RSS
 

Archive for the ‘whitley dover’ Category

Lady Saints Fall to Armstrong 2-0 in Southeast Regional Semifinal

13 Nov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

SAVANNAH, GA – The 25th-ranked and 4th-seeded North Georgia women’s soccer team had every chance to put top-seeded Armstrong away in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but the Pirates scored a goal in each half and emerged with a 2-0 victory at Pirate Field.

The Lady Saints, who end the year at 16-3-1, cap their season as the most successful team in school history. The 2011 squad set
program records for wins in a season, the best start in school history and became the first team to advance to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

Armstrong, ranked No. 7 in the country and holding the top seed in the Southeast, will advance to the Sweet 16 as they look
to continue their run in the playoffs.

North Georgia had plenty of scoring opportunities early including two chances from point blank range in the opening minutes, as Abby Trevino found herself free in the box in the 5th minute, but her laser shot connected with the post and kept the game scoreless. Emily Dover had an equally good look in the 8th minute but the attempt sailed just high of the mark.

The Pirates had their best chance early in the 16th minute when Emily Cattanach sent a shot towards goal that found the post
and bounced back into play, only to be cleared by a North Georgia defender.

The Pirates had an opening in the 25th minute on a free kick and they capitalized to the fullest when Andye Dawson lined up and drilled a shot to the far post that found the back of the net and gave Armstrong a one-goal lead, a score that held true until intermission.

The second half was all about the North Georgia offense peppering Armstrong from every angle, sending shots wide of the mark at every turn. The Lady Saints saw their best chances come off corner kicks as they fired five of their six second-half shots following a corner, but could never find the back of the net.

Natalie Douglass had a golden opportunity with a header off a corner that would have been the equalizer in the 64th minute, but
Armstrong’s Kristina Pascutti made the team save and kept North Georgia off the board.

The Pirates made some noise in the 66th minute when they lined up for their first and only corner kick of the game and Dawson
sent a perfect ball in the box that was headed home by Morgan Mitchell to double the lead and give Armstrong a commanding 2-0 lead.

The Lady Saints never gave up however, keeping constant pressure on the Pirate defense, including another header off a corner,
this time by Trevino that clanked off the cross bar and back into the box. North Georgia then had two different shots deflected including a possible Armstrong handball that wasn’t called before the Lady Saints were whistled for a foul.

Armstrong goalkeeper Maggie Carson tallied just two saves in the game, but recorded the shutout in all 90 minutes of action. Kirsten Ross suffered the loss, allowing both Armstrong goals and picking up just one save.

North Georgia seniors Kirsten Ross, Danielle Brannan, Emily Dover, Natalie Douglass and Sara Kate Rogers played their final game for the Lady Saints and will leave a legacy that is unmatched by any group to this point. Not only did this senior class take North Georgia to the next level, but they set a standard that teams will strive to equal for years to come.

 

 

Lady Saints Take Down Wingate 3-1 in NCAA Tournament

11 Nov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

SAVANNAH, GA – The 25th-ranked and 4th-seeded North Georgia women’s soccer team used timely defense and a pair of second-half goals on Friday afternoon to soar past 5th-seeded Wingate University 3-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

North Georgia (16-2-1) refused to have the final chapter written on their already storied season, as they proved resilient in the
second half and buried Wingate (16-4) to put a lid on the 2011 campaign for the Bulldogs.

A two-minute span early in the second half was the difference in the game, as Wingate used a goal from Miranda Izabella in the
46th minute to knot the score, but just 60 seconds later Bulldog goalkeeper Miriam Boucher was awarded a red card to swing the tide right back to North Georgia.

Playing up a man the rest of the game, North Georgia pelted the Wingate defense over the final 43 minutes and finally broke
the tie in the 69th minute when Taylor Lee sent a corner kick in the box and Natalie Douglass fought her way to the ball and headed home her fifth goal of the year to give the Lady Saints a 2-1 advantage. The senior tallied her 2nd game-winner in the last three contests with the score.

