GREENSBORO, N.C. – Cat Barnekow notched her first career multi-goal game and freshman Lauren Lover scored her first career goal as 25th-ranked UNCG topped Georgia Southern in a Southern Conference women's soccer tilt Friday, 5-1.
The Spartans, who are tied for 25th in this week's Soccer America poll, ran their record to 8-1-1 on the season and 3-0-0 in the SoCon. The Eagles fell to 4-6-0, 1-2-0 in the league.
Barnekow did her damage early, getting on the board with her first goal of the season in the 11th minute. Lauren Hein split a couple of GSU defenders with a beautiful through ball that found Barnekow in stride, and the junior buried it from about 15 yards out past drawn-out keeper Katie Merson. Kristen Schmidbauer also picked up an assist on the play.
Barnekow struck again in the 28th minute to make it a 2-0 game. Defender Stephanie Partenheimer sent a long ball from near the midline that Tabitha Padgett nodded on to Barnekow. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native collected the pass and deposited into the net for her second goal of the night and the season.
The Spartans would take a 2-0 lead into the half, but the bulge could have been bigger at the half if not for a pair of nice saves Merson. On a Jenn Partenheimer attempt in the 24th minute, Merson backpedalled and punched the shot just over the crossbar. A few minutes later, Merson made nice sliding grab on Hein's close-range attempt.
UNCG picked up where it left off after halftime, getting a Schmidbauer goal in the 58th minute. Padgett picked up another assist, sending a pass to Schmidbauer at the top of the box. The freshman knocked it home lower left from there for her third goal of the season and a 3-0 UNCG lead.
Greensboro native Lover made it a 4-0 game in the 79th minute, collecting a Katie Durst pass and banging it home from inside the 18-yard box.
Padgett scored UNCG's final goal in the 89th minute. Nicole Danford – playing for the first time since Aug. 23 – sent a nice ball from the defense that found Barnekow in stride in the midfield. Barnekow took the ball into the box and sent it across to Padgett, who merely had to run onto it and knock it home for her third goal of the season.
Georgia Southern avoided the shutout in dramatic fashion, getting a Lindsay Hammer goal as time expired. Alex Murphy sent a pass to Hammer, who just got her shot off before the horn, beating a drawn-out Alex Perry.
UNCG held a 19-4 shot advantage on the evening and an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Kelsey Kearney made a pair of saves in 71 minutes of work to pick up the win in the net, while Perry worked the final 19. Merson made five saves in the complete game for the Eagles.
UNCG returns to action Sunday when it hosts Davidson at UNCG Soccer Stadium at 2 p.m.
AGATE
UNCG 5, Georgia Southern 1
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
Georgia Southern.... 0 1 - 1
UNCG................ 2 3 - 5
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 10:24 UNCG Cat Barnekow (1) (Lauren Hein;Kristen Schmidbauer)
2. 27:15 UNCG Cat Barnekow (2) (Tabitha Padgett;Steph. Partenheimer)
3. 57:02 UNCG Kristen Schmidbauer (3) (Tabitha Padgett)
4. 78:51 UNCG Lauren Lover (1) (Katie Durst)
5. 88:58 UNCG Tabitha Padgett (3) (Cat Barnekow;Nicole Danford)
6. 89:59 GSU Lindsay Hammer (1) (Alex Murphy)
Shots: Georgia Southern 4, UNCG 19
Saves: Georgia Southern 5 (Katie Merson 5), UNCG 2 (Kelsey Kearney 2)
Corner kicks: Georgia Southern 0, UNCG 8
Fouls: Georgia Southern 7, UNCG 8
- UNCG -
