PORTSMOUTH – Women's soccer erupted for nine goals against Kentucky Christian Monday afternoon on the Shawnee Turf. Four different players recorded two goals in the 9-0 victory while nine different players recorded a point in the contest. The nine goal scoring output was the team's highest total since the 2010 season it topped Mountain State, 10-1 The last time the Bears scored nine or more goals and shutout their opponent came during the 2007 season with an identical 9-0 win against Kentucky Christian in that season.
Monday's contest was also the annual Pink Game to support breast cancer awareness and research during the month of October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Elizabeth Abbott, Allison Nagle, Schuyler Jones and Becky Legge each scored two goals in the victory while Katie Craft also added a goal. Both Nagle and Abbott also assisted on goals to give them five points apiece for the match.
The scoring started early as Nagle found Abbott at the top of the 18 just 2:21 into the game for a 1-0 lead on SSU's first shot attempt of the contest. Just 6:36 into the game, Nagle would tally her first goal as Hannah Figlestahler was credited with the assist. The third goal of the game came off the foot of Jones for the close range finish from a feed from Leslie Marsh in the 28th minute.
The Bears would finish their first half scoring with a pair of tallies in the final minute of the opening half. Craft made some nice moves through the defense and scored unassisted with 45 seconds on the clock. Marsh would then pick up her second assist of the half with 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock as Becky Legge finished just before time was set to expire, giving the Bears a 5-0 lead at the break.
SSU would score its first two goals of the second half just outside of a minute apart from one another. Nagle and Abbott reversed roles from the opening goal of the first half for Nagle's second score of the day. Just over a minute later, Bethany Ward found Jones for the header finish off a corner kick to make it 7-0 in the 61st minute.
Abbott would tally her second goal of the game in the 72nd minute. This score also came on a header finish with Jessica Fair credited with the assist. Fair would also set up the final goal of the contest as she found Legge in front of the net with just over five minutes to play.
In total, Shawnee State held a 36-3 advantage in shots and 25-2 edge in shots on goal. Jones finished with a team-high nine shots in the game and put four of those attempts on target, scoring twice. Three other players (Abbott, Fair and Nagle) each took five shots in the contest. In goal, Emily Kuehn played the opening 71-plus minutes in goal, making the only two saves required of her. In addition to scoring a goal, Craft was subbed in at goalie for the remainder of the game but did not face a shot during her time in net.
Looking to continue its offensive momentum, women's soccer will be back on the road this weekend as it travels to Pikeville in need of a conference result. That game will be played as a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. The men's match will follow at 7 p.m.
Notes: Shawnee State is now 16-0 all-time vs. Kentucky Christian, including a 9-0 mark at home … The Bears have scored 63 goals in those nine home games while not conceding one to KCU … SSU has outscored Kentucky Christian 97-3 in the all-time series … Tonight's win was the largest margin of victory in the series history, tying identical 9-0 scores at home during the 2001 and 2009 seasons … Allison Nagle has now scored 18 goals this season and assisted on five more … Only Sarah Koehler has more goals (22) and points (55) in a single season (2006) … Nagle ranks fourth all-time in program history in goals (31), assists (18) and points (80) … Nagle has scored multiple goals in four games this season and has scored in 11 of the team's 15 games overall … Elizabeth Abbott now has four career goals and a team-high eight assists this season … Schuyler Jones has 14 goals against NAIA countable opponents this season … Jones' 23 career goals rank her fifth on the all-time scoring list as she is just completing her sophomore campaign … Becky Legge's two goals tonight give her four in her career … Legge's goals were her first since her freshman campaign and was her first multi-goal game … Katie Craft's goal was the first of her career … Leslie Marsh's two assists was her first multi-point game of her career and her third assist of the season … Hannah Figlestahler now has assists in back-to-back games … Bethany Ward's assist was her sixth of the season, a career high for the senior.