North Georgia added some breathing room in the 77th minute when Caroline Wallace sent a cross in from the corner and Cicely Taliaferro was waiting at the far post and fired a header past Wingate keeper Ashlyn Hardie to give the Lady Saints a 3-1 lead.

While Wallace assisted on the final goal of the game, she was on the receiving end early when Abby Trevino and Melanie Thompson connected on back-to-back headers in the box in the 9th minute and Wallace finished with a bouncing header over the line to give North Georgia the early lead. The goal was the first-ever score for the Lady Saints in the NCAA Tournament and propelled North Georgia to a 1-0 halftime advantage.

Kirsten Ross picked up the win for the Lady Saints in goal, allowing just the one Wingate goal and tallying eight saves on the game with six of those coming in the second half. Hardie allowed both North Georgia goals in the final 45 minutes and suffered the loss while recording four saves.

The Lady Saints made the most of their five corner kicks, scoring on two of them with one coming in each half. North Georgia
held an 18-15 edge in shots, while the Lady Saints were whistled for 11 fouls to five for the Bulldogs.

North Georgia now advances to the round of 32 and will take 7th-ranked and top-seeded Armstrong Atlantic on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. In the only meeting between the two teams this season, the Lady Saints scored a late goal and forced a 1-1 tie in the final game of the regular season.

 

 

 

Lady Saints soccer nabs first ever NCAA tourney bid

08 Nov

Lady Saints to Take on Wingate in NCAA Tournament Opener

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

INTERACTIVE BRACKET | DOWNLOAD BRACKET

DAHLONEGA, GA – In a liveselection show on NCAA.com Monday evening, the North Georgia women’s soccer team was awarded the No. 4 seed in the Southeast and will make their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

The Lady Saints enter the NCAA Tournament with a 15-2-1 overall record and will take on No. 5 seed and South Atlantic Conference Tournament Champion Wingate in the opening round. The first round contest will be played on the campus of top-seeded Armstrong Atlantic at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the round of 32 and will be awarded 19th-ranked Armstrong Atlantic on Sunday afternoon for a spot in the “Sweet 16″.

The winner of the three-team bracket will take on the advancing team from the Lenoir-Rhyne Regional that consists of No. 3 seeded Columbus State and No. 6 seeded Lees-McRae. The winner of the 3 v 6 match-up will battle the 2nd-seeded Bears to advance to the Southeast Region title game.

Wingate (16-3) enters the National Tournament winners of five straight, including a clean sweep through the SAC Tournament Championship that included a convincing 4-2 victory over 2nd-seeded and 5th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne on Sunday evening.

The Bulldogs opened the year with two losses in their first three games, but responded with a 15-1 mark since and have made their mark as one of the top teams in the region.

Ranked in the nation’s top 25 for the seventh straight week, No. 13 North Georgia will have to get accustomed to the big stage on the fly as they make their first-ever National Tournament appearance and look to extend the program’s record for the most wins in school history.

Tickets to the NCAA Division II Southeast Women’s Soccer Regional are $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for senior citizens and $1.00 for students.

 

No. 11 Lady Saints Play No. 18 Armstrong to 1-1 Deadlock

29 Oct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

 

DAHLONEGA, GA – It came down to the final game of the regular season for the top two teams in the league to meet and lived up to all the hype as No. 11 North Georgia and No. 18 Armstrong battled to a 1-1 tie at the Soccer Complex in Peach Belt Conference action.

With the win, Armstrong (12-2-3, 9-0-1) captures the PBC regular season championship outright and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming PBC Tournament, while North Georgia (14-1-1, 8-1-1) settles for the No. 2 seed and will host a tournament game next Tuesday at a time to be determined on Sunday when the bracket is announced.

The top two teams in the region went head-to-head in the first half, trading chances to score until the Pirates finally broke the
scoreless tie in the 34th minute when Brianne Matarazzo played a cross in the box through traffic and Kristina Pascutti was on the other end to tap it in for 11th score of the year.

