Both games have been blowouts, a stark contrast from the games earlier in the season.
Hilsee, recently named UAA Women’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week, talked about the major difference in preparation for the games.
“Our coaches have been really trying to [practice] drills dealing with crossing and [correcting] certain movements of the forwards,” Hillsee said.
The Eagles hope to continue their three-game winning streak on Sept. 29 as they face Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) in the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference opener.
Hilsee anticipates that this next game will be a big test.
“We are [going] to have a solid week of practices and try to combat the physicality of Wash U,” Hillsee said.
Patberg added that the team will need to play with more urgency in the opener.
“We have to come out battling from the very first second,” Patberg said. “There’s been too many close calls.”
