Piedmont women's soccer nabs third straight

DEMOREST -- The Piedmont College women's soccer team was not slow to start Thursday's match with Oglethorpe University, scoring 13 seconds after the opening whistle and getting a second half score to snatch an eventual 2-0 win.

The Lady Lions outshot the visitors overall and on frame in the victory, the program's third straight in the 2013 season.

Etching her way into the Piedmont lore was junior Taylor Hockley when she took a heads-up Megan Hatfield pass to run in behind the Oglethorpe back line and score the first goal of the game to give PC the one-goal lead though it wasn't the way the McDonough native scored that made the goal historic - it was the time.

Hockley's goal came 13 seconds into the match, the second-fastest goals scored in the 20-plus year history of the women's soccer program at Piedmont. Her quick strike sandwiches her between two program greats in that column as Marcy Grulke holds the fastest goal scored at 10 seconds against Fisk in 2003 and Katie Porter slides to third on that list with her goal 15 seconds into a 2010 match against William Peace.

After Hockley had given Piedmont a 1-0 lead just seconds after the opening whistle in the first half, Piedmont was quick to strike again after the second half start needing more than two minutes this time to double the margin. PC's second score came from a brilliant diagonal through ball from senior Laura Goodwin connecting with the foot of freshman Megan Hatfield. The youngster calmly settled the pass, and struck it past oncoming Oglethorpe keeper Sarah Craig to Piedmont at 2-0.

Needing to make just three saves on the night for the shutout was veteran keeper Marjorie Hammond who, along with the Piedmont back four, kept the Stormy Petrels calm offensively throughout the night. After allowing ten shots to the visitors in the first half, the PC defense was able to figure out the OU effort up top holding them to just three chances in the second half without a corner to their name as well.

The win stretches Piedmont's winning streak to a season-high three straight and puts the Lady Lions at 3-1 overall. PC doesn't have much time to rest on its laurels though as the Panthers of Birmingham-Southern College come calling on Saturday afternoon in a home match for the Ladies from Demorest. Kickoff is set for 2:00 pm at the Walker Athletic Complex.