North Georgia held a 7-6 edge in shots during the opening half, but never converted and Armstrong Atlantic held the one-goal edge heading to intermission.

The Lady Saints came out firing in the second half and stole the momentum back early and never let it go. North Georgia was on
the attack for 35 straight minutes and finally got a goal in the 80th minute when Abby Trevino played a ball wide to Kelly Penston and the sophomore dribbled straight for goal and sent a perfect pass to a streaking Emily Dover who connected on a sliding attempt to knot the score at a goal apiece.

The score for Dover was her league-leading 14th goal of the year, as the senior is firmly positioned to end the regular season with the most goals in the Peach Belt Conference. Her 14 goals are also a North Georgia record for a single season.

The Lady Saints continued to put pressure on the Pirate defense down the stretch, recording 12 shots in the second half but never taking the lead. North Georgia’s defense was next to perfect in the second half, allowing just one shot by Armstrong and giving the offense a chance to knot the score.

Taylor Lee, Megan Morrow, Melanie Thompson and Emily Bowen continued to prove they are one of the best defenses in the country, holding the Pirates at bay in overtime and sending the game to deadlock following 110 minutes of action.

North Georgia falls to 3-7 all-time against Armstrong, but the two clubs have gone 2-2 in the last four games. If the Lady Saints and Pirates are to meet in the PBC Tournament it would come in the championship game with the two teams starting on opposite sides of the bracket.

 

Lady Saints to Host Armstrong Saturday for PBC Title

27 Oct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

DAHLONEGA, GA
– The 11th-ranked North Georgia women’s soccer team is set to play the biggest game in program history this weekend when they host 18th-ranked Armstrong Atlantic Saturday afternoon with the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship on the line.

The Lady Saints (14-1, 8-1) are one victory away from the most wins in school history and have been ranked in the national top 25 for six consecutive weeks during their remarkable run.

With the Pirates at 9-0 on the year in league play and the Lady Saints at 8-1, Armstrong has already clinched a share of the PBC regular season championship and can take the title outright with a win or a tie on Saturday. North Georgia can claim a share of the championship with a win and would hold the tiebreaker for the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming PBC Tournament.

While the last 15 games have been remarkable and the best start in school history, North Georgia’s season starts Saturday afternoon when they play their first ranked team of the year in hopes of capturing the first conference title in program history to set themselves up for success in the PBC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

Armstrong Atlantic Pirates Body of Work
Current Record: 12-2-2 (9-0 PBC)
Conference Rank: 1st
Conference Prediction in 2011: 1st
Goal Differential in 2011: +26 (42-16)
Last Meeting (2010 PBC Tournament Semis): North Georgia 3, Armstrong 1

Here we Go – North Georgia and Armstrong Atlantic have had their regular season finale circled on the calendar when the schedules were released over the summer, but no one could have imagined the championship would come down to 90 minutes of action, or who knows, maybe we will be lucky enough to witness a golden goal for the title.

Rivalry Renewed – North Georgia is just 3-6 all-time against Armstrong, but the Lady Saints have had plenty of recent success against their in-state counterpart with all three of their victories coming in the last five meetings. Last season, North Georgia suffered a 2-1 loss on the road in the regular season, but the Lady Saints had the last laugh with a 3-1 victory in the semifinals of the PBC Tournament to advance to the title game. The last two meetings between the programs in Dahlonega have resulted in a slew of goals and a win for each team. In 2007, the Pirates won a 5-4 thriller on the road, but North Georgia got the best of Armstrong in 2009 with a 2-1 victory.

Game Changers – There will be a handful of players on the field Saturday that can single handedly step up and change the game at any moment. Two of the top candidates for PBC Player of the Year will go head-to-head with Armstrong’s Kristina Pascutti and North Georgia’s Emily Dover getting one more chance to prove they deserve the top honor in the league. Dover leads the conference in goals with 13 and points with 31, while Pascutti is third in goals with 10 and tied for fifth in points with 21. If one of these two stars has a big day they will likely hand their team the regular season trophy while accepting Player of the Year honors at the same time.

