EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Soccer Team (4-10, 3-7 ODAC) got out to an early lead and never looked back as it defeated Randolph College (8-6, 3-6 ODAC) in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action Saturday afternoon at Fred Selfe Stadium. With the victory, E&H snaps a four-match losing streak and keeps itself in the running for a spot in the ODAC Tournament.
The Wasps got on the board just 63 seconds into the contest on a cross by junior midfielder Ashlie Caldwell (Roanoke, Va.) which found the foot of sophomore midfielder Sarah Gorenflo (Matthews, N.C.), who one-timed it in from four yards out.
E&H made the score 2-0 four and a half minutes later (5:44) as sophomore midfielder Erica Merriman (Cornelius, N.C.) gathered a rebound off of her own shot and finished to the left side of the net.
Late in the 36th minute, Emory & Henry extended their advantage to 3-0. Junior forward Bethany Myer (Hickory, N.C.) laid a pass out for senior midfielder Tosin Sanusi (Saint Leonard, Md.), who struck it past the keeper for the score.
With just 3:46 remaining in the half, the Wasps went in for another score. As the Randolph goalkeeper attempted to clear the ball, it deflected off a defender and freshman midfielder Emily Belanger (Tampa, Fla.) was waiting on the edge of the box to clean up, making the margin 4-0.
Randolph got a goal just 30 seconds later to make the halftime score 4-1. With the E&H goalkeeper playing outside the box, Brittany Hammons was able to beat the defense and chipped the ball in from 35 yards out.
The second half was mostly played in the midfield, with the Wasps continuing their dominance. E&H earned a set piece in the 77th minute and junior defender Kasey Simmons (Chesapeake, Va.) stood over the ball. Simmons arced her free kick into the box and over the head of the goalkeeper to make the score 5-1.
The Wasps outshot the WildCats 19-8 in the contest, and thanks to a solid back line, forced Randolph into being called offside 14 times in the match.
E&H junior goalkeeper Sarah Jerome (Charlotte, N.C.) picked up the win as she made three saves. Randolph's Hunter Gibson stopped four shots in the contest despite the loss.
Emory & Henry will host Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday, October 20 at 5:00 p.m. The contest will be a part of E&H's annual Homecoming celebration and will also serve as Senior Day for the Wasps.
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