WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Riding a five-match winning streak, which has catapulted it to second place in the USA South East Division standings, the Salem soccer team closes out the 2019 regular season at Varsity Field on Saturday, Oct. 26, when the Spirits take on Mary Baldwin at 2 p.m.
The match marks the final regular season match for the 2019 senior class that includes Amy Bounds, Courtney Chaplin, Alyssa Denkovich, Jae Lehman, Hope Morrison, Aliyah Rice, Martha Santos and Hannah Wagner. That group has combined for a 48-23-2 overall record and a 27-8-1 mark against USA South Conference foes, including an appearance in the 2016 USA South Championship against Piedmont.
Salem, which is 10-5-1 overall and 5-2 in the USA South in 2019, clinched second place in the league's Eastern Division standings with a 1-0 victory at Methodist on Wednesday evening. The game-winning score came off the foot of Denkovich, who scored her second goal of the season, at the 94th-minute of a clash with the Monarchs. The win secured second place in the standings and a first round bye. However, a win on Saturday, coupled with a loss by Greensboro (5-1-1) to N.C. Wesleyan, would allow Salem to secure the Eastern Division crown.
Denkovich tallied her first goal for the Spirits since a match at Agnes Scott on Sept. 8, in the overtime frame. With the Salem offense attacking the ball popped outside the 18-yard box and landed in front of Denkovich, who drove home the goal from 35 yards out between the crossbar and the extended hands of Methodist goalkeeper Maggie Hunt.
Ellie Montes tops the offensive leaders for the Spirits with six goals, five assists and 17 points to her credit. She is one of eight Salem players with at least two goals on the season, including Chaplin, who is second on the team with four. Santos is second in assists with four.
Wagner, who laid claim to her fifth shutout of the season in the win against Methodist, is 6-3-1 in net. The Wilmington, N.C., native made three saves, marking the ninth time in 2019 that she has had at least three saves in a match. She has a total of 40 saves this season (.800 save percentage) in 924:41 minutes.
Mary Baldwin (5-11, 1-6 USA South) halted a three-match losing skid with a 2-0 victory against Averett on Wednesday evening, marking their lone conference triumph. Elena Guy, one of three players with multiple goals for the Fighting Squirrels, leads the way for the offense with 21 points (nine goals / three assists). Teammate Makayla Taylor has contributed seven goals and three assists for 17 points and Annie Ammons is third with six goals and three assists (15 points).
Anyka Wilkin, who is responsible for a 5-11-0 mark, leads the way for the Mary Baldwin defense with 89 saves (.610 save percentage). She has logged 1395:44 minutes in net this season.
For more information on Salem soccer check out www.salemspirits.com.