East Carolina University
Tulsa
Soccer Tops Tulsa, 1-0
October 09, 2009 | Soccer
Oct. 9, 2009
TULSA, Okla. – Freshman Caty Butler scored the East Carolina soccer team’s only goal of the contest in the ninth minute, but it was enough as the Pirates defeated Tulsa 1-0 Friday night at the Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium. Butler has scored ECU’s game-winning goal in the team’s past two victories.
Freshman goalkeeper Berit Hansen made five saves, including one on a penalty kick in the first half, while recording her third solo shutout of the season.
The victory keeps the Pirates (8-3-2, 3-2-0 C-USA) undefeated against Tulsa (5-6-2, 2-3-0 C-USA) in series history at 4-0-0. This was the third consecutive meeting between the programs to have ended with a 1-0 final and all four games have been decided by one goal.
“That was a grind-it-out away win for our team tonight,” head coach Rob Donnenwirth said. “Our backs played well and Berit made a big save on the penalty kick.”
Butler’s shot from 12 yards away at 9:18 was ECU’s first of the contest. The unassisted score was her second of the season, both being game-winners in Conference USA matches.
“Our forwards hustled all night long,” Donnenwirth added. “Caty scored a good goal by purely hustling.”
Tulsa took the opening shot of the game at 4:11 but did not register another until Kayla Chambers had her attempt blocked at 25:50.
The Golden Hurricane had an opportunity to tie the game at 29:13 when Jennifer Kacergis received a penalty kick, but Hansen made the save. It was Hansen's first career save on a penalty kick.
Tulsa had another chance to score at 38:34 on a shot by Courtney Chadney, but Hansen tallied another stop.
The Pirate offense took control for the final seven minutes of the opening half, taking three shots with two being on goal. Senior Alexis Foltz fired two of the shots, one on goal, and junior Bailey Wilcox had the other.
At the end of the period, the statistics were nearly even as the Pirates recorded five shots to Tulsa's four. ECU also held a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal but the Golden Hurricane received two corner kicks to East Carolina’s one.
To begin the second half, each team recorded a shot on goal within the first four minutes, but both goalkeepers made saves. Pirate freshman Hali Oughton tallied the team’s second shot of the frame at 54:24, but Tulsa goalie Katie Bykowski made another stop.
Neither team had another scoring chance until 69:23, when TU's Shannon Locke took a shot that Hansen turned aside. At the 76:17 mark, Chambers headed the ball toward the goal, but Hansen made another save. It was the final shot of the night for the Golden Hurricane.
The Pirates took three shots from 77:55 to 80:17, two by sophomore Kendall Booth and the last by classmate Jessica Woodward, but could not score another goal. The two attempts by Booth were her first of the season and established a career high.
East Carolina finishes this weekend’s road swing with a 3 p.m. contest Sunday at SMU. The Pirates are 1-2-0 all time against the Mustangs, with the only victory in the series coming in last season’s 2-1 triumph.
