Amanda Naeher scored two goals and recorded an assist to lead the Charlotte Lady Eagles over the Long Island Rough Riders 4-0. With the 4-0 victory, the Charlotte Lady Eagles secured a spot in the Eastern Conference Championship game on Sunday against D.C. United Women.
Charlotte got on the board early with Naeher scoring in the 5th minute. Naeher added another in the 44th minute to give the Lady Eagles a 2-0 advantage at half. Naeher’s second goal was impressive as she managed to put the header away even though she was pushed by a Rough Rider defender.
Naeher notched an assist early in the second half when Macky Wingo scored in the 52nd minute. Wingo managed to intercept the ball from of the Rough Riders and passed it to Naeher, who then quickly passed it back to Wingo. The sequence caught the Rough Rider defense off guard and Wingo’s ensuing shot easily found the back of the net.
Naeher’s night would end eight minutes later when Rachel Baer entered the game. Baer would add a goal of her own in the 63rd minute to give the Charlotte Eagles the 4-0 lead.
The Rough Riders offense was frustrated all evening with errant passes and bad touches. However, some nice goalkeeping and defensive work by the Rough Riders kept the Lady Eagles from notching a fifth goal. Twice Rough Rider’s keeper was forced to make two tough saves, leaving the goal vulnerable. Both times, Rough Rider defenders were able to keep the subsequent rebounds from reaching the back of the net.
After notching the fourth goal head coach Lee Horton was able to rest some his key players in preparation of the tomorrow’s Eastern Conference Championship. The Charlotte Lady Eagles will face D.C. United tomorrow at 4 p.m. to decide which team goes to the Final Four Ottawa.