Overcoming Adversity – In the last seven games between North Georgia and Armstrong, four of them have been decided by one goal with the remaining three decided by just two scores. Expect Saturday to be the exact same, but the key will be who rebounds when they face adversity. Neither one of these teams have faced many deficits this season, posting a combined record of 26-3-2 on the year. The Pirates have trailed in three of their 12 wins this season, posting comebacks against Lander, Catawba
and Tusculum. The win on the road at Catawba was an early two-goal deficit that turned into a 3-2 double overtime win in dramatic fashion. The Lady Saints have faced just one deficit on the year in their 14 wins, falling behind at Mount Olive in their first road game of the year before rallying for a 2-1 victory.

Striking Early – North Georgia’s best chance to score might be in the first 15 minutes, so they better come out firing early. Armstrong gave up early goals to Lander in the 15th minute, Catawba in the 2nd minute and Tusculum in the 5th. They did however rally to win all of these games. The Pirates also got an early goal last week on the road at Rollins, striking in the third minute but settled for a double overtime deadlock with the Tars.

Title Time – Bottom line is it doesn’t get any better than this. The regular season conference championship on the line, while the games up to this point can be thrown out the window. This one is winner-take-all, and look for that winner to have a full force of momentum heading forward into the postseason.

 

Lady Saints Shutout Anderson 3-0 on Senior Night

26 Oct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

DAHLONEGA, GA – The 11th-ranked North Georgia women’s soccer team used a trio of first-half goals on Wednesday evening to cruise by Anderson University 3-0 at the Soccer Complex in the final non-conference game of the regular season.

Hours after being ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Southeast Regional Poll, the Lady Saints improved to 14-1 and are on the verge of their first-ever NCAA Tournament birth. Anderson fell to 9-8 on the year as they will cap their regular season Saturday afternoon against Wingate.

Abby Trevino got the scoring started in the 28th minute when Emily Dover deflected a cross in the box by Caroline Wallace and Trevino was awarded with a wide open net and finished for her fourth score of the year.

After Wallace picked up an assist early, the sophomore got in on the scoring just 12 minutes later when Dover deflected another ball in the box and Wallace fired a shot past Anderson keeper Genevieve Hamilton to double North Georgia’s lead making it 2-0. The score in the 40th minute was the fifth of the year for Wallace and her third straight game with a goal.

Just before the half, the Lady Saints were awarded a corner kick and Megan Morrow played a perfect ball in the box that found Leanne South. The junior headed it home for the third goal of the half to give North Georgia a 3-0 advantage heading to the half.

Head coach Chris Adams emptied the bench in the second half, but the stellar defense was still in tact, holding the Trojans scoreless as Kirsten Ross picked up her eighth win of the year in goal for the Lady Saints. The defense allowed just one shot a goal, a ball Ross stopped to preserve the shutout.

North Georgia tallied 31 shots to just five for Anderson, while the Lady Saints attempted 11 corner kicks on the night.

Following the game, the Lady Saints honored their five seniors that make up the most successful class in school history. Kirsten Ross, Danielle Brannan, Emily Dover, Natalie Douglass and Sara Kate Rogers have taken North Georgia to the next level and propelled the program to one of the best in the country. Together they have combined for an impressive 46-18-5 record over the last four years.

North Georgia also kicked off their latest partnership with Lumpkin County Parks YMCA and recognized the local youth soccer programs at halftime of the contest. Following the senior night festivities, the Lady Saints signed autographs and held a photo shoot for the youth soccer players of Lumpkin County.

The Lady Saints can now turn their attention to the biggest game of the year this Saturday when they play host to 18th-ranked Armstrong in the regular season finale. A win for North Georgia would propel them to a share of the Peach Belt Championship with the Pirates and the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming PBC Tournament which starts on Tuesday, while a victory for Armstrong would give them the title outright.

 

Lady Saints Take Down Lander with Two First-Half Goals

22 Oct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

DAHLONEGA, GA – The North Georgia women’s soccer team jumped out to an early lead on Saturday evening before holding off a feisty Lander squad for a 2-1 Peach Belt Conference win at the Soccer Complex.

