Fitzgerald records first collegiate brace

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Sept. 17, 2023) – The ETSU women’s soccer team ended non-conference play with a bang! 

After playing to a goalless draw Thursday night against USC Upstate, the Buccaneers unleashed some frustration on another Division I program from the Palmetto State as the Blue & Gold cruised to a 6-0 win at South Carolina State on Sunday. 

Reagan Fitzgerald (Oviedo, Fla.) recorded her first collegiate brace, while Natalie Capanelli (Ontario, Canada), Aliya Cooper (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Ella Parker (Jefferson, Ga.) and Grace Eatz (Roswell, Ga.) also netted goals in the lopsided victory. 

Ashton Blair (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Rhyan Connolly (Canton, Ga.) combined for the shutout, marking the second straight game the Buccaneer duo has accomplished the feat. 

With the win, ETSU ended non-conference play at 4-1-3, while South Carolina State dipped to 0-7. 

Capanelli began the barrage of first-half goals when she collected her first collegiate score in the 18th minute when Jenna Brown (Claremore, Okla.) found the Buccaneer midfielder for a strike, which gave ETSU the early lead. 

From there, Fitzgerald scored her two goals in a 10-minute span. The first came off an assist by Capanelli in the 20th minute, while Evans assisted on the second in the 30th minute, making it a 3-0 score. 

Cooper got in on the fun in the 34th minute when Emma Arnold (Bristol, Tenn.) found the sophomore forward open on the left side for her first goal of the campaign. Then, in the closing seconds of the half, Arnold set up Parker for her first collegiate score off a corner kick, putting the Blue & Gold up 5-0 at halftime. 

Following intermission, Connolly took over in net for the Bucs and kept the shutout intact. Eatz finished off the scoring in the 85th minute, resulting in the most goals by the Bucs since netting seven against Wofford back on Sept. 23, 2018. 

For the match, the Bucs took 16 shots and had six corner kicks, while Blair and Connolly each had two saves on the afternoon. 

ETSU now turns its focus to conference play, beginning Thursday night at Furman. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Greenville, S.C. 

For more information on Buccaneer women’s soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s soccer tab.