Trojan teams back in action this weekend

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on October 6, 2006 2:16 PM

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There aren't enough "ugs" in ugly to describe last year's men's soccer match between Mount Olive and Lees-McRae. The Trojans aren't worried about winning any beauty contests in the rematch; they just want a win.

In a battle of teams tied at No. 8 in the Southeast Region, Mount Olive puts its five-match winning streak on the line Saturday as the Trojans head to Banner Elk to take on Lees-McRae in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference men's soccer. Match time is 3:30 p.m.

Mount Olive (8-5-0 overall, 2-3-0 CVAC) picked up its fifth win in a row and second straight in conference play Tuesday, defeating Coker 6-1. Six different players scored goals for the Trojans, while Ryan Adamski, Adam Caston and Chris Jasso tallied two assists apiece.

Balance has been the name of the game for Mount Olive this season. No individual player has more than five goals this season, but 17 of the Trojans' 19 field players have scored at least one goal. Bradley Carroll is the Trojans' current goal-scoring leader, while freshman Adrian Daniels is next with four goals.

Making Daniels' total notable is that all of his goals have come during his current four-match goal-scoring streak.

Defense has also been a key for Mount Olive. The Trojans have recorded five shutouts and have held 10 of their 13 opponents to one goal or less.

Junior goalkeeper Chase Smith has a 0.70 goals against average and has been in goal for four of the Trojans' five shutouts.

Lees-McRae (6-5-2, 3-2-1) played nationally 12th-ranked Limestone to a 2-2 tie Tuesday. Saturday's contest is the Bobcats' fourth in a row against a regionally-ranked team.

Last year at Trojan Field, Mount Olive and Lees-McRae battled to a 1-1 tie in a match that was marred by red cards issued to the Bobcats' head coach and assistant coach. Mount Olive broke a scoreless tie with 51 seconds left in regulation, but Lees-McRae scored the tying goal on a direct kick with 29 seconds left.

Lees-McRae scored what appeared to be the winning goal in overtime, but CVAC officials later ruled that the game should have ended when Lees-McRae did not have any coaches left in the game.

Mount Olive's current winning streak is its longest since starting last season with five consecutive wins. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 20-2 during their current streak.

Women's soccer

The last time the Mount Olive College women's soccer team traveled to Banner Elk to face Lees-McRae, not only did the Trojans come away with a win, but they would beat Lees-McRae a week later for their first-ever conference championship. The conference tournament is still a few weeks away, but the Trojans are hoping for similar results.

Mount Olive heads to Banner Elk Saturday as the Trojans take on Lees-McRae in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's soccer. Match time is 1 p.m.

Mount Olive (10-5-0 overall, 5-1-0 CVAC) posted its third consecutive shutout Tuesday with a 7-0 victory over Coker. Sophomore Lyndsay Brennan recorded her first collegiate hat trick to lead the Trojans' offensive explosion.

The Trojans have won six of their last seven matches overall and five in a row in conference play. Mount Olive has outscored its last seven opponents by a margin of 34-5.

Brennan, who has scored seven goals in her last three matches, leads the Trojans with 11 goals. Junior Kate Painter remains the Trojans' point-scoring leader with nine goals and eight assists for 26 points. Junior April Jacobs has a team-high 11 assists, five coming in her last three matches. Sophomore goalkeeper Ali O'Steen and the Trojan defense has held opponents to a 0.91 goals against average.

Freshman Kirsten White has moved from the back to midfield due to injuries in the midfield. White has responded by notching her first hat trick last week and scoring four of her seven goals in the Trojans' last three matches.

Gina Dos Santos and Jessica Smoot have both been out for the last two weeks, while Jackie Jimenez and Erynn Marino have not played yet this season due to injuries. Dos Santos, Smoot and Jimenez may see action Saturday.

Lees-McRae (4-6-1, 2-3-1) played Limestone to a 0-0 tie Tuesday. The Bobcats have been limited to one goal in their last three matches. Mount Olive defeated Lees-McRae 2-0 last year at Trojan Field. Dos Santos scored a goal and assisted on Brennan's goal for the Trojans.

In 2004, Mount Olive defeated Lees-McRae 1-0 at Banner Elk in the Trojans' regular season finale as Dos Santos assisted on Jacobs' goal. Seven days later, Dos Santos scored a pair of goals to lead the Trojans to a 3-1 victory over the Bobcats in the championship game of the CVAC Tournament.

Volleyball

After playing its last six matches at Kornegay Arena, the Mount Olive volleyball team hits the road this weekend as the Trojans head to Wheeling, W. Va., to compete in the Wheeling Jesuit University Invitational.

The Trojans open play today at 3 p.m. against Wheeling Jesuit, then face Indiana (Pa.) this evening at 7 p.m. Saturday, the Trojans take on California (Pa.) at 10:30 a.m., then wrap up tournament play at 1 p.m. against Shippensburg (Pa.).Mount Olive (6-9 overall, 5-6 Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference) is coming off a 3-1 victory over Barton Wednesday. The Trojans overcame a loss in game one and won the final three games.

Junior Sam Mitchell, who recorded a match-high 21 kills Wednesday, remains the only player in the CVAC to average more than 4.0 kills and 4.0 digs per game. Mitchell ranks second in the CVAC with 4.15 kills per game and seventh with a .301 hitting percentage.

Senior Anna-Marie Luft ranks sixth with a .308 hitting percentage, while sophomore Corie Skislak ranks fourth in the conference in blocks with an average of 1.19 per game. Senior Nikki Murphy ranks eighth in the CVAC with 4.44 digs per game. This year's trip marks the fourth consecutive year the Trojans have competed in Wheeling Jesuit's tournament. Mount Olive posted a 3-1 record in last year's tournament.

Softball

A full day of softball is on tap Saturday at Mount Olive College as the Trojans play host to the MOC Fall Invitational at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field. The Trojans will field two teams in the tournament, which also features Chowan and Louisburg. Play gets under way at 10 a.m. with the fifth and final game beginning at 6 p.m.

Here's the schedule:

10 a.m. Mount Olive vs. Louisburg

Noon Chowan vs. Louisburg

2 p.m. MOC-G vs. Chowan

4 p.m. MOC-G vs. Louisburg

6 p.m. Mount Olive vs. Chowan