The 13th-ranked Lady Saints (13-1, 8-1 PBC) continue their quest for a Peach Belt Championship and are now slated to take on
Armstrong Atlantic next Saturday for the title. At 9-0 on the year, the Pirates will win the title outright with a victory or tie, but a win by North Georgia will give them a share of the regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming PBC Tournament.

Lander (12-3-1, 5-3-1 PBC) is locked in at the fourth position in the league and will host a first round game in the upcoming conference tournament.

An early defensive miscue led to the first goal of the game when Emily Dover forced a giveaway at the 18-yard box and found herself in a one-on-one with the keeper. The senior did not disappoint in her first chance of the game, taking one dribble to the right of Lander goalkeeper Chelsea Beetch and finding the back of the net to give the Lady Saints a 1-0 lead. The goal in the 10th minute was Dover’s Peach Belt leading 13th score of the year.

The Lady Saints knocked on the door with some early corner kicks, but the 42nd minute and the fifth corner kick of the game proved to be decisive when Megan Morrow played the ball in to the far post, and Melanie Thompson headed a pass to Carolina Wallace who sent a strong header home to double North Georgia’s lead. Wallace’s fourth goal of the year and second score in as many games gave the Lady Saints a 2-0 lead heading to intermission.

North Georgia was cruising in the second half and was on the verge of a shutout, but Lander struck in the 76th minute when a questionable foul was called just outside the box, giving the Bearcats an opening down the stretch. Lander took advantage of the opportunity and Christina Barbour played a perfect ball to the far post and Jamie Shaw finished a sliding attempt for her ninth goal of the season.

The Bearcats threatened but never came any closer, as the North Georgia defense locked down and handed the Lady Saints their 13th victory of the season. Chris Adams’ team is one win shy of equaling the program’s most wins in school history, a mark set during the 2010 season.

Taylor Fragnito (2-0) picked up the win in goal for the Lady Saints, allowing the lone Lander score and tallying two saves. Beetch suffered the loss, giving up both goals and recording a trio of saves.

The Lady Saints return to action next Wednesday evening when they play host to Anderson University for their final non-conference game of the regular season. The contest will serve as Senior Day 2011, as North Georgia will recognize their five seniors.

The 5:00 p.m. kickoff next Wednesday will also be Lumpkin County YMCA Night with a handful of youth soccer teams being recognized during halftime. All Lumpkin County YMCA players who wear their jerseys will be admitted free to the complex.

 

 

Lady Saints Take Down Georgia College 3-2 in PBC Action

15 Oct


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA – The 10th-ranked North Georgia women’s soccer team had to sweat out a win on Saturday afternoon, as they raced out to a two-goal lead before hanging on to defeat Georgia College 3-2 at Bobcat Field in Peach Belt Conference action.

The Lady Saints bounced back after their first loss of the season three days ago and moved to 11-1 overall and 6-1 in Peach Belt Conference play. The Bobcats fall to 4-10 on the year with the defeat and move a game below the .500 mark in league action at 3-4.

Emily Dover extended her league lead in goals early on when Abby Trevino found the senior in the box and she drilled home her 11th goal of the year in just the 2nd minute.

Dover was at it again in the 31st minute when she rebounded her own shot attempt and walked in her second goal of the game and 12th score of the year to give the Canton, Georgia, native her 4th multiple goal game of the year.

The leading scorer for the Bobcats cut the North Georgia advantage in half in the 40th minute when Ashley Veilleux slid a shot
inside the left post for her third score of the season.

With 22 minutes left in the match and the Lady Saints still clinging to a 2-1 lead, Bobcat midfielder Taylor Yee sent a rainbow
shot towards goal from about 40 yards out that deflected off Kirsten Ross‘ hands, clanked off the cross bar and bounced in the net to knot the score at 2-2.

