FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. Following a 10-day layoff, Methodist University women’s soccer returned to action with its first home contest of the 2024 season, hosting Guilford College on Wednesday evening. It was not the ideal opener the Monarchs pictured as they played a woman-down for 77 minutes, lightning in the area forced everyone off the pitch for over an hour, and then being shut out by the Quakers in the 2-0 loss.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Guilford def. Methodist, 2–0
Records: Methodist 1–3, Guilford 45–1
Location: Duggins Soccer Stadium; Fayetteville, North Carolina
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the 13th minute, Guilford Naomi Campbell looked like she was going to have a one-on-one situation with the Methodist keeper, but a tug on her jersey by a Monarch defender prevented her from reaching the ball. This prone the referee to issue a red card to that Methodist defender for denying a goal-scoring opportunity for N. Campbell.
- At that exact moment, the inclement weather rolled in and put the match on hold until lightning was out of the area.
- After the restart, both teams fired off a couple of shots but did not score until the 36th minute. Quaker goalie Adyson Franken had just picked up the ball inside her box before kicking the ball to midfield. A quick head flick by a Guilford player put the ball in the open field, and then a footrace between Emily Parker of the Quakers and a Monarch defender ensued. Parker was the first player to the ball, and from the top of the Methodist box, she chipped in a kick that went over the outstretched hands of Carolina Simpkins, Methodist’s keeper, and into the bottom right corner.
- Guilford would double its total number of goals in the 50th minute, with N. Campbell scoring on the play. A failed Monarch clear-out ended up at the feet of Quaker Mya Rivera, and she took a few steps before passing the ball off to N. Campbell, who was at the top of the Methodist box. A quick touch, turn, and shot hit the inside of the right-side post and into the net.
NUMBERS
- Guilford outshot the Monarchs by a 15 to six margin, including a 10 to one difference in the second half.
- Six different Methodist players took a shot with Kelsey Burge, Lola Campbell, Charly Oldham, and Camaryn Piper recording a shot on goal.
- In goal for the Monarchs was Simpkins, who registered a season-high eight saves while in net.
UP NEXT
Methodist is back in action on Saturday, September 21, with the team traveling to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to face the University of Mary Washington. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 PM.