Sunday afternoon was senior day at GSU soccer complex, and the women’s soccer team rolled through the Appalachian State Mountaineers for its fourth straight win to end the regular season. The 2-1 win secured a spot for the Panthers in the Sun Belt Conference tournament as they ended the season at 8-8-2, and 5-4-1 in the Sun Belt.
Senior Brooke Shank and Freshman Jimena Cabrero continued their grace on the pitch, as both players notched a goal on the day. The first half was full of defensive mistakes from both sides, as the wet pitch conditions played their part. The first of these came in the 12th minute, when a pass by the Mountaineer’s backline ended up at the feet of Cabrero.
Cabrero received the errant pass and beat Mountaineers keeper Kerry Eagleston, placing the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. The Mountaineers nearly capitalized on a defensive mistake by the Panthers at the end of the first half, but keeper Kendra Clark made the key save. Shank started the second half in fashion, scoring in the 60th minute, after a corner kick from Cabrero bounced off several Mountaineers defenders. The goal was Shank’s third of the season.
The Mountaineers continued to fight, as a deep cross into the box from Kristen Brown saw Ava Dawson score on the header in the 86th minute. The Mountaineers played frantically after scoring late in the second half, but the Panthers were able to play keep-away for the final two minutes and end the season on a high note.
