Lady Saints Shock Pirates, Move up PBC Standings
DAHLONEGA, GA
– The North Georgia women’s soccer team picked up their
biggest victory of the year Saturday afternoon, scoring a goal in
each half and staving off a furious comeback by Armstrong Atlantic
in final minutes to defeat the Pirates 2-1 in Peach Belt Conference
action.
North Georgia improves to 7-3-2 overall and 3-2-1 in the Peach
Belt Conference with victory, winning their third straight game,
while Armstrong Atlantic falls to 10-3-2 on the season, and 6-2 in
the league.
The Pirates dominated early, putting pressure on the North Georgia
defense in the first 15 minutes, but Kelly Penston turned the tide
in the 17th minute as the freshman took a pass from Laura Lane off
a deflection in the box and sent a shot just out of the reach of a
sliding Tracey Mitchell to give the Lady Saints a 1-0 lead. The
goal was Penston’s team-leading sixth goal of the season.
North Georgia held their one-goal advantage into intermission, but
struck again midway through the second period as Kelsey Martin
headed a corner just inside the left post to send the Soccer
Complex into celebration once again. Casey Smith recorded the
assist on the corner, while Martin notched her fifth goal of the
season on the play.
The Lady Saints marked the Peach Belt leader in goals, Kristin
Burton, to perfection until the 83rd minute when she slid through
the North Georgia defense and sent a header over the head of keeper
Kirsten Ross, pulling the Pirates to within a goal at 2-1. Burton
added another chapter to her storied career with the goal, her 18th
goal of the season, and 83rd of her career to match the all-time
mark in the Peach Belt Conference, now shared with former Clayton
State standout Olaitan Yusuf.
The Pirates applied offensive pressure down the stretch, but the
North Georgia defense remained solid, thwarting any scoring
opportunity by Armstrong Atlantic in the final minutes to come away
with the 2-1 conference victory.
Ross picked up the victory for North Georgia in goal, allowing the
one Armstrong Atlantic Goal, while recording four saves. Mitchell
suffered the loss for the Pirates, allowing both North Georgia
goals while picking up three saves.
The Pirates outshot the Lady Saints 13-9, while holding a 7-3
advantage in corner kicks. The victory moves North Georgia to fifth
place in the Peach Belt Conference standings, as the Lady Saints
will look to finish in the season in the top four spots and host a
PBC Tournament playoff game for the second time in as many
years.
North Georgia will look to make it four in a row on Monday
evening, traveling to the University of Montevallo to take on the
Falcons in yet another Peach Belt Conference contest. The Lady
Saints have experienced a little bit of everything against the
Falcons over the years, posting a mark of 1-1-1 against Montevallo
all-time. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
