ECU Athletic Media Relations

GREENVILLE — The East Carolina soccer team scored two second-half goals en route to a 2-0 victory over Southern Methodist on Senior Day, Sunday afternoon at Johnson Soccer Stadium.

With the win, ECU (10-5-1, 4-3-0 American) notched its 11th shutout of the season, tying the 2012 club for the most in school history. The win was also its 10th of the year, marking it the third time in the last four years the team has reached that total and the 11th time in the program’s 21 years of existence.

“Our defending starts with our forwards and all the way back,” head coach Rob Donnenwirth said. “Everyone has to be committed to it in order to get 11 shutouts. Our backs had a good day and Erika (Lenns) made some nice saves when she needed to. It’s a matter of work and they work hard for each other.”

The first half saw both teams earn several scoring opportunities, as each side recorded five total shots apiece and three shots on goal, respectively. The Mustangs held a 4-1 advantage in corner kick chances, but were unable to capitalize as senior goalkeeper Erika Lenns made three saves in the period.

SMU (6-11, 2-5 American) midfielder Paige Jacobs had one of the closest attempts of the period when she hit a shot off the crossbar in the 18th minute, but it bounced harmlessly over the net.

ECU came out with an aggressive approach to start the second half, consistently pushing the ball forward and into SMU’s defense. Just seven minutes into the half, Mustang goalkeeper Lauryn Bodden attempted to clear the ball, but some miscommunication between her and her defenders resulted in Spitler intercepting the pass from approximately 30 yards out. She dribbled forward approximately 10 yards before lofting a shot over Bodden and into the right corner for her team-best seventh goal of the season to put the Pirates ahead, 1-0.

SMU began to take control with a quality passing game for a span of approximately 20 minutes, but was only able to get off one shot as East Carolina’s defense remained stout.

“I thought our defensive pressure was very good today,” Donnenwirth said. “I thought the team’s fitness was good today and (assistant coach) Brian Periman, as well as our strength coach, Aaron Walker, have been really helpful with that. When you feel fit, you feel tougher and you can do a lot more.”

In the 84th minute, junior forward Kendall Frey settled a pass inside the Mustangs’ goal box and earned a one-on-one matchup with Bodden, but touched a shot to the left side that struck the post and bounced away from the goal.

Just over three minutes later, in the 88th minute, senior defender Kelley Johnson hit a booming goal kick that connected with Frey, who received the pass in stride as she broke free and sprinted toward SMU’s goal. A defender got in front of Frey, who stopped approximately 40 yards away from the net with her back to the goal. The Chester Springs, Pa., native turned around once more and got off a high, hanging shot that caught Bodden out of position and sailed over her head and between the goalposts to for her fifth tally of the season.

The Pirates outshot the Mustangs 12-6 overall and 7-4 in attempts on goal, despite a 5-4 deficit in corner kick chances. Lenns finished the day with four saves and earned her second-consecutive and fifth overall shutout of the season.

Spitler led all shooters with five shots, three of which were on goal, while Frey had three attempts with two on target. Bodden made five saves for SMU, as Jacobs led the Mustangs with two shots for the afternoon.

East Carolina will make its final road trip of the 2014 campaign with a pair of American Athletic Conference matches at nationally-ranked UCF and against USF next weekend. The Pirates will meet the Knights on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., before taking on the Bull on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.