STATESBORO - In its first trip to Statesboro since 1995, the University of Georgia women's soccer team collected a slim 1-0 victory over host Georgia Southern on Thursday evening at Eagle Field.
Georgia Southern (4-2) entered the match having conceded 18 goals in the last four matchups with the Bulldogs (3-1-1), including a 4-0 loss in Athens to open up the 2022 campaign, but tonight it was a lone penalty kick converted by Georgia that decided the contest. It was the best defensive performance by the Eagles in the series history and the one-goal loss was the closest margin in the series since 1996.
In the 20th minute, the Eagles' Smith Cathey was whistled for a foul in the box on Georgia's Christian Brathwaite. Nicole Vernis converted from the spot to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead.
The Eagles had two golden chances to come up with the equalizer late in the first half. A counter attack in the 39th minute saw Ansleigh Crenshaw's try go wide to the left.
Then, a free kick awarded to Georgia Southern in the 42nd minute just outside the box as Bulldogs goalkeeper Jordan Brown was issued a yellow card. Carley Borgelt's free kick hit off of Brown and off the crossbar, then rebounded out to the Eagles' Emma Armstrong, whose point blank follow try was also saved by Brown.
The shot totals were 8-7 in favor of Georgia at the break.
In the second half, Georgia displayed pressure for much of the period, but freshman goalkeeper Quinn Wilson made six saves to keep the Bulldogs off the board. She would finish the match with a season-high 10 saves, the first Eagle to record 10 saves since Sallie Newton had 12 at Ole Miss on March 27, 2021.
Georgia finished the match with 22-10 edge in shots. Brown made five saves in net for the Bulldogs, and Georgia enjoyed a 10-1 edge in corner kicks on the night. The Bulldogs were whistled for six fouls, while the Eagles were whistled for three fouls and were offsides twice.
"I thought it was a great performance from our kids," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said. "Soccer can be a cruel game sometimes. Our kids fought our socks off and I thought they deserved better tonight. We'll learn from it, move on. The shots were nearly even at halftime, and I thought we did a really good job counter attacking, creating really good chances. Tip your hat to Georgia, who scored one more than us tonight, but I was very proud of our kids for staying in it from start to finish."
The Eagles travel to Missoula next to take on the University of Montana on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the final non-conference match of the season. Georgia Southern returns home to Eagle Field on Sunday, September 17, when the Eagles host Georgia State in a 4 p.m. Sun Belt Conference-opening match.
