CHARLESTON, S.C. – Nicole Blixt scored her first career goal as time expired, but it was not enough as the Charleston Southern Buccaneers held on for a 2-1 win over the VMI Keydets in Big South women's soccer action Friday at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C.
Charleston Southern (5-8-1, 2-4 Big South) had taken a 2-0 lead in the first 29 minutes thanks to goals by Toni Lashley and Allison Lewis, and it took until the final seconds for the Keydets (3-10, 1-5 BSC) to get on the board. In the final minute, Meredith Baldasare played a cross into the box, where Blixt was waiting. She quickly shot the ball as the clock ran out, but her shot bounced off a Buc defender as the horn blew. The ball, however, was in motion due to the deflection and ended up in the back of the net for a goal and the final margin, 2-1.
With the goal, Blixt became the second member of VMI's junior class to score her first career goal this week, joining Killian Buckley, who had the game-winner against Gardner-Webb Wednesday.
Friday's contest was a close battle throughout, with CSU outshooting VMI 17-12. Lewis led the Bucs with a goal and an assist, while Blixt and Baldasare had the day's lone points for VMI. The Keydets had all four of the match's corner kicks, and saw another strong performance by VMI goalkeeper Liz Nickerson, this one in the second half when she posted five saves.
After just two combined shots in the first 17:41, Charleston Southern drew first blood in the 19th minute. Lewis played a long pass to the right side of the field, where Lashley executed one touch and fired it past VMI keeper Emily Marbury to put the home team ahead, 1-0. It was Lashley's seventh goal of the season.
The teams traded shots on goal in the 28th minute, with Erica Putney tested McLaughlin, but CSU's 1-0 margin doubled in the 29th. Chelsea Phillips passed the ball to Lewis in the box, and Lewis promptly one-timed it off a VMI defender and into the net, giving CSU a 2-0 advantage.
The Keydets nearly cut the deficit in half in the 37th minute. Erica Putney had a corner kick and sister Sarah Putney got a head on it, but the shot bounced off the crossbar and went straight down.
Unfortunately for VMI, the CSU defense cleared it off the goal line before it could be kicked in for a score, and the Bucs maintained the 2-0 edge. The teams then traded saves late in the half, with Marbury stopped Chelsea Frankeny and McLaughlin turning aside Sarah Putney, as the match went to halftime at 2-0, CSU.
In a relatively tight first half, CSU had seen a 9-5 edge in first half shots and 4-2 in shots on goal, but the match was even closer in the second half. After committing just one foul in the first 45 minutes, the Keydets came out the aggressors and were whistled for five in the first 10-plus minutes. With all the physicality, there were only two shots in the half until Emma Manis' try off a Myranda Emery corner kick sailed wide in the 63rd minute.
Nickerson then made her first save of the match, stopping a header at 63:39 before also turning aside a Kelsey Fitzhugh try in the 73rd minute. Lewis then fired high on the follow, and the Keydets were still down just 2-0. McLaughlin stopped Manis in the 77th minute, but Nickerson rejected a breakaway chance by Jane Vardzel in the 80th to again keep it a two-goal affair. The Keydets had two chances, including one on goal, go for naught in the 82nd minute, however, and would not get another shot on goal until Blixt's final second score as CSU held on for the victory.
Nickerson did make two additional saves in the closing moments, pushing her total to five for the game and nine for the week. It also upped her consecutive streak without surrendering a goal to 192:56, a run that dates back to the first half against Longwood on Oct. 2.
VMI women's soccer returns to action Wednesday, Oct. 16, as the Keydets travel to Lynchburg for a matchup with the Liberty Lady Flames. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
