Pirates Prep For VCU

Match 6: VCU (4-1-0) at East Carolina (3-2-0)
Date	Sunday, September 5
Time	1:05 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Johnson Stadium)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Live Video \| ECU Match Notes
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUsoc Instagram: @ECUSoc Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After back-to-back one-goal wins, the East Carolina soccer team will try to make it three in a row when the Pirates host VCU on Sunday afternoon in Johnson Stadium.

"VCU is a very good team and they're playing well right now," said Head Soccer Coach Jason Hamilton. "They have a lot of experience and it shows. We know what to expect with them, they are physical, they work hard and they won't make many mistakes. We have to match them in all of those areas."

East Carolina has been a second-half team so far this season, outscoring opponents 7-4 after halftime and that showed in a sweep of the Big South Regular Season and Tournament Champions. First, a Maycie McDougal goal in the 82th minute earned the Pirates a 2-1 win at High Point followed by a game-winning goal in the 77th minute from Kim Sanford to lift ECU to a 1-0 win over Campbell. With Sanford's goal, which Abby Sowa earned an assist on, the Pirates now have nine different goalscorers on their first nine goals of the season and 12 players have already recorded either a goal or an assist. Of those nine goalscorers, only Grace Doran, Tori Riggs and Sanford had scored prior to this season.

On the defensive end, the Pirates had one of their best performances of the season against Campbell. ECU allowed just three shots from the Camels, none of which were on goal, en route to recording the second shutout of the season. The Pirate defense had been mostly formed by Maeve English in the goal, with Addison Salz, Abby Sowa, Kim Sanford and Morgan Dewey all playing more than 300 minutes along the backline. Alexia Moore and Sierra Lowery have provided defensive solidity in the midfield, with both rotating at the defensive midfield role.

VCU (4-1-0) has ridden its defense to a solid start to the season. The Rams have back-to-back road wins, beating Liberty 2-1 and Old Dominion 2-0, after falling to Wake Forest 2-0. VCU has done it by allowing just 0.80 goals per game, a number that drops to 0.50 in the four victories. The Rams stout defense has allowed the offense to pick its spots, as the Rams have scored just seven goals in their five games. Samantha Jerabek leads the way with a goal and a team-high three assists. Emma Kershner and Aileen Guthrie have both scored a pair of goals, with Guthrie's coming in just 136 minutes of action. In the goal, Grace Young has started all five games and made 11 saves for a save percentage of .733.

VCU holds the advantage in the all-time series, going 7-3-1 against East Carolina, although ECU is 3-2-0 at home in the series. The Pirates will be looking for revenge after the Rams took a 3-1 win on Feb. 20, 2021. The Rams went up 2-0 in that game before Dewey pulled one back for the Pirates. But a tally from Anna Bagley sealed the win for VCU. It was the first time the two schools met since 2010 meaning this will be the first time the Rams and Pirates battle in Johnson Stadium, which opened in 2011. It will also be the second revenge game of the season for ECU, who fell to Old Dominion 2-1 in overtime earlier this season after losing to the Monarchs 1-0 in the 2021 spring season.

"We have to take advantage of being at home and it being a Sunday game," added Hamilton. "We know we have a lot of depth and will need that depth to carry us through this game."

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 p.m., at Johnson Stadium and admission is free for all fans. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Zach Berly on the call and fans can follow the live stats here.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Dewey

Grace Doran

Maeve English

Sierra Lowery

Maycie McDougal

Alexia Moore

Tori Riggs

Addison Salz

Kim Sanford

Abby Sowa

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