LEXINGTON, Va. - UNCG women's soccer makes it back-to-back SoCon victories this Saturday, claiming a 1-0 win over hosts VMI. While the scoreline was close, the Spartans outshot their opponents 16-8 over the course of 90 minutes, with Maddy Gilhool's 61st-minute tally going down as the game-winner.

The Spartans wasted no time getting their offense going against the Keydets, testing the VMI keeper within 60 seconds of kickoff on a shot from starting winger Jordin Mosley. UNCG reeled off three unanswered attempts at net in the first four minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net before the halftime whistle.

With the home team collecting just two shots in the opening half, starting keeper Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper didn't have much to do in the first 45, but did come up with a key save in the 36th to keep everything scoreless before halftime. Mosley was responsible for two of her team's four shots on goal in the first, with Rachel Rouse hitting the target a pair of times as well. 

Stuck in a scoreless tie it didn't take more than 15 minutes into the second half for the Spartans to find the go-ahead. Starting forward Maddy Gilhool picked up her second goal of the past two games during the 61st minute, hitting the back of the net on an unassisted tally. 

Playing 54 minutes on the afternoon, Gilhool's second goal of the season came on her only shot of the contest, putting herself in a tie with Caroline Woods and Ashley Avelino for a team-high in goals in 2021.

Pushing for the equalizer in the final 30 minutes, the Keydets fired at net four times, with Tyler-Cooper coming up with two more saves in the final half hour. The keeper tallied four stops over the course of the contest to collect her fourth clean sheet of the season, and the 18th of her career, placing the Charlottesville, Va. in a tie for sixth in UNCG program history.

Despite VMI's increased offensive pressure Tyler-Cooper and the Spartan defense held off their hosts over the course of the final 30, and even created a pair of scoring chances on shots by QuiQui Hita and Carolina Fiorella. Neither team would find the mark before the full time whistle rang however, as Gilhool's tally proved to be the difference in a 1-0 final in Lexington. 

>>> In addition to her 18 clean sheets, Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper is now up to 246 career saves, which puts her eight shy of tying for fifth in UNCG history
>>> Gilhool is the second Spartan to score in back-to-back contests this season, with Ashley Avelino finding the mark against ETSU and Western Carolina earlier in the season
>>> The Spartans' clean sheet is their third in SoCon play this year, as the side has allowed an average of .50 goals per game in their past six contests

#letsgoG