Box Score GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women's soccer team went on the road to Atlantic Coast Conference member NC State Thursday night and the Spartans came home with a 2-0 victory over the Wolfpack at the Dail Soccer Field. The victory is the Spartans first against an ACC foe this season and their first over the conference since a win at Wake Forest in 2012.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Chloe Buehler (Perrysburg, Ohio/Penn State) posted her second shutout of the season and the fifth of her career in the victory. Buehler recorded seven saves against the Wolfpack and also was aided by her defense, which posted two team-saves late in the second half. The victory drops the Wolfpack to 3-4-0 on the season and marks just their second loss of the year at home and the first against a Southern Conference team after notching a win against ETSU earlier this season.
The Spartans took the early lead after waiting out an initial weather delay due to lightning in the area. UNCG took advantage of a NC State foul setting up a free kick in the 30th minute of action. Junior defender Georgia Brown (Queenstown, New Zealand/St. Hilda's Collegiate) took the free kick just inside the midline.
Brown sent a long ball all the way across the 18-yard box where it found junior forward Diarra Simmons (Toronto, Canada/Dayton). Simmons was able to bring the ball down before going over the end line and drove towards goal. She fired a sharp angle shot over the head of Wolfpack goalkeeper Sydney Wootten and into the side netting for second goal of the season.
The Spartans maintained the 1-0 lead into the second half and weathered another lightning delay in the second half. NC State started to press the issue over the final 20 minutes of the second half. Crystal Cordova had a chance in the 82nd minute of play but her shot was cleared off the line by defender Regan Lehman (Wilmington, Del./Padua Academy). The Spartans' defense came up big once again in the 85th minute as junior Katelyn Mountjoy (Highland Village, Texas/Marcus) cleared a ball off the defensive line to keep the Spartans in the lead.
UNCG rewarded its defense and Buehler's play in the 87th minute as it picked up a very important insurance goal. Mountjoy made a run against the defense and sent a through ball between two defenders. Her pass found classmate Candice Forbes (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) in an onside position heading in one-on-one against Wootten. Forbes was able to beat the goalkeeper giving the Spartans a 2-0 lead with her second goal of the season.
The Spartans return home to the UNCG Soccer Stadium Sunday night for the first of five straight home games as they host former league rival Elon. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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