JACKSONVILLE – Queens (N.C.) posted a late goal in the first half and added an insurance goal in the second half to down Jacksonville State on Sunday afternoon at the JSU Soccer Field.

The Sunday outing concluded a five-match homestand for the Gamecocks as they will hit the road over the next two weekends of ASUN Conference action. The Royals, a newcomer to the league and making the transition to the NCAA Division I level improved to 1-5-4 overall and 1-2-1 against ASUN competition. Jax State posted a pair of wins in the lengthy homestand, bur dropped to 2-9 on the season and 0-3 in the conference.

Queens took the lead in the 43rd minute after a deflected shot careened over to Daniela Calm in front of the JSU net for her first goal on the season. The Royals had a plus-six advantage in attempts in the first half as they limited Jax State to four looks at a goal in the opening session.

The Gamecocks switched on in the second half as they tallied eight chances in the second half with four on-goal opportunities. The Royals matched JSU in the second half in the shots column. Queens finished with an 18-12 edge for the match.

"It was a really poor performance overall and I felt like we didn't create many opportunities going forward," said head coach Neil Macdonald. "We lost most of the first balls and second balls, so it was hard to get anything going in the game."

Senior Kimberly McPhearson, senior Isobel Spray and junior Kylie Wells registered multiple shots, as McPhearson came off the bench with three chances. Spray and Wells combined for four of the eight shots in the second half.
"We tried in the second half to switch the system and change things up, but it backfired a little bit, so it is stick to the things we have been working on and see if we can't improve on them.

Senior Morgan Lerch made her first start of the season at goalkeeper and collected three saves.

Grace Guglielmo finished with a match-high five shots in the win.

After three consecutive weekends at home, Jax State will hit the road to close out the month of September and open October in the Sunshine State. The Gamecocks' trip to Jacksonville is the first of back-to-back road trips. JSU will travel to Jacksonville, Florida to face neighboring schools Jacksonville and North Florida. The JU contest is set for Thursday, September 29 at 6 p.m. CST. The weekend wraps up on Sunday, October 2 versus the Ospreys of UNF. Match time is set for 12 p.m. CST.

"It is just back to the drawing board in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before we leave and make sure we put in two strong training sessions before we get on the road again," added Macdonald.