North Georgia snatched all the momentum right back just five minutes later when Cicely Taliaferro found Kayla Croom out wide in the 73rd minute and the freshman slid by a defender and fired home her second goal in the last three games to give the Lady Saints a 3-2 lead that they would never relinquish.

The Bobcats had several chances in the last five minutes to convert an equalizer, but the defense thwarted every opportunity and gave North Georgia just their second victory all time against their in-state rival.

Ross picked up the win in goal for the Lady Saints, allowing both Bobcat goals and recording three saves for her 9th win of
the year. Taylor Cornelius (4-3) suffered the loss, entering the game in the second half and allowing the game-winner, while tallying four saves.

The Lady Saints return to the pitch on Wednesday evening when they play host to Georgia Southwestern as the Peach Belt Conference slate rolls on. The 5:00 p.m. kickoff will serve as a Cancer Awareness game to raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

 

 

Emily Dover Snags Second Straight PBC Weekly Award

12 Oct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

AUGUSTA, GA – For the second time in as many weeks North Georgia forward Emily Dover has been named the Peach Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week announced late Tuesday evening from the league office.

Dover is the first conference player this year to earn multiple PBC Offensive Player of the Week awards after four different individuals captured the honor in September.

Combining Dover’s back-to-back honors with weekly awards earlier in the season from Kirsten Ross and Megan Morrow, North Georgia is tied with UNC Pembroke for the most weekly awards on the year.

While North Georgia rolled to two more wins last week, Dover was in the middle of all the action, scoring a single goal in a 3-2 mid-week win over Carson-Newman, and coming back over the weekend with a pair of scores in a 4-0 victory over Flagler in another PBC shutout.

She has now scored goals in seven of the last eight games and tallied her third multiple-goal game of the season against Flagler on Saturday afternoon. She currently leads the conference in goals with 10, and total points with 23. She also ranks among the best forwards in the country statistically at 6th in the nation in goals per game and 14th in the land with 10 scores on the year.

In less than two years at North Georgia, Dover is second on the all-time scoring list with 17 goals in 30 games in her career for the Lady Saints.

With the schedule heating for North Georgia over the next two weeks, Dover’s expertise up top will be magnified against the likes of Columbus State, Georgia College, Lander and Armstrong Atlantic to close out the Peach Belt Conference slate.

 

Women’s Soccer Ranked No. 10 in Latest National Poll

11 Oct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, jdbeall@northgeorgia.edu

NATIONAL RANKING | REGIONAL RANKING

DAHLONEGA, GA
– On the heels of  another convincing Peach Belt Conference win over the weekend, the North Georgia women soccer team has moved up one spot in the national rankings and check in as the No. 10 team in the land according to the latest edition of the NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday afternoon.

After back-to-back weeks at No. 11, the Lady Saints jump one spot in the national poll to round out the top 10. Women’s soccer is the third team at North Georgia to be ranked in the nation’s top 10 in the last calendar year after baseball and softball both found themselves ranked in the top 10 last spring.

While moving up a spot in the national poll, the Lady Saints also pulled even with Lenoir-Rhyne in the Southeast Region Poll and sit tied with the Bears as the top team in the southeast. Armstrong Atlantic is currently No. 3 in the region and No. 22 in the country, while Columbus State and Lander round out the top five respectively in the southeast.

The University of Bridgeport (Conn.) continued their firm grasp as the No. 1 team in the country at 11-0-0 on the year, while Abilene Christian (Texas) and Grand Valley State (Mich.) moved up two spots respectively and round out the top three teams in the land. Bridgeport and North Georgia are currently the only team at the Division II level with perfect records, combining for 21 wins without a loss or a draw.

After cracking the top 10, the Lady Saints are rewarded with their last road trip of the regular season this week, traveling to Columbus State on Wednesday evening, before turning around on Saturday and battling Georgia College in Milledgeville.

North Georgia ends the year with four straight home games, including a showdown with 22nd-ranked Armstrong Atlantic on the final day of the regular season. The Lady Saints will honor their five seniors during their final non-conference game on October 26, against Anderson University.