GREENSBORO, N.C. – A dominant 3-0 performance from the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's soccer team over Southern Conference (SoCon) foe Furman Friday night counted for the Spartans' fifth clean sheet of the season.
In her first-collegiate start in net, freshman goalkeeper
Emma Malone tallied two saves in her first-collegiate shutout, while three different Spartans scored in the win at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
How it Happened:
A confident UNCG women's soccer team showed up Friday evening looking to add another win to their record. The first ten minutes of the match showed some back-and-forth between the two teams, as they settled into the match. The ninth minute saw Furman's best opportunity when a ball slipped through the Spartan back line. Malone had her eye on the ball and came sliding out to shut down the Paladin opportunity.
After knocking at the Furman goal for the better part of ten minutes, the Spartans struck hard and fast as senior
Gabi Santora took a shot from the left side of the box which floated over the Paladins goalkeeper to find the right upper-90 and put the Spartans on the board 21 minutes in. Just over a minute later,
Parker Sikora drove the ball down the left flank and took a shot on net that was blocked by a Paladin. The ball was redirected finding the foot of sophomore
Nadia Wilson, who crashed the six-yard box and used her right foot to extend the lead to 2-0.
UNCG held control of the ball for the better part of the first half and senior
Maddy Gilhool was able to get in on the action thanks to teammate
Morgan Brubaker. Brubaker beat a defender down the right channel and sent in a low cross to find Gilhool's right foot. Gilhool tucked the ball neatly inside the front right post, securing a 3-0 lead.
By the Numbers:
- Santora netted her second goal of the season and fifth of her career.
- Wilson scored the second goal of her career.
- Gilhool recorded her sixth goal of the season and 11th of her career.
- Brubaker tallied her first-collegiate assist, while Sikora notched her second assist of the season and third of her career.
- Freshman goalkeeper Emma Malone earned her first shutout of her collegiate career.
- UNCG outshot Furman 19-8 with seven shots on goal.
From Head Coach Michael Coll
"We were very good tonight and played some very nice attacking soccer throughout the game. The team is excited to start homecoming weekend and showcase our great university. Furman is a storied program and they play the right way so we knew this would be a game to enjoy and showcase the beautiful game. We are thankful to the nice crowd tonight, a night which also celebrated the history of Title IX and the aim to support women's sports. The SoCon is very tough and we know points are hard to build but we know teams will need to be at their best to beat us."
Records:
UNCG: 6-7-2, 2-3-1 SoCon
Furman: 7-7-1, 2-3-1 SoCon
Up Next:
The Spartans conclude their final home regular season series with Wofford on Sunday, October 16 at UNCG Soccer Stadium. The game will begin at 2:00 p.m.
This will be the final event of UNCG's Homecoming Week and the Athletics' Title IX Week.
Sunday's game will also be the Spartans' Breast Cancer Awareness Game.
The UNCG women's athletic teams have partnered with Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) for the month of October. LBBC is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to create a world that understands there is more than one way to have breast cancer.
Donate to Living Beyond Breast Cancer
