HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba College women's soccer program ripped a five-year-old thorn out of its side as the No. 6 Catawba Indians blanked Lenoir-Rhyne, 1-0, to halt a seven-match winless run against the Bears.
Cadence Setzer netted the deciding goal off the assist from Cadence Setzer, marking the freshman's second career score and the latter's league-leading eighth dime. The pair led Catawba (9-2-1, 6-0-1 SAC) in shots with two apiece as both of McGuire's attempts were on frame. Riley Alexander and Bree Ehmer also tallied shots on goal in the contest. Lauren Zitt put on a show between the posts with a career-high nine saves in her fifth shutout of the year.
Lenoir-Rhyne (5-6, 3-3 SAC) posted a significant shooting margin over Catawba with a 15-8 difference, including a 9-4 gap in shots on goal. Corner kicks landed even at 6-6 with equivalent 3-3 ledgers in each half. The Bears were whistled for more fouls (11-6) but were booked for one yellow card while the blue and white were cautioned twice.
The Bears jumped on possession early with a corner kick in the second minute that got cleared away. Catawba kicked its offense into gear using a sudden push into the attacking zone by Setzer, who sent a cross into the middle, finding McGuire for the left-footed one-timer into the twine. Following a try by Ehmer in the 15th minute, it was all Bears, who had multiple attempts but saw two shots pound the frame and another promising delivery get handled by Zitt. After a combined five corner kicks, Zitt made a last-minute stop to send the sides to halftime at 1-nil.
Zitt remained effective shortly out of the break with three saves in rapid succession. In the 52nd minute, LR obtained its best opportunity of the night by drawing a foul in the box for a penalty kick. The shot off the boot of Alexis Cagno was gobbled up by Zitt, who helped set up another offensive push by Catawba as McGuire fired her second SOG of the evening. The Bears continued to pepper the Catawba Indian net to no avail, soon receiving solid free kick chances from the visitors' two cards. Offside infractions plagued LR, especially in the 82nd minute off a corner kick. Zitt was tested for the final time in the 88th minute and recorded her ninth save to keep Catawba unbeaten in SAC play.
The Catawba Indians have another road match on deck this weekend, matching up with Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1:30 p.m.
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