UNCG-Charlotte Box Score
Phil Long had a goal and an assist in UNCG's win on Saturday night. |
CHARLOTTE, NC - Scott Jones and Phil Long each had a goal and an assist as the top-ranked UNC Greensboro men's soccer team defeated Charlotte, 4-2, in a non-conference men's soccer game Saturday night.
At 14-0-1, the Spartans are the only unbeaten team remaining in Division I after James Madison lost at Old Dominion on Friday night. UNCG also has the longest current unbeaten streak in Division I soccer at 15 consecutive games. It is the second time in school history that the Spartans have not lost in their first 15 contests of a season. UNCG began the 1983 season by going 17-0-1. UNCG finished that season 23-1-1 and won the NCAA Division III national title. During that season and the season before, UNCG had a 24-game unbeaten streak.
This past week, UNCG became a consensus No. 1 team, achieving the top spot in all four Division I men's soccer polls. It marked the first time UNCG had been ranked No. 1 since upgrading to NCAA Division I status in 1991.
“I am very proud of the way the guys played tonight” said UNCG coach Michael Parker, the winningest active coach in Division I men's soccer with 431 career victories. “They battled hard and were up to the task. It was an excellent win for us.”
Against Charlotte on Saturday, the 49ers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. Evan Harding scored after Pete Palomino started the play on a corner kick. Harding's goal came with 11:01 to play.
However, the Spartans converted a corner kick of their own with 7:38 left in the first half. Long started off a corner kick and found Randi Patterson for his 14th goal of the season. Patterson, a sophomore from Teaneck, NJ, picked up his 25th career goal on the play, making him the 10th player in the Division I era at UNCG to achieve the milestone. He began the week ranked 11th in Division I in goals per game and points per game.
UNCG took a 2-1 lead with 35:05 to play when Matt Smith scored from 18 yards out off a pass from Jones, a lead which UNCG would not surrender. The goal was Smith's fifth of the season.
Jones made it a 3-1 game when he scored with just over 16 minutes to play. He scored from eight yards out off a pass by Jeff Lochrie for his sixth goal of the season.
UNCG got another insurance goal with just under eight minutes to play when Long scored his sixth of the season unassisted from 18 yards out.
Charlotte (8-5-1) is now 1-4 all-time against No. 1 ranked teams.
UNCG comes home to face backyard-rival High Point on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
AGATE
SCORE BY PERIODS
UNCG...................1..3..- 4
CHARLOTTE.........1..1..- 2
SCORING: CHAR - Harding (Palomino) 33:59; UNCG - Patterson (Long) 37:22; UNCG - Smith (Jones) 59:55; UNCG - Jones (Lochrie) 73:34; UNCG - Long (unassisted) 82:08; CHAR - Franks (Nabers) 88:40. SHOTS: UNCG 18, CHAR 15. SAVES: UNCG 6 (Benfield 5, TEAM 1), CHAR 9 (Beachem 9). CORNER KICKS: UNCG 4, CHAR 8. FOULS: UNCG 12, CHAR 16. OFFSIDES: UNCG 3, CHAR 8.
