September 30, 2010

UNCG (7-1-1, 2-0-0 SoCon) vs. Georgia Southern (4-5-0, 1-1-0 SoCon), Oct. 1, 7 p.m., UNCG Soccer Stadium

LiveStats: UNCGSpartans.com
Video: Spartan All Access (free all season)
Admission: Free (all season)

Storylines

- No. 25 UNCG opens a season-long four-game homestand Friday when it hosts Georgia Southern at the UNCG Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

- UNCG is 11-3-0 against Georgia Southern all-time, and has won seven straight in the series. GSU's last win came in 2002 in Statesboro, Ga. The only time the Eagles have beaten UNCG in Greensboro was in 1999, in the first round of the Southern Conference Championship. The Spartans have outscored GSU 22-2 during their current seven-match win streak over the Eagles.

- The Spartans took a 3-0 win in the last meeting between the two teams, on Oct. 4, 2009. Kelly Attayek scored off a Cat Barnekow pass just 26 seconds into the contest to set the tone early. Kristin Player followed with a goal in the 66^th minute off a Jen Bronson pass and Tabitha Padgett added one in the 88^th to close it out, with Jaimey Etten getting the assist on the play. Georgia Southern took just eight shots in the game, none of them on-frame. Keepers Kelsey Kearney and Alex Perry combined on the shutout.

- UNCG is off to one of the best starts in its 23-year program history. At 7-1-1, the Spartans have just one loss through their first nine games for just the second time in school history. The only other UNCG team to have just one loss through nine contests was the 1991 squad, which opened the season 9-1-0. This year, UNCG was undefeated through its first four games for the first time ever.

- UNCG re-entered the Soccer America Top 25 this week, coming in at a tie for 25^th. The Spartans are ranked for the second time this season after spending a week at No. 18 after opening the year with wins over East Carolina, then-No. 10 Wake Forest and Utah. UNCG – which played to a scoreless tie with a then-unranked Southern Cal (which is now ranked between Nos. 15-17 in the three major polls) – is receiving votes in both the NSCAA and Soccer Times polls.

- Prior to this season, the last time UNCG was ranked was 1998, when the Spartans were No. 13 in the Soccer Buzz preseason poll.

- UNCG topped Samford on Sunday, 1-0. Jenn Partenheimer scored on an Etten pass in just the fourth minute and Kearney and the Spartan defense made the lead stand. Kearney made six saves on the day in posting her fourth shutout of the season.

- With goals in three straight games, Partenheimer has taken over the team scoring lead with eight points on a career-high-tying four goals. Lauren Hein and Etten are tied for second on the team with seven points each, with Etten notching a goal and two assists over the opening weekend of SoCon play. Hein has three goals and an assist, while Etten has a goal and a team-best and career-high five assists. Kearney has played all but 21 minutes in goal this season, posting a goals against average of 0.78 and a save percentage of .825 in 809:03. She has turned in four shutouts and allowed just seven goals in nine games.

-UNCG leads the SoCon in goals allowed (seven), GAA (0.76) and shutouts (four). Etten is tied for the league lead in assists (five) and assists per game (0.56). Kearney is tied for the lead in shutouts (four), leads the league in shutouts per game (0.44) and is second in GAA (0.78) and save percentage (.825).

- With her four shutouts this season, Kearney is now up to 23 in her career, good for second on UNCG's career list. Kearney, a junior, now trails school-record holder Jennifer Stillman by just two. Kearney is also UNCG's career leader in GAA, as she holds a mark of 0.67 in 47 matches played.

- Of UNCG's 16 goals scored thus far this season, 11 of them have come from underclassmen. Sophomores Hein (three), Padgett (two) and Jessi Gulledge (two) account for seven, while freshmen Kristen Schmidbauer (two), Stine Schoening (one) and Kory Spotts (one) account for four. Partenheimer, a senior, has scored four, while junior Etten (one) has the only other goal by an upperclassman.

- Georgia Southern is 4-5-0 and 1-1-0 in the SoCon. The Eagles have rebounded nicely from a 2009 campaign in which they went 1-17-0 overall and 1-10-0 in the league. Junior Sara Oland leads the SoCon with seven goals so far on the year – one less than GSU scored all of last season. GSU went 2-1-0 on its recent three-game homestand, picking up wins over Coastal Carolina and Wofford – the only team the Eagles beat last year.

-GSU fell 3-1 to Furman on Sunday, falling behind 3-0 before Oland scored off passes from Courtney Collins and Carlee Storey in the 82^nd minute to avoid the shutout. Keeper Katie Merson had a tough day in goal, allowing three goals and making just one save.

- Just nine games in, the Eagles have surpassed their goal total from last season, scoring 12. Oland leads the team with 14 points on her seven goals, while four other players have scored one goal each. The Eagles got an own goal against USC Upstate on Aug. 28. Collins and Storey share the team lead with two assists each. Merson has started seven games in goal, posting a 1.91 GAA and a .647 save percentage. Missy Meyer has started the other two games, turning in a 1.47 GAA and a .750 save percentage.

- Friday's game begins a season-long four-game road swing through North Carolina for Georgia Southern. The Eagles will face Elon on Sunday, then play at Western Carolina and Appalachian State next weekend. GSU is 1-3 away from home this season, including a 1-1 mark in true road games.

- In addition to leading the league in goals (seven) and goals per game (0.78), Oland is second in the SoCon in scoring with 14 points and 1.56 points per game. She also shares the league lead with three game-winning goals.

- UNCG -