Late Goal Propels Ospreys to Win over UNC Asheville

Sunday, August 26

Jacksonville, Fla.

1:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

1-3-0

UNC Asheville

0-2-1

UNC Asheville

North Florida

Brandi Walker dribbles a soccer ball in a game

8/26/2018 4:49:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

UNCA vs UNF Final Boxscore

JACKSONVILLE -- The North Florida women's soccer team notched its first victory of the season Sunday afternoon at Hodges Stadium when junior Brandi Walker netted a goal in the 87th minute to secure the 1-0 decision over UNC Asheville.

GOALS
UNF - 87' Brandi Walker (Assist: Julie Martin)

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Ospreys dominated play in the first half amassing a 9-0 advantage in shot attempts but were unable to convert that margin in a score on the board
- In the 20th minute, Thais Reiss nearly got the Ospreys on the board when her header off a corner kick was saved on the goal line by a UNCA defender
- Lorena Cedeno saw her scoring attempt in the closing seconds of the first half rattle off the crossbar keeping the score knotted at 0-0 heading to intermission
- UNF continued its aggressive play to open the second half but again saw several chances thwarted by goalie saves or shots sailing just off frame
- The Bulldogs tallied their lone shot on goal in the 62nd minute but it was turned away by Rhiannon Conelley
- North Florida attempted 14 shots in the second period as they consistently battled to get on the scoreboard
- With the clock slipping under five minutes remaining, play was halted for a 30 minute lightning delay and upon the return, lightning struck for the Osprey offense as Brandi Walker collected a rebound off a blocked shot from Julia Martin and struck a shot that slipped through the hands of the Asheville keeper and into the side of the net for the game winner

QUICK KICKS
- The Ospreys held a 23-5 advantage in shots for the game including eight shots on goal
- UNF also earned six corner kicks to just two for Asheville
- The goal was the first of the season for Walker and just the third of her career | It was her first game winning tally
- Freshman Julia Martin posted the first points of her collegiate career with the assist on the game decider
- Sophomore keeper Rhiannon Conelley recorded her first clean sheet of the season and the 8th shutout of her career
- UNF improves to 1-3-0 on the year while UNCA falls to 0-2-1

CONFER COMMENTS
"It was a great win for us today. I thought the girls dug deep. We had a lot of opportunities but never gave up and kept pounding away and pounding away. One thing I'm really proud of is how we've gone to the bench and had players step up. Brandi (Walker) got in for the last 10 minutes of the game and she made a difference and scored the game winning goal. We tell the girls that they have to be ready for their moment because they never know when that moment is going to come. We put Brandi in because one of her strengths is scoring goals in and around the box and that's exactly what she did for us today. We had some girls give us a lift in the first half as well. It's important for us to continue to use and develop our depth. I like the fight in this team and how they didn't give up or put their heads down and eventually were able to get a ball in the back of the net. They deserved this win and I'm very proud of them. Give Asheville credit for fighting hard all day and battling us tough. Overall, it was a good result and now we turn our attention to next weekend. " - Head coach Robin Confer

UP NEXT
The Ospreys conclude their four-match home stand on with tilts against Winthrop on Friday (Aug. 31) and Manhattan on Saturday (Sept. 2)