Josh Brower and Jesse Riggs scored goals in the first five minutes of action on Saturday and the Covenant men's soccer team made those two scores stand up in a 2-1 victory over USA South foe Ferrum on Saturday at Scotland Yard.
Covenant goes to 4-9-2 overall with the win and 4-5 in conference play. Ferrum drops to 4-12 on the year and 2-6 inside the USA South.
Brower got things rolling in the third minute with his fourth goal of the year to give the Scots a 1-0 lead. Brower received the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and, after working for open space, ripped a shot into the lower right corner past Ferrum keeper Derek Thomas.
Riggs then made it 2-0 in the fifth minute when he converted a penalty kick to make it a 2-0 Scots lead. The penalty kick was the second one of the year for Riggs and his seventh goal overall.
From that point on, the teams played an even match. Ferrum finally broke through in the 86th minute when Shamarr Perry scored from the top of the box, assisted by Keith Ricks, to bring the visiting Panthers to within 2-1. But Covenant would make that one-goal advantage stand in the final minutes to preserve the victory.
Jonathan Crossman made seven saves, including a couple of crucial saves in the second half, to pick up the win. Thomas made six saves for Ferrum. The Panthers held a slim, 19-16, edge in total shots on the afternoon.
The Covenant women's soccer team celebrated Senior Day with another shutout in a 2-0 victory over Agnes Scott in USA South play at Scotland Yard.
Before the match, Covenant's eight seniors (Jordan Brett, Savanna Cingilli, Gabby Powell, Anna Porch, Kaitlyn Winking, Andrea Hunt Roylston, Natalie Smith and Summer Bader) were recognized for their contributions to the program.
The win was Covenant's (13-2, 11-1 USA South) seventh straight, setting a new season-high. The Lady Scots recorded their sixth straight shutout and have not allowed an opponent to score in over 564 minutes of game action going back to Sept. 30. The Lady Scots also remain in first place in the USA South West Division.
After a scoreless first half, Covenant got on the board in the 53rd minute when Callie Bader put one in from short range for her second goal of the year. Summer Bader started the action with a corner kick and Porch tapped the ball to Callie Bader inside the 6-yard box where she cleaned it up past Agnes Scott keeper Iara Moran for the goal.
In the 56th minute, it was Porch's turn as she dribbled through the Agnes Scott defense and took her shot from the top of the 18-yard box into the upper right corner for her third goal of the season and a 2-0 Lady Scots lead.
That would be all Covenant needed as the Lady Scots' defense again stifled an opponent. Covenant held a 21-3 shot advantage in the contest, with 11 of those 21 shots being on target. Rachel Lemay and Brett combined for the shutout with Brett tallying one save. Moran made nine saves for Agnes Scott (4-9-1, 2-8-1 USA South).
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