UNCW Women's Soccer Team Upset In CAA Tourney

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Freshman Gabbi Jatkola scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute to lift sixth-seeded Northeastern to a 1-0 win over UNC Wilmington on Tuesday at the UNCW Soccer Stadium in Colonial Athletic Association women’s soccer tournament action.

With the win, the Huskies (11-8-1) advanced to the semifinals on Friday when they will take on second-seeded James Madison at 4:30 p.m. The next two rounds will be played at top-seeded William & Mary this weekend. The Seahawks concluded their season with a 12-7-1 record.

“We created chances for ourselves, but we were unable to find the back of the net,” said UNCW head coach Paul Cairney. “Northeastern’s keeper, (Stephanie )Gordon, played well in goal and once they had the lead, they made it hard for us to break through.”

Jatkola gathered a loose ball on the leftside and worked toward the middle of the field. At the top of the penalty area, she fired off a shot that deflected off a UNCW defender and inside the far post at the 18:29 mark. The goal was her fifth of the season and her second game-winner.

UNCW held a 21-5 advantage in shots, but freshman Stephanie Gordon posted nine saves in recording her sixth shutout of the season. Four of those saves came in the second half as UNCW pushed for the equalizer. Freshman Erin Pardini led UNCW with five shots.

The Seahawks, who owned a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks on the evening, posted six corner kicks in the second half, but the Husky defense held strong and maintained its lead.

Volleyball Team Drops 3-0 Decision

Sophomore Chelsy Kimes recorded a game-high 10 kills and added eight digs to lead Coastal Carolina to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 26=24) victory over UNC Wilmington in collegiate volleyball action Tuesday at Hanover Hall.

The Chanticleers improved to 21-8 overall while the Seahawks dropped to 6-19 on the season.

Kimes was the only play in double figures for CCU, who posted a .176 hitting percentage in the match. Sophomore Megan Bickford pitched in seven kills while junior Jill Nyhof and Amanda Russell chipped in six kills each. Senior Brett Starbuck tallied a game-high 16 digs while junior Meagan Tracey dished out 31 assists.

Senior Megan Nash recorded six kills to lead UNCW, who was limited to a (.010) attack percentage. Sophomore Kelli Clear added five kills while sophomore Kimberly Freidl chipped in four. Junior Ashlyn Morris and freshman Kelsey Bendig both tallied nine digs apiece while Bendig doled out 19 assists to finish just shy of a double-double.

Kimes and Russell recorded four kills apiece in the opening game to lead CCU to a 25-16 victory as the Chanticleers combined for a .286 hitting percentage.

Coastal took game two, 25-12, as the Seahawks combined for 10 attack errors and a (.185) attack percentage in the set.

Game three was the tightest of the match, featuring 14 ties and eight lead changes. With the score knotted at 24-all, a ball-handling error by Nash and a Tracey gave CCU the 26-24 game-three victory and the match.

Both teams return to action Friday in 7 p.m. contests. UNCW hosts Virginia Commonwealth while Coastal Carolina is at Gardner-Webb. -Courtesy UNCW

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT