Thanks to several outstanding plays on both ends of the field in the game's crucial moments, the Charleston Southern Lady Bucs women's soccer squad emerged with a hard-fought 1-0 victory Saturday in Big South Conference play at UNC-Asheville's Greenwood Field.

In recent games, the Bucs had become quite familiar with dominating the statistical battle, as the team always seemed to have the upper hand in the key categories that usually translate to winning: shots, shots on net, and corner kicks.

However, from the outset, it was clear that this was going to be a different type of game for CSU. 2-10 Asheville came out hungry for a win, and with the wind behind their backs the Bulldogs launched a strong early attack on the Buc net, firing four shots on net in the first ten minutes, all of which were saved by CSU keeper Jena Uvalle (Mt. Dora, Fla.).

Having survived this opening stretch, the Bucs began to produce some offensive opportunities of their own. Sarah Catenacci (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) had a shot denied by UNC-Asheville goalkeeper Vernoica Lazar in the 8th minute. Marky Boyce (Woodbridge, Va.) followed this chance with two of her own, including a shot that went high in the 27th, while Caitlin Gunyan (Rockville Center, N.Y.) fired an effort wide in the 38th.

On the other end, the Bucs maintained the even score at the half thanks to Uvalle, who, with help from a recovering Emily Danchak (Woodbridge, Va.), denied a one-on-one opportunity for the Bulldogs in the late stages of the first half.

After being outshout 7-3 in the first half, the Bucs hoped to turn the statistical tables on the Bulldogs in the second, but it would still be Asheville that would control the play for the majority of the game's second section. Uvalle was called upon to deny three UNCA shots, and deny she did, stopping Katy Beeler's effort in the 49th before stopping Robyn Busha in both the 56th and 77th minutes.

Yet, on a day where they were weary from four games in seven days and were suffering from illnesses to key players, it would take just one minute of brilliant plays on both ends of the field to secure a fifth successive success.

The action all took place in the 86th minute, beginning when Uvalle broke off her line to deny a one-on-one opportunity for Busha with her leg. The ball rolled back to Busha, who hoped to chip the ball over and past the recovering Uvalle. Uvalle quickly hustled to her net and jumped in the air to retrieve the ball in an athletic motion, maintaining the 0-0 scoreline.

Uvalle then punted the ball forward to the midfield, where Boyce eventually collected the ball. Boyce found Jen Vroman (Piscataway, N.J.), who dribbled the ball for an extended period of time as she made a strong run down the left side. CSU's leading assist artist picked out the proper target, finding Emma Mattsson (Helsingborg, Sweden) in the outer edge of the box. With the steely nerves of a veteran, Mattsson finished with an unstoppable shot into the lower far net to give CSU a 1-0 lead.

Taking a lead just seconds after nearly going behind gave the Lady Bucs the needed confidence to see off the rest of the game and improve their season record to 9-4 and conference mark to 2-1.

After a four day layoff that will surely seem like an eternity given the crunch of matches the Lady Bucs have had lately, CSU will return to the field Wednesday at Coastal Carolina. The team will hope that their ability to find ways to win will travel with them to Conway for a tough match with the Chanticleers, who are currently undefeated in Big South play.