GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Redshirt junior
Kirsten Bootes scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 84th minute as UNCW earned its third win of the season, a 4-3 victory over UNCG in a back-and-forth affair at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The win elevated the Seahawks' record to 3-1-0 on the season while the Spartans moved to 2-1-1 after suffering their first loss of the season.
After the teams traded goals in the first half, the Seahawks took a 3-1 lead by scoring twice in a four-minute span early in the second half. Sophomore
Molly McGarry tallied her first goal of the year off an assist from junior
Dominique Martinez in the 47th minute before junior
Baley Edwards converted a Martinez pass for her first goal of the season just over three minutes later.
With 34:01 left in regulation, the Spartans trimmed the margin to 3-2 when junior Cienna Rideout took a pass from senior Heida Vidarsdottir and scored her second goal of the year past senior
Caitie Broderick.
UNCW upped the advantage to 4-2 with 6:09 remaining when Bootes fired a shot from just inside the penalty area past sophomore Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper for her team-leading third goal of the season.
The Spartans narrowed the gap to 4-3 on redshirt sophomore Kaley Tucker's third goal of the season in the 85th minute, but were unable to get any closer.
Broderick tallied five saves in the win for UNCW, which held a 14-12 advantage in shots over UNCG. Tyler-Cooper, the reigning Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Week, notched three saves in a losing effort.
Up Next: UNCW returns home this weekend for the Courtyard by Marriott UNCW Soccer Invitational. The Seahawks host Kent State on Friday, Aug. 31, before closing out tournament play against Cleveland State on Sunday, Sept. 2.
