GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Taylor Youmans scored in the 57th minute to boost Tusculum University to a 1-0 victory over the University of Alabama Huntsville in non-conference women's soccer action Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
Youmans gained possession about 40 yards from the goal, split the defense and slid a shot to the far post past UAH keeper Hailey Hicks at 56:49 to break a scoreless deadlock and give the Pioneers (4-1-0) the lead for good.
The Chargers (1-3-2) outshot the Pioneers 13-10, but Tusculum keeper Grayson Patterson made eight saves, including a leaping stop on Carmen Endicott with just under four minutes left, to earn her second shutout of the season.
Tusculum had the first three shots of the match, including a try from 30 yards by Joey Garrett in the fourth minute and a stop by Hicks on a one-on-one opportunity by Youmans in the sixth minute. UAH's first shot was in the 18th minute, as a wide shot by Endicott was collected by Patterson.
Patterson made another save in the 28th minute on a shot from 20 yards by the Chargers' Helena Gonzalez, then added back-to-back stops in the 35th minute as she kicked away a sharp-angle shot from Endicott and followed by collecting a rising try by Mackenzie Kandil moments later.
The Pioneers' Skylar Georges fired a shot from 20 yards that was grabbed by Hicks in the 41st minute, and the Chargers had the last try of the half with just under a minute left when Caroline Buchanan redirected a shot wide of the goal.
Both teams continued to attack from distance as the second half began, with Endicott sailing a shot over the far post in the 49th minute and Hicks collecting a blast from Tusculum's Emma Whitaker from 25 yards in the 55th minute.
Youmans would deliver her third goal of the season approaching 33 minutes left, as she collected the ball and sped through the middle of the Charger defense, then slipped a shot past Hicks as two players converged with 33:11 remaining for a 1-0 Tusculum lead.
Alabama Huntsville would play with urgency after falling behind a goal, as Endicott fired a shot from 25 yards that Patterson stopped on a dive in the 61st minute. Buchanan would be denied from 30 yards by Patterson in the 77th minute, and the Tusculum defense would deflect a shot from the top of the box wide of the goal by Gonzalez in the 83rd minute.
Patterson made her best save of the day with 3:47 left, as Endicott maneuvered into space and fired a shot from 15 yards that Patterson leaped and punched over the crossbar. The Chargers would do nothing on the ensuing corner, and would have just one more shot which came with just under a minute left on a harmless try from Jayla Gillespie that Patterson easily collected.
Hicks finished with five saves in goal for the Chargers, who had an 8-5 edge in corner kicks over the Pioneers. The Chargers were whistled for eight fouls to three for the Pioneers in the caution-free match, and UAH was flagged twice for offsides to once for Tusculum.
The Pioneers will travel to Coker to face the surprising Cobras on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Coker, which had lost 34 straight South Atlantic Conference matches before beating Mars Hill in overtime last season, is off to a 2-0-2 start and has yet to concede a goal in its four matches. Tusculum is 8-0 against Coker since the Cobras joined the SAC in 2013, and the Pioneers have outscored the Cobras 24-3 in those eight victories.
