Charleston, S.C. The Citadel women's soccer team hits the road for two games this weekend as they face Elon on Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at Rudd Field and then make the trip across town to battle rival College of Charleston on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. at Patriots Point. Live stats will be available for The Citadel vs. Elon match at CitadelSports.com.
The Citadel (1-13-1, 0-5 SoCon) vs. Elon (4-7-1, 1-2-1 SoCon)
Friday will mark the fourth meeting between The Citadel and Elon. The all-time series between the Bulldogs and Phoenix began in 2003 as Elon defeated the Dogs, 3-0. The Phoenix own a 3-0 record over the Dogs in the all-time series. Elon barely got out of Johnson Hagood Stadium last season with a win as The Dogs and Phoenix battled to two overtimes with Elon coming out on top, 3-2.
Scouting the Phoenix
The Phoenix are coming off a 3-2 victory over Chattanooga, their first SoCon win of 2006. Prior to that, Elon and Furman were unable to score in a 0-0 double overtime draw in Greenville, S.C. The Phoenix are 0-2 against league opponents at home this year, losing to UNC Greensboro and the College of Charleston. Two Elon strikers, Alisa Petitt and Molly Calpin, have a team-high three goals. Petitt scored two goals against Chattanooga to help Elon to their first league win. Petitt also leads the Phoenix in assists with two, sharing the honor with Jaclyn Immordino.
The Citadel (1-13-1, 0-5 SoCon) vs. College of Charleston (5-5-2, 3-1 SoCon)
The College of Charleston will face Western Carolina on Friday in Cullowhee, N.C. before returning to Patriots Point to host The Citadel. Sunday will mark the sixth meeting between the Cougars and Bulldogs. The Cougars hold a 5-0 advantage over the Bulldogs in the all-time series including a 4-0 win last season.
Scouting the Cougars
The Cougars are coming off a 1-0 victory over Wofford on Oct. 8 in Spartanburg, S.C. The College of Charleston is 3-1 in conference play with their only loss coming at the hands of Georgia Southern, 3-2 on Oct. 5. The Cougars hold a 1-4-1 record at Patriots Point with their single win coming against Gardner Webb, 2-0, in their first match of the season. Danielle Jordan leads the team with three goals and two assists for a total of eight points on the season. Chrissy Caruso is second with three goals and one assist.
The Bulldogs and the SoCon
The Dogs are still in search of their first Southern Conference victory as the young program has not been able to defeat a SoCon foe. The Bulldogs have, however, tied a conference opponent as they battled East Tennessee State to a 2-2 draw in 2004. Last season, the Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker to Elon in an overtime match at Johnson Hagood Stadium, 3-2. The Bulldogs came close to their first SoCon victory this season as they took Wofford to two overtimes and fell, 2-1 to the Terriers on Oct. 6 at WLI Field.
Ornelas Tops in the League
Freshman Rachelle Ornelas scored her sixth goal of the season against Wofford on Oct. 6 to send the match in overtime. Her six goals put her alone in first place in the Southern Conference in goals scored this season. Ornelas is also second in the league in points with 13. Her six scores also puts her name in The Citadel record books as she is fifth all-time in season goals, only one shy of Lauren Merchant and Kelly Pesterfield who are tied in fourth with seven. The all-time leader in season goals is Kelly Pesterfield who netted 17 in 2001. The freshman is also tied with Shawna Hartman in fifth place in career goals, while Miriam Crawford is in fourth with 11.
Bunnell Only Six Saves Away From Career Record
Senior keeper Brit Bunnell moved into the second spot all-time on The Citadel's career saves chart on Sept. 1 as she made four stops against VMI. Her career total is now 220 after recording five saves against Western Carolina. Bunnell is six shy of Angie Ellenwood who is first in career saves with 226.
