GREENVILLE, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team has soared into the national rankings thanks to a lockdown defense, relentless offensive assaults, and flawless teamwork.
Once again, all those dynamic facets of the 19th-ranked Spartan diverse attack were on full display during a 3-0 victory over Furman in a Southern Conference contest on a picture-perfect autumn evening at Seagraves Field inside of Stone Stadium Saturday night.
Playing his first career road conference match, freshman defender
Joey Skinner was the catalyst of UNCG's sixth straight victory. Skinner fueled UNCG's powerful offense with a goal and an assist to help the Spartans extend their unbeaten streak to eight matches.
One of the highlights of the match occurred before kickoff when both programs participated in Furman's annual Quinn Game for Down Syndrome Awareness. Both teams ran behind a young kid with down syndrome as he scored.
In addition, each player had a kid with them as the starting lineups were announced. It was a special moment and one that impacted Rich and his program.
Quotable
UNCG head coach Chris Rich on the victory.
"It's always great to go on the road in league play and get a result. To do it in the way we did it, I am super proud of that. I thought in the beginning of the first half was very good and toward the end of the first half, Furman was getting the better of the play and got a lot of box entries and serving the ball into our box. The second half was fantastic. Furman is much better than their record indicates and they are very well coached. Happy for the guys and I am proud of them."
Rich on being able to participate in the pregame Quinn ceremony.
"It was special being part of the Quinn game. The moment before the game when all those young kids came on the field and both teams and coaching staffs intermingled was a great moment. I was super grateful and privileged to be a part of that with coach Allison and his crew. It was awesome for us and hopefully our guys realize that there's so many bigger things than football."
How It Happened
- In addition to Skinner, UNCG got goals from J.C. Ngando and Daniel Mangarov.
- Ngando opened the scoring for UNCG in the 17th minute by finishing a beautiful give-and-go with Skinner.
- Clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Spartans broke the contest open with a pair of second-half goals seven minutes apart.
- Skinner doubled UNCG's advantage when he fired a ball into the net off a deflection by a Furman defender following a corner kick.
- Basile Marc notched his first assist of the season with a beautiful pass to Mangarov, who did the rest.
- With fancy feet and quick two-step, Mangarov blasted the ball into the net from about 15 yards to swell UNCG's lead to 3-0.
Inside the Numbers
- Dominating opponents with cruel efficiency, the methodical Spartans have outscored their three SoCon foes by a combined score of 13-0.
- Wild has seven shutouts this season and 12 in his career.
- The Spartans have posted seven clean sheets in their last eight matches.
- UNCG has outscored opponents, 28-1, in its last eight matches.
- UNCG has outscored its last five Saturday opponents, 24-0.
- This is UNCG's first win over Furman since 2018.
- This is the most goals UNCG has scored against Furman since a 3-2 win in the SoCon tournament.
- Skinner leads the SoCon with six assists.
- Ngando scored his first goal since the Clemson victory.
- This is the sixth straight game in which UNCG has scored in the first half.
- The Spartans enjoyed a 12-4 shot advantage during the first half.
- Eight Spartans have scored at least two goals this season.
- The 35 goals, which leads the nation, are the most UNCG has scored in a season since 2016 when it finished with 39.
Final Word
Marc on his role and the victory.
"We knew Furman was a great team and it was important for us to keep winning. The guys are focused on each game. I am proud of the guys and happy with my performance tonight. This is my first year here and I am proud to be part of this team. My role is to keep the ball in the middle of the field and try to be patient and break the line when I can and play forward."
Up Next
UNCG visits Belmont in another Southern Conference clash at 6 p.m. Eastern/ 5 p.m. Central.
