Women’s Soccer Fends Off No. 24 Liberty in 0-0 Draw
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's soccer team earned its second draw of the season behind a scoreless match against No. 24 Liberty on Sunday at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
UNCG was the first team on Liberty's schedule this far to keep them scoreless for all 90 minutes.
According to UNCG records, this was the first result for the Spartans against a top-25 team since UNCG defeated No. 7 Wake Forest on Aug. 24, 2012, 1-0, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNCG settled into a very defensive start, as Liberty came out with four shots, two of them being on net, and one corner kick in the first 10 minutes of play. The Spartans countered in the 11th minute with a shot on goal by Mairead Gayer from the top of the 18-yard box. Both teams fought for possession during the rest of the half and Liberty held the edge in shots, 8-5, before heading to the break.
The Lady Flames started the second half off strong with one shot that went wide right and the other was stopped at the end line by Natalie McCullough. Liberty's Avery Paulson drew Emma Malone out of the box for a 1v1 situation, but Natalie McCullough came in from behind to keep the game scoreless at 56:33. As the final five minutes of play intensified, Liberty looked to capitalize while in the box as an initial shot by Gabby Miranda was blocked and Paulson's rebound sailed over the crossbar in the 86th minute. With less than two minutes remaining, Rachel Poplin received a pass in the Spartans' attacking half and dribbled before finding Ava Kiss at the top of the 18-yard box. Kiss turned and settled the ball with defenders at her back before striking the ball just over the crossbar for the Spartans' best chance.
From Emma Malone on the game
"Today we went out there and really put in the effort and attitude we have been needing lately. Overall, I am just super proud of how this team executed the game plan today and dug deep. This is definitely a good mindset to have as we start SoCon play this week. As we go into conference play, we are looking to really maintain this kind of momentum and continue to improve and highlight on what this team does best."
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Lady Flames outshot the Spartans 16-9.
- UNCG had three saves, while Liberty had two.
- The Lady Flames tallied four corner kicks and the Spartans had one.
- There were a total of 25 fouls in the game.
RECORDS
UNCG: 1-5-2
Liberty: 8-0-2
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UP NEXT
The Spartans begin SoCon play on Thursday, Sept. 19 as they travel to Lexington, Virginia to face VMI at 4:00 p.m. at Patchin Field.
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