Thursday, September 05, 2002

Johnson City, Tenn. (September 5, 2002) - East Tennessee State University's women's soccer team defeated Southern Conference foe Appalachian State, 1-0 Thursday night in what was nothing short of a thrilling victory for the Buccaneer's young program. This marked ETSU's first ever victory against the Mountaineers who fell to 0-2, 0-1 in conference play. The game was back and fourth all night long and after the first period of play the score was knotted at zero. In the 79th minute of the second period ETSU freshman Erin Ashton (New Bern, N.C.) was awarded a penalty kick that she drove into the back right hand side of the net to score what would become the game-winning goal. "Erin showed such composure as a freshman to step up and finish the play," said ETSU head coach Heather Henson. "I was nervous," said Ashton, "but I think this win will give us motivation and confidence for the rest of the season." ETSU's Heather Sanden (Manassas, Va.) recorded her first shutout of the season with four saves on the night. The Buccaneers grabbed the win in front of a lively crowd. "The fans were awesome tonight," Henson said. The win moves ETSU to 2-1, 1-0 in conference play. "Tonight's win was a step in the right direction for our program, and it came against a very strong and physically talented Appalachian State team," said Henson.