Winston Salem, NC -- Despite seven saves from freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Kearney, the UNC Greensboro women's soccer team could not find the back of the net, falling to No. 15 Wake Forest, 3-0, this evening in Winston Salem.
UNCG (5-4-0), who is currently ranked eighth in the southeast in the NSCAA/adidas poll, was led by Jenn Partenheimer and Nicole Danford who finished with two shots a piece. The Spartans as a team totaled seven shots, the only two on goal coming from Mary Kate Towne and Kristin Player. Katelynn Donovan rounded out all Spartan shooters with one look on the evening. Player has now placed 10 of her 15 shots on goal this season while Towne has placed nine of 16 on net.
“We started the game very well, we were on top of the game but probably should have used our chances better,” said head coach Eddie Radwanski. “The first goal was a shot that deflected off of someone and found its way into the back of the net. It was bad luck and theres not much you can do about that.”
UNCG held an early 4-1 advantage on shots, but it was the Demon Deacons (7-1-0) who struck first, finding the back of the net in the 28th minute of play on just their second shot of the evening. Amy Smerdinski gave Wake Forest a 1-0 lead when she ripped a shot from 22 yards out, deflecting the ball off a UNCG defender into the net.
The Spartans would not have an answer, heading into the half trailing 1-0. Wake Forest wasted no time in the second half, giving themselves a 2-0 cushion just two minutes into play. Jill Hutchinson sent her corner kick just outside the box, finding the feet of Kaley Fountain who took a shot from 19 yards out, finding the left side of the net.
“You don't want to fall behind 2-0, let alone that early in the second half, so we changed some things up, and tried to get forward,” said Radwanski. “The kids did a good job the next 10-15 minutes but we couldn't get anything going. You have to make the goalkeeper work and that wasn't something that we were able to do. The first two goals were bad luck and we couldn't find a way to respond. They managed the game well and it's a credit to Wake Forest.”
Despite taking three shots over the course of the second half, the Spartans could not find the back of the net. Wake Forest would strike again in the 82nd minute of play as Bianca D'Agostino notched her third goal of the season off a Kaley Fountain assist.
Wake Forest held the advantage in nearly each area of the stat sheet, out-shooting the Spartans, 29-7 and holding a 6-3 advantage on corner kicks.
The Spartans will remain idle for the remainder of the weekend before wrapping up their five week road swing at Chattanooga on September 26. The game will serve as the opener of the conference slate for the Spartans. UNCG has not lost a regular season conference game in their last 23 matches, a streak that dates back to September 24, 2006. Match time is set for 7:00 pm.
AGATE
Scoring:
1 2 T
UNCG 0 0 0
Wake 1 2 3
Scoring Summary: Wake Forest Amy Smerdzinski (unassisted) 27:25, Wake Forest Kaley Fountain (Jill Hutchinson) 47:39, Wake Forest Bianca D'Agostino (Kaley Fountain) 81:26; Shots: UNCG 7, Wake Forest 29; Saves: UNCG 7 (Kearney 7), Wake Forest 2 (Laura Morse 1, Team 1); Corner Kicks: UNCG 3, Wake Forest 6; Fouls UNCG 5, Wake Forest 11.
