Columbia Soccer Weekend Recap
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Columbia College Fighting Koalas headed to Georgia this past weekend for a road trip to take on the Piedmont College Lions and the Reinhardt University Eagles.
In the first game on Thursday evening at Piedmont College, the Koalas got on the board first, just before the halftime break. Heather Moore took a pass from Clare Williamson and beat her defender before unleashing a strike from 35 yards out which bounced off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. Moore’s goal tied her for the team lead with Williamson and Jessica Martinez, whom all have nine on the season.
Columbia was able to fight off the Lions attacks and keep their one goal advantage until the 83rd minute, when Haley Grimes grabbed a loose ball on the edge of the box and fired a shot into the far post to make it 1-1. After a scoreless first overtime period, the Lions found the game winner off of a free kick, as Justine Clay floated a ball to the back post that went untouched into the net to end the game 2-1. Piedmont outshot the Koalas 23-12 on the day, with Elise Grider making 11 saves, while Piedmont keeper Marjorie Hammond had 6 saves for the Lions.
In the second match of the weekend on Saturday afternoon in Waleska, GA, a slow start ultimately turned out to be the difference for Columbia against the Reinhardt Eagles.
It took just 55 seconds for the Eagles to make it 1-0, as a cross from Elizabeth Waite from the left side was turned home by Katherine Amatulli. Two minutes later, it was 2-0, as Waite again provided the cross from which Krista Barikos fired a shot from the edge of the box into the bottom left hand corner. The Eagles lead was cut in half with 7 minutes remaining in the half, as good work from Williamson down the left meant Vicki May Workman found herself with the ball just in front of the Eagles goal, and she finished confidently to make the score 2-1 at halftime. The assist moved Williamson to 14 assists on the year, good enough for second in all of NAIA.
The Eagles bumped their advantage back to two with just 6 minutes gone in the second half, as Barikos struck a shot from 25 yards out that found the top corner, making it 3-1 Eagles. Columbia battled, and eventually found a second goal, as great work from Chelsea Whiteman found midfielder Emily Harris, who took a touch and then slotted home for her first goal of the season with just over 6 minutes remaining. The Eagles struck back immediately, however, as Waite got in on the scoring herself, off an assist from Jennifer Barcenas, to finish the scoring at 4-2.
Lauren Zarefoss and Elise Grider split time in goal for the Koalas, each allowing two goals, while Zarefoss recorded four saves and Grider three. Kaleigh Clarke had three saves in goal for the Eagles.
Columbia returns to action on Wednesday night in the first of two home games to end the regular season, as they take on St. Andrews Presbyterian College at Younts Field at 6 PM. Columbia enters the game with a 7-5-4 record and needs just one victory to guarantee a winning season.