Liberty University
3-3
UNCG
3-3-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| UNCG | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First-Half Goal Gives Liberty 3rd Straight Win
9/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
The Liberty women's soccer team earned its third straight win, Thursday night, defeating the UNCG Spartans at UNCG Soccer Stadium, 1-0.
Lady Flames' freshman midfielder Anna Roach posted the lone goal of the contest near the end of the first half, receiving assists from redshirt sophomore midfielder Abigail Persson and freshman forward Gabrielle Farrell.
With the win, Liberty moves to 3-3 on the season, while the Spartans fall to 3-3-1.
After securing the Big South record for career shutouts on Sunday, Holly Van Noord added to her total with her 35th clean sheet. The redshirt senior collected three saves on the night.
UNCG netminder Chloe Buehler also played the entire contest in between the posts, making four saves.
The Lady Flames controlled the action, holding a 14-9 advantage in shots and edging the Spartans in corner kicks, 3-2.
Liberty proved to be the aggressor in the opening period, outshooting the Spartans, 7-4, with five attempts on goal. Buehler thwarted Liberty's first four tries on the net, stopping shots from Isabella Habuda, Gabrielle Farrell (two) and Erika Troutman.
Roach put the Lady Flames on the board with her first career goal in the 44th minute. Persson set the play up outside the 18-yard box by dishing a pass to Farrell on the left side. The freshman infiltrated the box and tapped the ball back to Persson, who had relocated within a couple yards of the net. After receiving the ball in the center of the goal frame, Persson immediately flicked it back to Roach, who rushed toward the net on the left side and buried a close range shot into the right corner for the 1-0 advantage.
In the second period, freshman forward Sierra Lam tried to give Liberty some insurance in the 57th minute, lining a shot at the Spartans' goal frame that ricocheted off the crossbar. Freshman Elisa Warren followed up with an attempt of her own, but the ball sailed high of the net.
The crossbar continued to stand in the way of Liberty adding to its goal total. In the 64th minute, sophomore Caroline Boone airmailed an attempt that bounced off the top beam. Later in the 85th minute, Habuda also found the crossbar after blasting a shot from just outside the 18-yard box.
Less than two minutes later, UNCG looked for the equalizer with a long ball from Lauren Daniels. Van Noord was there to catch the attempt in the middle of the goal frame to seal the 1-0 victory.
Liberty returns to Osborne Stadium on Sunday, playing host to George Washington at 4 p.m. The matchup is part of a double header, which features a 1 p.m. clash between the Liberty men's soccer team and Buffalo.
Team Stats
ROACH, Anna (1)
Assisted By: PERSSON, Abigail , FARRELL, Gabrielle
3 deflections in box and 15 tapped it in
43:40
