Women’s soccer defeats University of North Carolina-Greensboro in their last home game of the conference season with a score of 2-1. The Bucs gave the UNCG Spartans their first loss of the conference this past Sunday.
“It was probably our best performance of the season,” said head coach Adam Sayers. “We had a good game Friday night, which was important because we were unlucky last week against Samford and Chattanooga, so it was important to put in a good performance as soon as we got back on our home pitch.”
The first half started with the Spartans in possession of the ball, and quickly making their way to the Bucs defensive line. In an eager attempt to get their first shot on goal the Spartans tried getting behind the Bucs defense, but was unsuccessful with the Bucs taking possession.
The Bucs made the first goal of the evening from a header off of senior Eleonora Goldoni (Milan, Italy) from a corner kick assisted by senior Fiona Dodge (Pontypool, Wales.) Less than a minute after the first goal, Goldoni made another attempt on goal but shot wide.
The Spartans quickly came back with a shot on goal, but it was saved by senior Lea Anne Cutshall (Johnson City, Tennessee). The rest of the first half showed multiple shots on goal made by both teams, but ended with the Bucs leading the score 1-0.
The Spartans came back in the second half with a faster pace on the ball and put the Bucs’ defense to the test with several shots on goal. Eventually, the Spartans pressure allowed them to break through the Bucs defense with an intercepted goal kick, giving the Spartans a one-on-one shot inside the 18. The Spartans tied the score 1-1.
Cutshall made some game-changing saves in the Spartans attempt to lead the score board. A penalty-kick in the 80th minute gave the Bucs their second goal made by Goldoni, her seventh in the season.
“It’s such a great feeling,” said Goldoni. “We beat UNCG, one of the best teams in our conference, so I think it shows that we are a great team, and we can achieve a lot of great goals.”
Women’s soccer currently has a record of 5-2 in the conference. The team will travel to Macon, Georgia, as they face Mercer on Oct. 19 as they near the end of conference play.
