UNCG-UNCW Box Score
WILMINGTON, NC – Despite goals from Randi Patterson and Scott Jones, No. 1 UNC Greensboro had its 17-game unbeaten streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to in-state rival UNC Wilmington in a non-league men's soccer match tonight, played before a Seahawk school-record crowd of 865 at UNCW Soccer Stadium. The Spartans, the unanimous top-ranked team in Division I the past three weeks, become the last team to lose a match this fall.
The stunning setback comes four days after UNCG (16-1-1) captured the Southern Conference regular season title and the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament with a 3-1 league victory over No. 26 College of Charleston on Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
“UNCW took us out of our rhythm tonight,” said UNCG head coach Michael Parker. “Hats off to them, they came ready to play tonight. They are a very good team and they showed that this evening.”
Columb Grant scored from the right flank at 84:27 to give the Seahawks (12-5-1) their first defeat of a No. 1 ranked team in the school's history.
After battling through a scoreless first half in a driving rainstorm, the two clubs cranked up the offense in the second period, combining for five goals, including a stretch of three tallies in 1:28 at one point.
Patterson, the sophomore from Hackensack, NJ, struck first at 62:02 when he took a cross from James Goodman and headed in his SoCon leading 17th goal of the year for a 1-0 lead.
UNCW notched the equalizer at 74:06 when Dustin Efird's shot from near the midfield area hit the crossbar and Keith Shevlin tapped the ball past UNCG reserve goalkeeper Ryan Nowak, who replaced starter Jay Benfield in the 55th minute. The Seahawks then jumped ahead, 2-1, on Shevlin's second goal of the night, just 47 seconds later when he gathered a loose ball in the box.
Scott Jones scored his sixth goal of the season on a blast from 35-yards out that tied the game 2-2 at 75:34, but Grant took a through ball from Efird and punched in the game-winner for UNCW in the 85th minute.
The Spartans will host Winthrop on senior day to close out the 2004 regular season on Saturday, November 6 at 7 pm at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. UNCW wraps up its campaign Saturday with a home match against No. 16 Virginia Commonwealth.
AGATE
SCORE BY PERIODS
UNC GREENSBORO............0...2...- 2
UNC WILMINGTON..............0...3...- 3
SCORING: UNCG - Patterson (Goodman) 62:02; UNCW – Shevlin (Efird) 74:06; UNCW - Shevlin (unassisted) 74:53; UNCG - Jones (unassisted) 75:34; UNCW - Grant (Efird) 84:27. SHOTS: UNCG 6, UNCW 9. SAVES: UNCG 2 (Benfield 0, Nowak 1, Team 1), UNCW 4 (Knighton 4). CORNER KICKS: UNCG 4, UNCW 10. FOULS: UNCG 14, UNCW 9. OFFSIDES: UNCG 2, UNCW 3.
- UNCG -
