November 8, 2003
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The UNCG women's soccer team stunned Furman 2-0 in the championship match of the Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championships on Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.
The win earns UNCG the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which is set to begin on Friday, November 14. The Lady Paladins will have to hope for an at-large bid as they will learn their fate Monday afternoon at 3:30 as the selections are broadcast on ESPN News.
UNCG took a 1-0 lead in the first half as Rakel Logadottir lofted a shot from the far left side of the box past Furman keeper Andie Hinshaw into the side of the net.
The Spartans extended that lead to 2-0 when Jaime Ableman scored off an assist from Logadottir.
Despite a late flurry of action by the Lady Paladins, UNCG defense held for the shutout.
"Congratulations to UNCG for an excellent match this afternoon," said Furman head coach Brian Lee. "UNCG played harder today and deserved to win. Hopefully we did enough this season to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament"
The Lady Paladins fall to 15-5-2 on the year, while UNCG improves to 14-7-2.
Furman's Erin Sanders, Nicky Darling, and Katharine Kelley all earned Southern Conference All-Tournament team honors.
The loss ends Furman's unbeaten streak of 15 matches, which was the second longest active streak in the nation behind North Carolina. Furman's SoCon unbeaten streak is halted at 26 matches, which was the eighth longest conference unbeaten streak in NCAA Division I women's soccer history.
Scoring:
Shots: Furman - 10; UNCG - 5
Saves: Furman - 3; UNCG - 4
Corner Kicks: Furman - 4; UNCG -2
Fouls: Furman - 14; UNCG - 16