STATESBORO, Ga. – The Coastal Carolina women's soccer team earned its first Sun Belt Conference win since October 2022, beating the Georgia Southern Eagles, 2-1, on Thursday afternoon in Statesboro, Ga.
With the win, head coach Jo Chubb picked up her first ever Sun Belt Conference victory at the helm of the Chanticleers as the Women in Teal improved to 5-4-3, 1-1-1 Sun Belt on the season.
The Chants got on the scoreboard in the 8th minute when freshman Eleanor Ashton belted a free kick off the crossbar and in to record her third goal of the season and make the score 1-0.
Coastal added to its total in the 24th minute when Ashton ripped a shot on goal which was palmed away by the Georgia Southern keeper. The rebound then fell to the right foot of Tamlyn Parkes who made no mistake in smashing the ball into the top right corner to put CCU up 2-0.
The Eagles outshot the Chants 4-0 in the remaining 20 minutes of the first half and had a penalty kick call overturned, allowing Coastal to hold on to its 2-0 lead.
In the 56th minute, Georgia Southern looked to get back in the match when Smith Cathy slotted the ball into the bottom right corner, but the goal was disallowed on an offside call to keep the score at 2-0.
The Chants looked to extend their lead in the 75th minute, taking three rapid fire shots that were blocked, hit off the crossbar, and fired off target to hold the score at 2-0.
Georgia Southern narrowed the gap to 2-1 in the 83rd minute when Kyleigh Drew lobbed the ball over Aris Lamanna's head off an assist from Erin Wilkins, but it was ultimately not enough to deny the Chants their first SBC victory of the season.
"Really proud of the girls for grinding out a result tonight. Going on the road and getting a result in the Sun Belt is tough, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the game this week," stated Chubb. "It's an important step in the right direction for us as we look to continually develop as a group. The next step for this young group is to learn how to see out games and manage games more effectively. We have to remain in control until the last second because if we don't then teams will be able to punish us," Chubb continued. "Our thanks and gratitude go out to Georgia southern for hosting us after a difficult week for them. Our thoughts continue to be with all those affected by the hurricane."
The Chanticleers will remain on the road to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Sunday Oct. 6 in Hattiesburg, Miss. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.
For complete coverage of CCU women's soccer, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWSoccer (X), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
