Thursday March 28th, 2024 6:40AM

UNG men's soccer stages record comeback to beat UNC Pembroke

By AccessWDUN Staff

PEMBROKE, N.C. — After falling behind 4-1 in the second half, the University of North Georgia men's soccer team rallied to score three goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation to force overtime where senior Matt Shaftoe scored the golden goal to give the Nighthawks a 5-4 victory over UNC Pembroke. The Nighthawks move to 9-8 on the season with a 6-2 record in the Peach Belt Conference.

The Braves got on the board first as Jordan Walshaw scored his 10-th goal of the season in the 12th minute. North Georgia would find the equalizer though in the 22nd as Shaftoe headed in a cross from fellow senior Eddie Hurst to tie the game at 1-1, the score both teams took into the half.

UNC Pembroke opened the second half with an offensive frenzy scoring in the 56th, 57th, and 68th to take a commanding 4-1 lead with just 22 minutes to play. The Nighthawks showed their resiliency however, scoring three times in the final 12 minutes of play to force overtime.

It would be Shaftoe ending it in the 108th putting Michael Akin's cross into the back of the net to give UNG its first overtime win on the road since the 2013 season opener at Barry.

NOTES
- Saturday's match marks the first time in the NCAA-era (2005-present) that UNG has rallied from down three goals to win.

- With the victory today, UNG is now guaranteed to host a Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinal match in Dahlonega on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The time and opponent will be released after league play is complete next Saturday.

- The North Georgia win brings the all-time series back to even at 4-4-5. This was UNG's first at Pembroke since 2008.

STAT OF THE DAY
20 - The Nighthawks took 20 shots on goal in today's match compared to just nine for UNCP.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will return home for their final match of the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 26 against Clayton State. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

© Copyright 2024 AccessWDUN.com
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.