For video of coach Steve Nugent's postgame comments, click here.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Samford's Michelle Moll scored the game's lone goal in the 70th minute as the Bulldogs downed UNCG 1-0 to snap the Spartans' 16-match winning streak in Southern Conference regular-season play on Monday at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
In a rematch of last season's SoCon Championship title game, the Bulldogs (3-5-1, 1-0-1 SoCon) exacted revenge in a defensive duel that produced the same score.
Moll broke up the shutout at the 69:03 mark, taking Brittany Hoffman's cross from the right wing at the top of the 18-yard box and curling it home lower left past a diving Kelsey Kearney.
That was all the offense Samford would need as the Spartans (2-7-0, 1-1-0 SoCon) came up empty on all five of their shots on the afternoon.
"I think Samford had an incredible game plan," UNCG coach Steve Nugent said. "They really didn't give us a lot of room to play in between their backs and did a good job of closing down space early."
Kristin Player, who had two goals and three assists in Saturday's 6-1 win over Chattanooga, had perhaps UNCG's best scoring chance of the day Monday, moments before Moll's decisive strike. Karin Sendel sent a short pass in to Player from the left wing, and Player rifled a shot near post from about 15 yards out that sailed just wide.
Late in the first half, UNCG defender Lauren Lover just missed a goal when she got a boot on a cross and sent an attempt trickling wide of the far post past a drawn-out Alyssa Whitehead.
Whitehead finished with three saves in picking up her second shutout of the season, while Kearney notched four saves.
Samford substituted liberally during the contest, with all 17 players that appeared in the contest logging at least 33 minutes. Meanwhile, the injury-ravaged Spartans, who were down to just four healthy field substitutes and an extra keeper on the sidelines, had seven starters play all 90 minutes.
"We make no excuses," Nugent said. "Our girls are incredibly fit right now. Their personal fitness is something they take a lot of pride in. We've prepared for these situations. We knew first of all when we came into the season that our roster was going to be a little bit light; we were only coming in with 20. And injuries have taken five other players away from us."
The teams played a noon game Monday because of heavy rains in the Greensboro area over the weekend. The contest had originally been scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday.
The loss was the Spartans' first in SoCon regular-season play since Oct. 16, 2009, also against Samford in Greensboro. It was just UNCG's ninth regular-season SoCon loss – and just the third at home – since the start of the 2003 season.
UNCG returns to action Friday at Georgia Southern. Opening kick is set for 4 p.m. in Statesboro, Ga.
AGATE
Samford 1, UNCG 0
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Samford............. 0 1 - 1
UNCG................ 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 69:03 SAM Michelle Moll (1) (Brittany Hoffman)
Shots: Samford 8, UNCG 5; Saves: Samford 3 (Alyssa Whitehead 3), UNCG 4 (Kelsey Kearney 4); Corner kicks: Samford 4, UNCG 1; Fouls: Samford 6, UNCG 10
- UNCG -
