Concord outscores Hilltoppers

Sept. 22--ATHENS -- Kari Simon scored twice in the first half and added an assist to help Concord University to a 4-3 Mountain East Conference women's soccer win over West Liberty on Sunday afternoon at Anderson Field.

Concord (4-2, 2-1 MEC) has scored four or more goals in three of its six matches this season.

West Liberty (1-2-2, 1-1-1) freshman Thanna Oddo recorded her first collegiate goal in the 19th minute to grab an early advantage.

Five minutes later, Simon dribbled through the middle from midfield, beating West Liberty goalkeeper Allie Warsaw. In the 32nd minute, Simon put a rebounded shot into the net for a 2-1 lead that held through halftime.

Janice Johnson of the Hilltoppers equalized the score 2-2 in the 55th minute, with an assist by Oddo off a corner kick.

However, CU was relentless with its offensive attack over the next 15 minutes. Simon found junior Chloe Barber at the top of the penalty box. Barber's ball hit the left goal post, then found the back of the net. The goal was Barber's third of the season.

Concord added an insurance goal when Barber assisted sophomore Emily Cole's goal in the 85th minute to give CU a 4-2 edge. West Liberty's Veronica Rothka netted an unassisted goal in the 88th minute of the game, but the Concord defense preserved the win.

Concord's goalkeeper, redshirt freshman Lacie Geisel, made five saves to earn the win. Warsaw had six saves for the Hilltoppers.

With 20 career goals, Simon is now tied with former player Kelsey Ballard for sixth highest in program history.

Concord has not scored four goals in three or more games since 2010.

For the game, Concord held edges in totals shots (14-13) and shots on goal (10-8) while the teams had three corner kicks each.

Urbana University will visit Anderson Field on Wednesday to play Concord at 2 p.m.

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