Box Score
GREENSBORO, NC – UNCG senior midfielder James Goodman scored the game's lone goal off a header in the 28th minute of the match as the No. 2-ranked UNC Greensboro men's soccer team defeated North Carolina, 1-0, Wednesday evening at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
A crowd of 2,608, the largest to see a Spartan men's soccer game this year and the most at UNCG Soccer Stadium since Oct. 2, 1999 when UNCG played Wake Forest for homecoming, saw UNCG defeat North Carolina for the first time since becoming Division I. It was also the sixth-largest crowd for a UNCG men's game at UNCG Soccer Stadium since the school went Division I in 1991.
With the win, UNCG improved to 7-0-1, while North Carolina dropped to 2-4-2. The win over North Carolina is the first for the Spartans since the 1989 season when UNCG defeated the Tar Heels, 4-3, in overtime. The win also marked UNCG's fourth over an ACC school this season. UNCG has also defeated Virginia Tech, Clemson and Wake Forest in the first five weeks of this season.
Goodman's goal, his fifth of the season and the 22nd of his career, came off a cross from junior Egill Atlason.
"Our game plan tonight was focus," said UNCG head coach Michael Parker. "This team has shown all season that if it concentrates, battles and focuses we can be successful. We are trying to focus on every single game. We are not trying to get in the hoopla of all the rankings and the wins over ACC schools. Each game we play on this winning streak, becomes the next biggest game of the year. Now we need to shift our focus to Furman on Saturday night."
The goaltending tandem of Jay Benfield and Ryan Nowak combined for the team's third shutout of the season and second straight at home.
"It was a big win for us," said Goodman. "We played very hard tonight, our team focus was outstanding. We just need to keep winning...its a good habit to have."
UNC Greensboro, off to its best start since a 14-0-0 start in 1996, travels to Greenville, SC to take on Southern Conference arch-rival Furman on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Eugene Stone Stadium. North Carolina travels to Duke on Sunday at 7 p.m.
