Lady Eagles Top Railhawks 1-0
Published on June 27, 2008 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release
(Charlotte, NC) - The Charlotte Lady Eagles hosted the Carolina Railhawks tonight at a rainy Restart Field on the campus of Charlotte Christian School. Nikki Lyons scored the lone goal of the match to give the Lady Eagles a 1-0 victory. With the win, Charlotte's record improves to 9-1-1, for 28 points, while the Railhawks drop to 4-4-1, for 13 points.
Charlotte carried most of the possession in the first half and had some periods of strong pressure resulting in several cornerkick opportunities. The Railhawks played conservatively, sitting in and looking for opportunities off the counter attack. The closest chance of the opening 30 minutes came when Railhawk midfielder Lindsay Vera picked off a Charlotte pass and fired a shot past Lady Eagles goalkeeper Laura Armstrong, but Vera's shot missed the target. Charlotte responded just minutes later with a nice combination between Kelly Schmedes and substitute forward Nikki Lyons down the right side. Lyons served the ball in for Charlotte attacking midfielder Lydia Vandenbergh, but Vandenbergh didn't muster enough power on the shot to beat goalkeeper Anna Rodenbough.
Schmedes helped create another positive attack for Charlotte, pushing in behind the Railhawk's defense. Schmedes hit a low driven cross into the congestion in front of the goal where both Lyons and Murphy had close attempts. Carolina goalkeeper Anna Rodenbough was there to deny the opportunities. Despite the late scoring chances the half ended at 0-0.
Charlotte opened the second half with two quality opportunities in the first ten minutes. Kelly Schmedes and Nikki Lyons continued to combine well together and had a great opportunity up the right flank. Then Lydia Vandenbergh sent a ball from distance that carried over Rodenbough and off of the crossbar.
Carolina's first chance of the second half came off a midfield giveaway, resulting in a good shooting chance for fresh substitute Carrie Patterson, but Laura Armstrong was up for the task in the Charlotte goal.
Charlotte finally broke through and put one on the scoreboard in the 74th minute off a Tina Murphy cornerkick. Murphy's kick found Nikki Lyons who got up for the header, directing the ball into the back of the net.
The game wore on with no significant scoring chances until a foul was called on the Lady Eagles on the end line, five yards from the edge of the 18 yard box. Laura Novikoff headed the cross away but Carolina's Ali Baker drilled a shot back toward goal, forcing a save by Armstrong. Carolina nearly tied it with a great chance in injury time. Ali Baker ran onto a ball that found its way through the Charlotte defense, but Baker's shot was put over the crossbar. The Lady Eagles fought off a late Carolina surge to preserve the 1-0 result.
The Lady Eagles and Railhawks will face each other again next week, this time at Carolina's home field. Charlotte's next home game is on Saturday, July 12th at Restart field. The Lady Eagles host the undefeated Atlanta Silverbacks Women, with kickoff slated for 7:00 pm.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 27, 2008
- Lady Eagles Top Railhawks 1-0 - Charlotte Eagles
- City Stars Host Richmond Saturday During University Hospitals And Kids Night - Cleveland City Stars
- Defending Open Cup Champs Host Kickers Tuesday - Richmond Kickers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
