CHARLESTON, S.C. (Oct 5, 2023) - After weeks on the hunt and a truckload of close calls, Ava Matherne finally joined the club. 
  
Matherne's 76th minute penalty lifted ETSU to a 1-0 win over The Citadel on Thursday at Washington Light Infantry Field in Charleston. The goal was Matherne's first in college, making her the fifth different freshman to score for the Bucs this season. 
  
The first good opportunity for the Bucs (7-2-4, 3-1-1) came in the 10th minute, when Aliya Cooper broke free down the left wing and found the ball in stride, forcing a leaping save out of Nora Sampson to keep the Bulldogs (3-5-5, 0-4-1) level. Grace Eatz tested Sampson from the top of the box in the 26th minute, and Sinxolo Cesane forced a save out of Sampson in the 34th minute with a ball on frame just inside the right post. 
  
The complexion of the game changed dramatically when Ryleigh Jenkins denied a clear goal scoring opportunity to Emma Arnold and was sent off in the 68th minute. In the 76th minute, Didi Turay was called for a hand ball in the box off an ETSU free kick, putting Matherne at the penalty spot looking for her first career goal. She struck the ball low and left, opposite a diving Sampson, and gave ETSU what it needed to see off the Bulldogs. 
  
Individually, Ashton Blair (Knoxville, Tenn.) stopped The Citadel's only shot on goal in the 31st minute and collected her sixth shutout of 2023, one shy of the school record set by her former teammate, Shu Ohba. Blair's nine career shutouts tie her with Megan Masch for the fourth-most in a career at ETSU. The Bucs outshot the Bulldogs 14-5, with six shots on goal to one. Cesane paced ETSU with six shots and two shots on goal. 
  
ETSU looks to add another win to the tally when they host Wofford on Sunday at 2 p.m. 
  
For more information on ETSU women's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's soccer tab.