Eagles Upset UNCG, 2-1, in SoCon Tournament
10/30/2011 9:08:00 PM | Women's Soccer
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Georgia Southern first appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament since 2006 was an afternoon to remember as the seventh seeded Eagles stunned second seeded UNCG, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon. Senior Sara Oland (Evans, Ga.) was the hero, scoring with just 5:57 remaining to give Georgia Southern the upset victory. With the win, the Eagles advance to the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament next weekend in Greensboro against College of Charleston.
"Once again today, our girls showed tremendous heart and passion," said Head Coach Lindsey Vanderspiegel. "If you work hard enough, good things will happen. I think today was a result of us having a great work ethic. I am so proud of this team, it was a great step in the right direction and we are looking forward to the Semifinals next weekend back here in Greensboro."
Georgia Southern (7-10-2) didn't waste any time taking control of the match with a goal from the Storey Sisters. McKenna Storey (Medford, Ore.) headed home a corner kick by Carlee Storey (Medford, Ore.). The goal was McKenna Storey's first of the season and marks the first time that the pair has combined for a collegiate goal.
The Spartans (8-10-1) leveled the score in the 21st minute with a penalty kick by Casey Godwin. The spot kick was the first conceded by the Eagles this season and tied the match at 1-1 with just under 70 minutes left to play.
With just 15 minutes left in regulation, UNCG grabbed what was thought to be a go-ahead goal off a counterattack. The goal, however, was not given on an offsides call. The Spartans finished the match flagged offsides five times in the afternoon.
Georgia Southern won the match with a 85th minute goal by Oland. The senior striker got on the end of a cross by Alex Murphy (Cincinnati, Ohio) in the box for her fourth goal of the season. Her shot was partially saved by the UNCG goalkeeper, but the ball found the net to give GSU a 2-1 lead with 5:57 remaining.
Goalkeeper Katie Merson's (Albuquerque, N.M.) biggest save of the afternoon came just a minute after the Eagles took the lead. She stonewalled Kristin Player from point blank range for one of her five saves in the match. The Eagles killed off the remaining time to secure the victory.
Georgia Southern faces the No. 3 seed College of Charleston in the semifinal round of the Southern Conference Championships at the UNCG Soccer Stadium on Friday evening. The tournament tie for a slot in the SoCon finale starts at 7:30 p.m.
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