Tulane University
Charlotte
Women's Soccer Tops Defending C-USA Champs
Sep 28, 2003 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 28, 2003
NEW ORLEANS, La. - - Sophomore Jessica Mendez scored on a long break-away to lift the Tulane women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Charlotte at the Westfeldt Facility on Sunday.
Tulane posted its second straight win to improve to 6-3-1 overall and 3-1-0 in Conference USA play. The win was Tulane's fourth in its last five contests and was the Wave's second consecutive shutout. The victory was also Tulane's first-ever win over the 49ers. Charlotte, last season's Conference USA regular season champion, drops to 1-8-1 overall and is 0-3-1 in league action.
"Mendez's goal was just a great individual effort on her part," Tulane head coach Betsy Anderson said. "She has such a great work rate, so we have been asking her to really pressure the other team's defenders when they have the ball. It paid off with a fantastic goal today."
Mendez's game-winner started with what was almost a Charlotte throw in deep in the Tulane end of the field. But Green Wave freshman Jessica Traver saved the ball from going out of bounds, and her clearance fell at the feet of a 49er defender standing near midfield. Mendez's pressure paid off as she stripped the ball from the Charlotte player and raced in on goal from the right wing. She cut the ball to her left past another Charlotte defender at the top of the box, and blasted a shot into the back of the net beyond the reach of 49er goalkeeper Lauren Dansby at the 70:52 mark.
"This was a huge win for us," Anderson said. "Their record right now doesn't really tell the whole story of how good of a team they are. At this point last season they were the No. 9 team in the nation."
The Green Wave had a 17-9 edge in shots, including a 10-4 edge in the second half. Green Wave goalkeeper Megan Morey was called on to make seven saves, including two stops that would have prevented sure goals. Senior Asia Simons held reigning Conference USA Player of the Year Courtney Crandall to just one shot, and that from well outside the 18-yard box on a free kick. Tulane also held a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
Each team nearly scored a goal barely 10 minutes into the contest. A Jackie Obert header from a Jaclyn Benjamin corner kick sailed just over the crossbar before Morey did well to deny Charlotte's Kim Moore a chance from inside the six-yard box just over a minute later. Kelley Smith also looked to have a goal for Tulane, but her shot at an open net was cleared off the goalline by a Charlotte defender with just five minutes remaining in the first half.
Tulane returns to action next Sunday, as the Green Wave travel to face in-state rival UL-Lafayette.
