Salem vs. Pfeiffer | Saturday, October 22nd | 2:00 p.m.
Varsity Field | Winston-Salem, N.C.

LAST TIME OUT
Salem senior netminder Jordan Tomberlin took over between the pipes in the second half, making a team-high five saves, but it was a first half goal off the foot of Grace Black that allowed USA South Conference foe Brevard to claim a 1-0 victory at Imes-Level Family Field on Wednesday, October 19th.

Tomberlin and the Salem defense faced 15 shots from the Tornados in the second half, including five shots on goal in the frame. It is the seventh time in the 2022 season that Tomberlin has finished a match with five saves and third against a USA South Conference opponent.

Brevard's offense attempted 20 shots over the course of the match, making four shots on goal in the opening half. Starting goalkeeper Alexcina Wartski (1-2-0) made three saves for the Spirits, surrendering the attempt by Black in the 17th-minute. Black's goal came by virtue of a pass from teammate Abby Mayer.

Salem's offense attempted seven total shots, including four in the first half. Three of those shots came from first year forward Darilyn Nieto, while the quartet of Sarah Salinas, Olivia Nivens, Ashley Linden and Alyson Gammons had one shot each. All three of Nieto's shots were on goal, while Linden and Salinas' also attempted shots on goal.

Brevard netminder Nicole Arroyo picked up the victory after making five saves over the course of the match.

HONORING THE 2022 SENIOR CLASS
On Saturday afternoon, head coach Robin Ramirez and the 2022 soccer team will honor the contributions of five members of the senior class.

This weekend the Spirits honor Kylie Clark, Alyson Gammons, Miriam Moctezuma, Jordan Tomberlin and Alexcina Wartski. This group has combined for 24 overall victories, 11 victories at Varsity Field and posted 10 in USA South Conference play, and reached the league quarterfinals and advanced in the 2019 USA South Conference Tournament semifinals during the course of their career.

SERIES BREAKDOWN
Wednesday marks just the third all-time meeting between Salem and Brevard and second in Western North Carolina. The overall series is tied at 1-1-0.

Brevard posted a 2-1 victory in the first-ever clash between the two programs on September 18, 2018, but Salem answered the following year with a 1-0 victory of its own.

In that most recent clash, on September 17, 2019, Salem's Hannah Wagner stopped all three shots on goal and Ellie Montes came through with the game-winning score as Salem earned a 1-0 victory at Brevard.

It marked the first shutout of the season for the Spirits as Wagner, who logged all 90 minutes in net for Salem, faced six shots (three shots on goal) over the duration of the contest. Salem held a decisive advantage in total shots (18-6) as well as corner kicks (7-1).

Offensively, Montes led the way with six shots, while Baylee Greenwood and Kim Sephaphathi added three each. Kylie Clark and Alyssa Dentkovich also recorded two shots each in the victory.

Montes scored the lone goal of the match at the 6:17 mark of the first period when the ball deflected off the Brevard defender and was sent to the back of the net for the 1-0 lead. The Tornado offense would manage only one shot in the opening half.

NIETO CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
With her second half goal against Southern Virginia last Wednesday, Salem first-year standout Darilyn Nieto netted her 12th goal of the season.

Nieto broke a tie with Brooke Bukas (2014) for fourth-most goals by a Salem rookie and now sets her sights on Maddie Crumpton, who has third-most goals with 13. The program record for most goals by a Salem first-year player is shared by Alexi Saganich and Tarryn Johnson.

Salem All-Time First Year Goal Scoring Leaders

SALEM'S STATISTICAL LEADERS
Salem returns home for the first of two matches and looks to close out the home portion of the 2022 schedule with victories against Pfeiffer and N.C. Wesleyan at Varsity Field, where the Spirits are currently 2-4-1 this season. Salem's last home win, which came in 3-0 fashion, came against Johnson & Wales on September 10th.

Nieto, who leads the Spirits with 12 goals on the season, has netted two goals in league play, both resulting in team highs. Linden is second in total goals on the season (five), netting one in USA South action, which ties her alongside Olivia Nivens for second-most conference goals by a Spirit.

Alyson Gammons, who is tied with Nivens in assists on the season with three, is responsible for the lone assist in conference action for Salem.

Jordan Tomberlin leads Salem in saves on the season (63) and in USA South play (22), which has resulted in a combined 4-5-1 mark on the slate. Alexcina Wartski, who earned the starting nod against William Peace and Brevard, has made eight saves in USA South Conference action for Salem in 2022 and 16 saves for the season.

ANALYZING THE FALCONS
Salem and Pfeiffer, who are locked in a battle for the final spot in the USA South Conference Tournament, clash at Varsity Field for just the second time in program history.

The all-time series is deadlocked at 2-2-0 with each team claiming a win at their opponents' home pitch.

Salem first squared off against Pfeiffer on October 4, 2017, with the Spirits claiming a 2-1 victory in that meeting. Just over one year later, the Falcons evened the series with a 3-1 win of their own. Pfeiffer followed that up by claiming a 1-0 victory on October 9, 2019, grabbing a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series. However, that quickly was evened by Salem, who earned a 1-0 victory in Meisenheimer, N.C., on October 6, 2021.

There are four members of the Pfeiffer soccer team with multiple goals, including Tori Renna, who leads the way with three goals and six points. The trio of Kayla Blakenship, Kelsy Esquivel and Emma LaFave have each tallied two goals apiece for the Falcons, who have 13 goals as a unit in 2022. Four different Falcons have at least one assist on the slate.

Pfeiffer's offense has attempted 108 shots (.120 shot percentage), including 54 shots on goal, resulting in a .500 shot on goal percentage. Meanwhile, the defense has surrendered 32 goals, 17 assists and is allowing a .569 shot on goal percentage.

The goalkeeping pair of Olivia Garver and Kaylee Ollis have combined for 66 saves this season, with Ollis leading the way with 58 saves. Ollis, who is 1-7-1 on the slate, is responsible for a .682 save percentage in 2022.