JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. A goal late in the first half was the decider as the No. 6-seeded UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's soccer team (8-7-5) fell to No. 3 ETSU (10-6-2) at Summers-Taylor Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Spartans' season coming to an end in the Southern Conference (SoCon) quarterfinals.
A valiant defensive effort from the Blue & Gold nearly took the game into the half scoreless, but the Buccaneers' push to break the deadlock proved successful in the 42nd minute. While UNCG was able to limit chances for ETSU as the game went on, Head Coach Stefani Workman's side was unable to find an equalizer.
How it happened
Spartans goalkeeper Blythe Clark was called into action early, producing her first stop of the game in the sixth minute to halt a low drive. After a trio of missed opportunities for the Buccaneers in the coming minutes, Clark delivered again in the 17th minute for her second save.
People are also reading…
She produced two more saves in the first frame, but a stop in the 40th minute could only be knocked away for a corner kick. The resulting cross from Ava Duffey found a rising Caroline Wawak, who was able to head the ball home from close range among a sea of players in the box.
UNCG came out more offensively to begin the second half, immediately forcing a pair of corners within the first two minutes after the restart, but was unable to convert either.
The Spartans had another opportunity just past the hour mark, drawing another pair of corners in quick succession, but again the Buccaneers' defense held firm.
The Spartan backline continued to hold firm as well in the second half, holding ETSU without a shot on target during the second half to keep the game within one. UNCG pushed forward in the final 10 minutes to try to find the answer and came close when Laney Smith saw a shot saved in the 83rd minute. But that proved to be the best opportunity they had, the game ending 1-0 as the Spartans' season came to an end in Johnson City.
Beyond the box score
- ETSU held the advantage in shots, 15-3, and put five on target to just one for UNCG. However, in the second half, the Spartans held a 1-0 advantage in shots on goal.
- Clark finished the afternoon with four saves.
- Corner kicks finished 6-4 in favor of UNCG, with five of them coming in the second half.
- Fouls finished 7-3, the Buccaneers committing more.
- UNCG's final win total of eight is the most since 2022 (10) and is double from the 2023 campaign (4).
Season recap
UNCG ends the season at 8-7-5, the program's first winning season since 2022, as the team battled to a 3-3-4 mark in SoCon play. Sophomore forward Laney Smith led the team with 15 points (5G, 5A), followed by junior Merle Greulich (6G, 12 points), and fellow sophomore Madison Bass (4G, 3A).
The Spartan defense was a standout throughout the season, led by freshman goalkeeper Clark. The first-year tallied six shutouts, combining with Cara Robell (one) as the Blue & Gold finished with seven. After a 4-0 win over VMI in the opening round of the SoCon tournament, it is the most shutouts for the program in a season since 2022 (8).
