East Carolina University
Old Dominion
Spitler's 59th-Minute Strike Sinks Old Dominion, 1-0
September 20, 2015 | Soccer
Box Score | Box Score 
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Junior forward Lana Spitler scored her fifth goal of the season in the 59th minute as East Carolina defeated Old Dominion, 1-0, in its non-conference finale Sunday afternoon at Johnson Soccer Stadium.
East Carolina (5-4-1) was led by Spitler's three shots and second game-winning goal of the season, while redshirt senior goalkeeper Saundra Baron made five saves in her fifth shutout of the season.
"I thought in the very beginning of the game, they were playing three backs and we were giving them lots of problems," Head Coach Rob Donnenwirth said. "When they switched to four backs, we just never really made good decisions going forward. It's never easy, but for us to get better we need to make the right decisions."
The first 45 minutes of action elapsed without much drama, as ECU maintained possession from the defense to the midfield, but could not put together many scoring opportunities. Old Dominion (2-7) earned a few opportunities of its own with a handful of corner kicks, but the Pirate back line remained stout in thwarting any serious threats.
The Monarchs held a 4-3 edge in shot attempts and a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks, while Baron made three saves for East Carolina.
The second half was played at a much faster pace, as the Pirates began to establish its offense in the final third of the field, inside Old Dominion's defense. Just 14 minutes into the period, the Monarchs' back line began to push the ball out of their area, when Spitler made a charge at the center back. The defender failed to clear the ball, as the ball deflected off Spitler and on a direct angle approximately 12 yards out from the far goal post. The Montoursville, Pa., native settled, then placed a shot perfectly into the near-side corner of the net and past a diving goalkeeper for the game's only goal.
The final 20 minutes of the match was a complete defensive effort by ECU, as Old Dominion earned numerous chances to score an equalizer, but came up empty.
The Pirates were outshot, 11-6, overall, including 7-3 in the second half, while the Monarchs owned a 10-2 advantage in the corner kicks department.
East Carolina will open American Athletic Conference play at Houston on Thursday, Sept. 24. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
