Women’s Soccer Plays North Georgia to a Scoreless Draw

Sunday, August 21

Jacksonville, Fla.

Noon

University of North Florida

0-1-1

North Georgia

0-1-1

OT 3

OT 4

North Georgia

North Florida

Photo by: Todd Drexler

8/21/2016 5:38:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Scott Fitzgerald | Athletic Communications

Box Score (PDF)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida (0-1-1) pitched its first shutout of the 2016 season with a 0-0 tie against North Georgia (0-2) at Hodges Stadium. Goalkeepers Susie Ford and Victoria Ekeli combined for seven saves.

Goals
n/a

Game Summary
Ekeli relieved Ford at halftime and played the final 65 minutes. She recorded a game-high five saves, two shy of a career best. The Nighthawks used the goalkeeping duo of Hannah Goudy and Kaitlyn Siberski to turn away all four Ospreys shots on net. The offensive pressure kicked up in the second half with each team unloading two shots on goal.

Key Moments
4': Goalkeeper Susie Ford got in front of a wide open shot from Michaela Sundstrom from the top of the box
16': North Florida was the beneficiary of an offisides call near the end line. UNG's Taylor Wagnon's free kick attempt rung off the cross bar and the rebound was punched into the back of the net but the goal was negated due to an out of position Nighthawk attacker.
87': Perhaps the best shot opportunity of the afternoon for the Ospreys, Katy Mixon had her right-footed blast to the near post stopped by UNG goalkeeper, Kaitlyn Siberski.
109': In the final minute of the game UNG's Sophia Matonak placed a shot on goal that Ekeli dove to her right to make a game-saving stop and preserve the shutout.

Game Notes
-The Ospreys recorded four shutouts last season including two in conference play. It marks the second-straight season North Florida has recorded a shutout in the opening weekend of play.
-To further credit the Osprey defense, they played a man down the final two periods of overtime after a second yellow card was issued to Mikki Olson.
-The Ospreys withstood seven Nighthawk shots between the two overtime periods. All three on net were stopped by Ekeli.
-Six of the 10 Osprey shots came off the feet of Sarah Wasser, Gabrielle Liguori and Krista Colubiale who each attempted two on the afternoon.
-Sunday marked the first meeting between North Georgia and North Florida since 1999. The Nighthawks are members of the Peach Belt Conference, the league the Ospreys were a part of before joining the ASUN in 2005. In both previous meetings, the Ospreys recorded shutouts of North Georgia winning by a combined score of 13-0.

From Coach Confer
On the defensive battle
"These Sunday afternoon games on short rest and in extreme temperatures are always a grind and normally aren't the best brand of soccer from both squads."
On the Weekend Progress
"I think we improved a lot from Friday and I'm proud of the fight this team showed especially after being a man down in overtime."
Looking Ahead
"We still need to be better in the final third as well as be more precise with our final passes and decision making. We need to turn the page and get focused for the next two games on the road."

Up Next: The Ospreys will be away next weekend beginning on Friday with a non-conference tilt with Georgia Southern at 7:00 p.m. The will wrap up the quick stint away from Hodges Stadium on Sunday when they travel to Charleston Southern.