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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Charlotte
Women's Soccer Falls To First-Place Charlotte, 1-0
October 26, 2007 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 26, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Playing short-handed with only two substitutes, the University of Massachusetts women's soccer team dropped a heartbreaker on Friday evening, 1-0, to Charlotte. The lone goal came with 31 seconds remaining in the first half, when Megan Minnix took a shot from 30-yards out which found the back of the net. The Minutewomen (8-5-1, 3-5-0 Atlantic 10) head to Saint Louis on Sunday to play the Billikinens, in hopes of keeping their Atlantic 10 Tournament chances alive.
"Considering all our injuries and a lack of substitutions, I couldn't be more proud of our players," UMass Head Coach Jim Rudy said. "They acquitted themselves well. They battled in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end.
"It was unfortunate that we would lose on an unusual goal," Rudy continued. "The kids really played well, and they played very well against a really good team with a lot of depth."
After 44 minutes of scoreless play, Charlotte got on the board in the 45th minute. Minnix found herself in front of the UMass bench. She kicked the ball toward the net from 30 yards out. It dropped over UMass goalkeeper Lauren Luckey and under the crossbar at 44:29 for the 1-0 lead.
Neither team scored in the second half, with the 1-0 final standing. Charlotte outshot the Minutewomen, 21-8, while attempting more corner kicks, 7-3. Luckey played tremendously in net, making nine stops, while Charlotte goalkeeper Lauren Brown made four.
"Lauren played a fine game," Rudy said. "She caught and boxed some balls under pressure. She looked confident and authoritative. It was just unfortunate with that one [goal], which was a difficult ball.
"She acquitted herself very well," Rudy continued. "Her distribution was good, she played with her feet very well, and she punted well. She played beyond her UMass experience level, which is good."
The Minutewomen are back in action on Sunday as they travel to Saint Louis to play the Billikens. Fans can follow Sunday's game with live stats through Gametracker. UMass returns home for the final weekend of the regular season next weekend, hosting Richmond on Nov. 2 and George Washington on Nov. 4.
