GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team, who received a No. 19 United Soccer Coaches National ranking prior to the game saw five different goal scorers in a 5-1 victory over Triad foe High Point University.
The Spartans are also ranked No. 5 in the South Region United Soccer Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the College Soccer News Poll.
UNCG's 4-0 start is the best start in program history since 2004 when the Spartans went 19-3-1. In Head Coach
Chris Rich's four years at the helm, this is the best start.
The Spartans also showed off as UNCG had not won against High Point since 2008 when it won 2-0 at home on October 11, 2008. UNCG scored its' second most goals against High Point, as the Spartans scored six in 1971 against the Panthers.
From Head Coach Chris Rich on the 4-0 start to the season
"The 4-0 start is huge for the program. This is exactly where we want to be. I am super happy with the result and the start. It was a big win tonight, playing against a very good High Point team. To score five goals against them, that is fantastic. During the first half, we weren't great and I give credit to High Point because they caused us a lot of problems. We brought so much energy, intensity, and competitiveness to the second half and we saw our quality come to life."
By the Numbers:
- Junior goalkeeper
Niclas Wild made one save in the match.
- UNCG outshot High Point 20-5 and had 11 corners to the Panthers' three.
-
Colton Sessoms,
Marco Milanese, and
Marco Afonso each scored a goal and had an assist.
-
Maycol Reyes and
Maddox Mallery scored the other two goals.
- JC Ngando,
Matthew Skinner and
Emmanuel Hagan each had a helper in the win.
How it Happened:
- 27:31: With a set piece in the 28th minute of play, Basile Marc sent the ball into the 18-yard box from about 35 yards out. Skinner headed the ball over to Afonso who crossed it into Milanese to redirect the ball to the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage. This was Milanese's first goal of the season.
- 36:59: The Panthers' Kaya Ignacio caught the diving Niclas Wild and scored on a penalty kick to tie the game.
- 42:17: Off a set piece on the right side of the 18-yard box, JC Ngando crossed it and found Emmanuel Hagan at the top of the six-yard box. Hagan headed it, finding the crossbar, but Reyes put away the rebound to take a 2-1 lead before the half. This was his second goal of the season.
- 51:42: Milanese sent a long ball down the left channel to Ngando, who was shoulder-to-shoulder with a defender. Ngando crossed it with his left foot to Sessoms, who sent the ball high under the crossbar for his second goal of the season.
- 73:06: From midfield, Sessoms sent the ball forward to Afonso who sprinted forward and beat two defenders giving UNCG a 4-1 lead. It was Afonso's second goal of the season.
- 77:49: With numbers, UNCG charged down the field and Maddox found the back left corner for a four-goal lead. This was his first-collegiate goal.
Records:
- UNCG: 4-0-0, 0-0-0 SoCon
- High Point: 1-2-1, 0-0-0 Big South
From Rich on the spread of points among the team
"We have a lot of good players. During the first half, we scored two set piece goals which were great. Maycol and Marco came up big and gave us the lead at halftime and the second half I thought we had multiple players with chances on goal. The three that scored came with great timing and put the game away. I think it is a sign of our depth and we have a lot of great players."
Up Next
The Spartans head away from UNCG Soccer Stadium for the first time this season with a game at VCU on Saturday, September 10 with a start time at 7:00 p.m. UNCG follows that up with a trip to Dallas, Texas to challenge SMU on Tuesday, September 14 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
