CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Queens women's soccer used a 3-1 win over St. Andrews to extend their winning streak to four this afternoon in Laurinburg, N.C. at Knights field.
Kelsey Howard (Marietta, Ga., Dominion Christian) scored the first two goals of the game to give Queens the win and improve to 7-9-1 overall and 5-2-1 in Conference Carolinas action. The Knights drop to 4-10-1 overall and 2-6-1.
The win is a big one for Queens, as they move into fourth spot in Conference Carolinas action, an important spot as the conference tournament's top four seeds host the quarterfinal tournament games. The Royals have three games left in the regular season, Barton, Converse and Lees-McRae.
Howard scored a pair of goals in the first 17 minutes to provide Queens with an early 2-0 lead. Howard put the Royals on the board just eight minutes and 52 seconds into the contest after receiving a feeder pass sophomore Kathryn Sylvester (Cary, N.C., Apex ) and beating the goalie on the breakaway. Howard netted her second goal in the 17th minute on a play set up on a crossing pass by sophomore Katherine Carr (Upper Marlboro, Md. , St. Mary's ). The Carr volley went off a Knights defender but the failed clear when straight to Howard, who immediately drilled a high shot from the top of the box that snuck inside the upper left goal post.
Queens had a commanding 18-4 shot advantage including the first six shots of the game.
St. Andrews trimmed the deficit in half just before the midway intermission on the Hedderman tally in the 42nd minute. Junior Marie Savage (Lyons, N.Y.) sent in a cross from near the right corner flag that Royals' senior goalkeeper Kristen Kornacki (Glen Allen, Va., Deep Run ) could not handle. Hedderman was in perfect position on the goal line and headed in the loose ball for her team-high fifth goal of the season.
The Queens defense held the Knights without a shot on goal in the second half and freshman Megan Sload (Conestoga, Pa., Penn Manor) added an insurance goal in the 75th minute with a long range blast to complete the two-goal victory.
Kornacki was credited with the win in goal for the Royals playing the first 45 minutes. Freshman backup Megan Hirschy guarded the Queens goal in the second half. Neither player had a save but both netminders broke up several crossing attempts.
Knights' sophomore goalie Becca Knott (Jacksonville, N.C.) made six saves in the losing effort.
