Final Stats
CONWAY, S.C. - Senior Shelby Evans scored with less than four minutes left in the first overtime period to give the Coastal Carolina women's soccer team a dramatic 2-1 victory over Longwood on Wednesday night in the Big South Conference opener at CCU Soccer Stadium.
Playing their first Big South opener at home in four years, the Chanticleers (4-5-1) won their conference lid-lifter for the first time since the 2008 campaign. Longwood fell to 4-4-1 with the loss.
Evans collected the first game-winner of her career and also assisted on Coastal's other goal of the game, scored by Kacey Kelley to give the Chants a 1-0 lead in the first half. It was Kelley's sixth goal of the season. Ellie Taylor assisted on Evans' goal and Amber Adams also had a helper on the tally by Kelley.
Longwood tied the game in the 58th minute to force the game past regulation. Neither team recorded a shot in the extra period until Evans' goal. Taylor got the ball on the left wing and sent a nice ball into the near side of the 18-yard box. Evans was there along with a Longwood defender, but the Chanticleer volleyed the ball past the Lancers' goalkeeper and put it in the empty net for the victory.
Coastal dominated possession in the first half, holding an 8-0 shot advantage and finished the game with a 14-8 edge. Following its tying goal, Longwood mounted a flurry of offense and totaled six shots on goal, while the Chanticleers had five. Each team had four corner kicks.
Kelley had all seven of her shots in the first half, putting three on goal and hitting the top of the right post with one long attempt before breaking through in the 42nd minute. Adams chased a ball down near the left corner and sent a cross from the end line to Evans near the top right corner of the box. Evans one-touched a pass ahead to Kelley and she put a high shot into the right side for her 22nd career goal.
Coastal had a couple of early attempts in the second half before Longwood found some space down the left side of the Chant defensive half. In the 57th minute, Christina Corbin got behind Coastal defenders and was alone with goalkeeper Becca Austin, but the sophomore came out to get a piece of Corbin's shot with her hand as she was diving.
However, just over a minute later Gina D'Orazio got loose in a similar spot. Austin again came out to try and make the stop but D'Orazio was able to just beat her and get off a shot. With the ball heading toward the goal, sophomore Mikayla Williams was able to get to it before it crossed the line, but her attempt to clear hit the oncoming Corbin and went back into the net.
The goal gave the Lancers momentum and they controlled the next 10 minutes of play, but Austin came up with three of her five saves during that stretch to keep it tied. She went on to collect her first career win.
Coastal regrouped and controlled most of the play the last 15 minutes of regulation and eventually notched its second overtime victory of the season and improved to 11-1 in conference games at home since 2012.
The Chanticleers are off this weekend before returning to action Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Gardner-Webb. They follow that with consecutive home games against High Point and Presbyterian.
