DAHLONEGA — Renee VanHorn scored twice as the No. 23 North Georgia women's soccer team raced past USC Aiken, 7-0, Saturday afternoon at the UNG Soccer Complex.
And, despite being outshot, 23-20, the North Georgia men's soccer team defeated Clayton State, 5-2, at the UNG Soccer Complex, snapping a two-match losing streak in the process.
For the women, the Lady Nighthawks jumped out early with back-to-back connections from Abbie Crane to VanHorn to score the first two goals of the match before 11 minutes had past. In the 24th minute, Taylor Malasek got her fifth goal of the year after beating the Pacer goalkeeper to push the score to 3-0.
Three minutes later, Mackenzie Brennan scored her first goal of the year off a Rosie Embley corner kick, making the score 4-0 headed into halftime.
The Lady Nighthawks found the final three goals in a span of 10 minutes. Embley scored the first goal in the 71st minute before Dani Shartouny scored her third goal of the year in the 78th minute. Shartouny assisted on the final goal of the match on a pass through to Payton Bisso to push the match to the 7-0 final.
NOTES
- North Georgia has not allowed a goal to USC Aiken at home since 2010. Since that 3-1 outcome, UNG has outscored the Pacers, 38-0, over the past five games at home.
- VanHorn now has nine goals on the year, tying Flagler's Sara Sandberg for the top spot in the league.
- The Lady Nighthawks outshot USCA, 36-6, on the night, holding the Pacers to just three shots per half.
NEXT UP
The Lady Nighthawks will battle West Georgia in the final non-conference game of the year Wednesday in Dahlonega. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
NORTH GEORGIA MEN 5,
CLAYTON STATE 2
For the men, Clayton State came out of the gate quickly, taking four shots in the first three minutes of the contest, but the Nighthawk defense stood tall, preventing the Lakers from scoring.
The scoring started in the 18th minute when Alex Grant put home a chip shot over the Laker keeper off a Gabriel Garcia pass. Garcia was rewarded for the unselfish play four minutes later when Prince Domafriyie found the senior wide open in the middle of the field for a shot and goal, pushing the score to 2-0.
Domafriyie found Eren Ozer 10 minutes later on a cross from the left side to add another goal to the Nighthawks' side, but the Lakers answered with a goal off a penalty kick rebound to cut the lead to two headed to halftime.
Garcia scored again in the 79th minute to push the lead out to 4-1, but another penalty kick for Clayton State allowed for the Lakers to pull back within striking distance with 10 minutes to play. Domafriyie put the game to rest with a goal in the 89th minute after going one-on-one with the keeper.
NOTES
- North Georgia won its second straight game over Clayton State by a 5-2 score. It was the first time in program history that the Nighthawks beat the Lakers at home.
- Matt Sharman posted 10 saves on the outing, saving one penalty kick and nearly saving the other.
- Garcia becomes the seventh player in program history to tally five points in a single game with his two goals and one assist.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks start a four-game road swing at North Greenville Tuesday night. Kickoff from South Carolina is set for 7:30 p.m.
