HIGH POINT, NC Hermann Award candidate Scott Jones scored twice and added an assist as UNC Greensboro exploded for five goals in the second half for a 6-1 win over High Point in men's soccer action Wednesday night.
The six goals were the most by a UNCG team since November 5, 2002. The five tallies in the second half were also the most since that November 5, 2002 game when UNCG defeated The Citadel, 11-2. UNCG's bid for four consecutive shutouts was halted with just under 10 minutes to play. UNCG has not recorded four consecutive shutouts since 1990 when it was an NCAA Division II member.
Jones, who scored the game-winner in a 3-2 overtime win over High Point last year, got UNCG on the scoreboard at 35:16. Jamie Carlson fed a ball from the back to Mike Richardson along the left sideline. Richardson played a through ball to Jones at the top of the box. Jones found himself one-on-one with High Point keeper Adam Ross and hit a ball into the bottom right corner of the goal for his second goal of the season a 1-0 lead.
UNCG could have led by more at the half if it weren't for the play of Ross. The Ragsdale HS product and Greensboro native made several saves when the Spartans dominated play for a good part of the first half. At intermission, UNCG had a 10-4 advantage on shots of goal and had more scoring chances than that.
The Spartans took a 2-0 lead early in the second half on Michael FitzGerald's third goal of the season. FitzGerald hit a shot from 11 yards out, which Ross knocked down. However, FitzGerald gathered in the rebound and found the net on the second try from nine yards out to give UNCG a two-goal lead at 50:56.
Jones, who set a career-high on Wednesday night with five points, then made a 3-0 lead at 63:21. He gathered a loose ball near midfield, dribbled in and hit a blast into the goal from 20 yards out for his third tally of the season.
Jones tacked on an assist when he started a corner kick and Jamie Carlson headed it in at 76:21 for a 4-0 advantage.
As both teams emptied their benches, Paul Zazenski and Mike Richardson added unassisted tallies for UNCG in the final 12 minutes, while High Point's Christian Morfaw broke the shutout bid with a goal at 80:27.
UNCG keeper Jay Benfield played the first 67:15 and did not allow a goal to extend his shutout string to 417:12. The senior from Lewisville, NC has not allowed a goal in the month of October and last allowed a score on September 27 in a 1-0 overtime loss at then-second ranked North Carolina.
UNCG returns to conference play on Saturday night when it host rival College of Charleston at 7 pm at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
AGATE
SCORE BY PERIODS
UNCG..........1..5..- 6
HIGH POINT..0..1..- 1
SCORING SUMMARY:UNCG - Jones (Richardson, Carlson), 35:16; UNCG - FitzGerald (unassisted) 50:56; UNCG - Jones (unassisted), 63:21; UNCG - Carlson (Jones), 76:21; UNCG - Zazenski (Richardson), 79:55; HPU - Morfaw (Archer), 80:27; UNCG - Richardson (unassisted), 85:55. Shots: UNC Greensboro 23, High Point 7. Saves: UNC Greensboro 3 (Dickerson 1; Benfield 2), High Point 6 (Ross 5; Amaya 1). Corner Kicks: UNC Greensboro 11, High Point 4. Fouls: UNC Greensboro 6, High Point 15.
UNCG
