Pirates Top Birmingham-Southern But Come Up Short Against Millsaps

Oct. 28, 2008

Southwestern women's soccer went one and one over the weekend, dropping a hard-fought game to Millsaps on Friday and rebounding with a win over Birmingham-Southern on Sunday.

Against the Majors, the Pirates quickly found themselves playing a catch-up game after an eight minute shot in deep in Southwestern territory by Erin Sanford was deflected into the net. A furious offensive by Southwestern for the remainder of the match kept Millsaps on their heels, but an overwhelming advantage in both shots (27 to 10) and corner kicks (14 to 2) wasn't enough to even the score as the Bucs were handed their first loss in eight games.

Southwestern bounced back quickly on Sunday, taking on Birmingham-Southern in a game showcasing both teams' defensive abilities. Following a scoreless first half, a series of passes placed the ball in control of freshman Jillian Curran in the 48th minute, who deflected a shot off the keeper into the left net. The goal proved to be the game winner, as the Pirates switched to a defensive scheme relying on the team's experienced back line and goalkeeper Eryn Snyder, who added a sixth shutout to her season total while diving for nine saves in the game.

"It was a strong team effort," said assistant coach Amanda Garrison of the game. "It's hard to single out any one performance in a win like this. Laura [Kromann] and Lauren [Kjolhede] were both big parts of the midfield, and the defense held off some strong attacks by Birmingham."

The games put Southwestern's record at 11-3-1 (4-2 SCAC). Millsaps rises to 11-5 (2-3 SCAC) and Birmingham-Southern dropped to 7-6-2.

The Pirates play their last home game of the season this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against conference rivals Trinity (11-3-1, 5-1 SCAC).