East Carolina University
Memphis
Memphis Tops Pirates 2-1
October 25, 2009 | Soccer
Oct. 25, 2009
Memphis Box Score | Photo Gallery
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Junior Bailey Wilcox scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season at 33:44 to give the East Carolina soccer team a 1-0 lead, but Memphis’ Taylor Isenhower scored twice in the second half to defeat the Pirates 2-1 Sunday afternoon. The loss drops ECU to 8-7-3 overall and 3-6-1 in Conference USA while Memphis improves to 13-5-0 and 8-2-0 in league action.
The game was the Pirates' final home contest of 2009 and the last game at Bunting Field for seniors Alexis Foltz and Jessica Swanson.
“We had some good moments today,” head coach Rob Donnenwirth said. “Our effort was always there. Memphis is a team that wears you down with its possession and that happened today.”
At the beginning of the game, neither team recorded a shot until Memphis’ Averi Hallman fired at 10:17 and missed wide. The Tigers’ Lizzy Simonin had the game’s first shot on goal at the 23:14 mark, but ECU junior goalkeeper Jen Kurowicki made the save.
The Pirates took the next three shots as Swanson, Wilcox and sophomore Jessica Woodward all had attempts between 23:49 and 27:20.
After Memphis’ offense responded with two shots of its own, including one on goal, Wilcox struck for the game’s first goal. She collected a loose ball in the box and pushed it past Tiger goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters. It was only the 13th goal Kuhar-Pitters had allowed all season.
The Pirates managed one more shot in the half while Memphis had three. At the end of the frame, the Tigers held an 8-6 advantage in shots as well as a 3-2 edge in shots on goal.
"We had some good chances and good looks," Donnenwirth said. "I really felt all along that we needed a second goal. Against Memphis, you have to be aggressive at all times."
The ECU offense came out firing in the second half, taking six shots within the first 13:30. Wilcox missed wide before freshman Chrissy Gratz took a shot that Kuhar-Pitters saved.
Sophomore Amanda Malkiewicz took an ECU corner kick at 48:33 and Foltz controlled the bouncing ball and shot from just inside the goal box. Kuhar-Pitters dove and made the save.
Malkiewicz nearly put the Pirates ahead 2-0 at the 55:05 mark when she took a shot from close range but was stopped as Kuhar-Pitters threw up her hands and made the save.
Isenhower scored her first goal of the contest at 63:15. Hallman took a shot and Isenhower controlled the bouncing ball and sent it past Kurowicki to knot the game.
The teams traded shots for the next 15 minutes with Memphis taking five and ECU recording two.
At 79:48 Simonin fired wide and the Tigers kept the ball deep in Pirate territory. Isenhower scored again at 80:52 off an assist from Lizzy Hildebrandt to give Memphis the 2-1 lead. Isenhower took the Hildebrandt pass from outside the goal box and lofted a shot over the outstretched hands of Kurowicki.
The Tigers kept the offensive pressure on, taking three more shots and allowing just one more to the Pirates, by junior Tricia Tufts, for the remainder of the contest.
Friday at 7 p.m., East Carolina plays its final regular season game, at Marshall. The Pirates have never lost to the Thundering Herd, going 3-0-1, including last season’s 3-2 victory that clinched the C-USA regular season title.
