MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — The 2016 University of North Georgia women's soccer team advanced further than any team before it, making it to the NCAA DII Southeast Region Final but a trip to the Elite Eight just wasn't in the cards Friday evening as the Nighthawks fell to a familiar foe in No. 5 Columbus State, 2-0. The defeat ends UNG's season at 15-3-3.
Rachel VanHorn looked to give North Georgia a first half lead in the 24th minute with one of the only shots on goal in the half, but just before the ball reached the goal line Columbus defender Amanda Murphy shut the door, knocking the ball away for a team save that proved vital.
The game was scoreless at the break but the Cougars didn't waste much time breaking the tie in the opening minutes of the second half as Olivia Janowitz found the back of the net in a shot across the box to the far post in the 53rd.
The Nighthawk backline continued its gritty play keeping the high-powered CSU offense for the next 33 minutes. As UNG shifted its focus more towards the attack trying to find the equalizer needed to force overtime, Cassandra Wade punched in the second goal of the game in the 86-th minute after a failed clearance. It would end up being the last shot of the game.
NOTES
- Friday's match was the first time UNG had been shutout in a loss since a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Columbus State in the 2015 Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship Game.
- Rachel VanHorn led UNG in both shots and shots on goal with three and two, respectively. VanHorn ends her season as the single season record holder at UNG with 21 goals and sits in second place in career goals with 41, just one behind former All-American Kelly Penston who scored 42 goals from 2009-2013.
- 2016 is just the fifth season in UNG soccer history that a team has won 15 or more games, with the team accomplishing the feat for three consecutive years now.
- The Cougars continue to be a thorn in the side of the Nighthawks. CSU was the only team to defeat North Georgia this season, as the Nighthawks were 15-0-3 in all other games. In the last three seasons, UNG is 48-3-6 in there contests against all other opponents.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/11/471790/ung-womens-soccer-season-ends-in-southeast-region-final