Women's Soccer Downs Wingate to Advance to SAC Semifinals

SALISBURY, NC -- Junior Andrea Dunshie (Apex, NC/SW Raleigh HS) scored just before the half and Catawba held off visiting Wingate for a 1-0 win in the first round of the 2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament on Wednesday night at Frock Field.  The win improves the Catawba Indians to 13-4-2 and advances the Lady Indians into a Friday semifinal with top-seeded Carson-Newman at Rock Hill, SC.  Wingate falls to 11-4-3.

The teams produced just 16 shots on the night, but several by both teams nearly led to goals in the back-and-forth opening half.  Catawba’s Tasha Wilhelm (Mt. Savage, MD/Beall HS) hit the crossbar on a 25 yard shot just a minute into the match.  Another shot from Wilhelm in the 25th minute that was heading into the upper right corner was batted away by Wingate keeper Catie Avery (East Hampton, CT). 

Catawba keeper Lindsay Webster (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton HS) was also sparkling in the opening half.  She had three stops in the opening 20 minutes, including one from the six off the foot of Julia Zielinski (Erie, PA).  The best chance for Wingate came in the 35th minute as she stopped a breakaway from Jenni Barbett (Severn, MD).

The Lady Indians finally broke the deadlock a minute before the half as Dunshie took a pass from Kristen Girardi (Asheville, NC/N. Buncombe HS/W. Carolina) and poked a shot from around 10 yards under the Wingate keeper.  The Catawba defense made the goal hold up, holding Wingate to just three shots in the second half.  Webster stopped the best chance as she snared a low cross before it got to an unmarked Wingate player at the back post.

Webster recorded her sixth shutout of the season and made six saves.  Avery had three saves for the Bulldogs.  The win marked the 12th straight for Catawba over Wingate with 11 coming by shutout.  Of those 11 shutouts seven have now been 1-0.