Big South Conference Women's Soccer Week 7 (2024 Season)
Key Takeaways:

Charleston Southern leads the Big South Conference with a 1-0 record after a strong 4-1 win over Winthrop.
High Point also starts strong at 1-0, shutting out Longwood 2-0.
Two 1-1 draws on Oct. 2nd highlight the competitive balance within the conference: Winthrop ties Longwood, and Gardner-Webb ties High Point.
Radford, the two-time defending champion and preseason favorite, is off to a slow start (0-0-1) in conference play.
Themes & Trends:

Early Conference Leaders Emerge: Charleston Southern and High Point set the pace early in conference play, showcasing strong offensive and defensive performances respectively. Charleston Southern's 4-goal outburst against Winthrop was their highest scoring conference match since 2019, demonstrating their offensive firepower. High Point's Aubrey McKessy shines on defense with her 5th clean sheet in the last 8 games.
Competitive Balance on Display: The two 1-1 draws on Oct. 2nd demonstrate the competitive balance within the Big South. Winthrop, despite being winless in conference play, managed to hold off a strong Longwood squad, while Gardner-Webb demonstrated resilience by equalizing against High Point late in the game.
Preseason Favorites Yet to Dominate: Radford, picked as the preseason favorite, is still searching for their first conference win. They are currently tied for 4th place with a 0-0-1 record. This suggests that the 2024 Big South season will be unpredictable and fiercely contested.
Notable Results:

Charleston Southern 4, Winthrop 1 (Sept. 25th): CSU opened their conference campaign with a dominant win. Elin Persson led the way with a goal and an assist. Danika Birch added a goal and an assist in just 49 minutes of play.
High Point 2, Longwood 0 (Sept. 25th): HPU secured a solid win, with goalkeeper Aubrey McKessy recording a crucial shutout.
Winthrop 1, Longwood 1 (Oct. 2nd): Longwood dominated possession and took the lead, but Winthrop’s Sophia Balliet scored against the run of play to salvage a draw.
Gardner-Webb 1, High Point 1 (Oct. 2nd): After High Point took a late lead, Gardner-Webb’s Lily Stegall answered back almost immediately to secure a draw.
Player of the Week Spotlight (Sept. 30th):

Offensive: Elin Persson (Charleston Southern) - 1 goal, 1 assist vs. Winthrop.
"Persson scored one goal and assisted on another to lead Charleston Southern over Winthrop, 4-1, to open the Big South season."
Defensive: Aubrey McKessy (High Point) - 4 saves, shutout vs. Longwood.
"McKessy made four saves and posted a shutout in goal as High Point opened its conference season by blanking Longwood, 2-0."
Freshman: Danika Birch (Charleston Southern) - Game-winning goal and an assist vs. Winthrop.
"Birch scored the game-winner and assisted on another to help Charleston Southern kick off its conference campaign with a victory against Winthrop."
Looking Ahead:

The race for the Big South title is wide open. Charleston Southern and High Point look strong early, but teams like Radford and Presbyterian are likely to be in the mix as well. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining which teams solidify their place at the top of the conference.

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