Season Recap: Women's Soccer 2024

• The Lions finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 7-6-4 and a 5-2-1 mark in the Collegiate Conference of the South.
• That 5-2-1 record marked the second straight season finishing with that exact conference record. However, this time, the Lions earned the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament.
• After the season, three Lions were named as All-Conference players, with Sierra Judson and Sophie Wells earning spots on the first team while Paige Kluba was named to the second team.
• For the third consecutive season, the Lions placed six student athletes on the CSC Academic All-District Team.
• Despite an injury plagued season in goal, the Lions were able to prevail in a thrilling 2-1 home win over Belhaven with freshman Madison Johnson earning a win in goal.

• Sierra Judson scored twice in a three minute span in the first half, while Paige Kluba, Alison Witkiewicz, Molly Fitzpatrick and Sydney Spitzer all added goals as well.
• It all got started in the fourth minute as junior Peyton Gates found a darting Kluba on a low cross that Kluba put away with ease to get the scoring started.
• Then, in the 18th minute, the onslaught began, with Judson putting away a penalty kick goal for her first of the year before connecting on a header off an assist from Christina Sierra just three minutes later.
• Although the Owls were able to keep Piedmont at bay the rest of the first half, Piedmont began to get the underclassmen involved in the scoring in the second half. The freshman Witkiewicz found the back of the net for the first time as a Lion in the 51st minute to make it 4-0 off an assist by Savannah Jerome.
• In the 67th minute, it was sophomore Molly Fitzpatrick's turn, as she scored her first off the first career assist of freshman Jeannette Mirenda.
• Spitzer finally capped the scoring in the 85th minute on the first of her career.

Recap | Box Score

• The Lions scored first before the Hawks equalized midway through the first half. However, Piedmont was undeterred, as the Sierra sisters connected on the game-winner in the 67th minute while Chloe Spradlin added a beautiful free kick insurance goal late.
• Piedmont struck first, as Kluba carved through the defense and unleashed a rocket to the top right corner of the net to give the Lions a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.
• However, the lead was short-lived, with the Hawks finding a way through the Piedmont back line to equalize in the 33rd minute.
• Then, it was time for the Sierra sisters to play hero, with Christina playing a quick low cross that found the foot of Victoria, who beat the keeper high and to the left for the decisive goal.
• The Lions were then able to hold the Hawks at bay before Spradlin announced her presence after entering as a sub late in the half. The senior took a free kick from about 40 yards and curled it in the back of the net on a bounce over the keeper.

Recap | Box Score

• Molly Fitzpatrick continued her fantastic run of goal scoring, converting the game winner in the 73rd minute.
• Freshman Madison Johnson made her first start of the season in goal, earning the victory with four saves.
• The win marks Piedmont's first in three tries since the Blazers joined the CCS before the 2022 season.
• Piedmont wasted no time jumping on Belhaven from the start, converting off a corner kick as Sierra Judson was able to corral a loose ball in the box and feed it to Paige Kluba, who finished low right and past the keeper.
• However, the lead was short lived, as the Blazers equalized just over two minutes later.
• Second half action saw more of the same, with both defenses standing tall. 
• That was until freshman Addi Banks forced a turnover in the Belhaven defensive zone and fed a cross into the middle of the box. Fitzpatrick then won a battle with the goalkeeper and forced the ball into the back of the net for the eventual game winner.

Recap | Box Score