DAHLONEGA – After a scoreless first 45 minutes at Lynn Cottrell Park, the No. 18 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's soccer team dominated the second half with six goals to push itself past Tusculum in a 6-0 victory on Wednesday night.
The first 45 minutes served as a defensive stalwart between the two teams, as opportunities for the Nighthawks and Pioneers to score were limited in the first half. Both sides had solid offensive runs that were called offsides to keep the score knotted at 0-0.
Coming out of the hydration break, Angelina Noorbehesht had multiple opportunities to net the first goal that were cleaned up by Tusculum's backline. Sam Cottle and Nina Lopez continued to apply the pressure to the Pioneer's defense through the final few minutes.
Despite nine shots in the first half from the Nighthawks, the Pioneers' defense prevailed, as both sides headed into halftime scoreless.
Coming out of the locker room, it would not take long for North Georgia's offense to find a rhythm. Less than eight minutes into the second half, Grace McGill held off the defense and found a streaking Lopez, who buried a right-footed strike into the bottom left corner of the net to put the Nighthawks out in front.
The Nighthawks kept their foot on the gas in the attacking third. Three minutes after Lopez's goal, McGill once again found an open teammate, this time being Mady Neff, who maneuvered past the defense to the top of the box and fired a bouncing shot into the back of the net to double the lead.
The Nighthawks refused to let up, as Blanca Cruz found herself in the right place at the right time to push a header past the keeper in the box to extend the advantage to three.
After netting the Nighthawks' second goal of the night, Neff remained aggressive and buried her second goal for a brace, building the lead to four.
North Georgia continued to press in the attacking third. With 16:17 remaining, Lilyana Hernandez found a running Noorbehesht, who cashed in on her second goal of the season by delivering a beautiful arching shot past the diving keeper, as the lead had reached five goals.
Less than two minutes later, Hernandez put the exclamation point on the victory. After a shot from Elsie Berreth ricocheted off the gloves of Tusculum's keeper, Hernandez cleaned things up with an open look at the net, burying the sixth and final goal for North Georgia.
In one of the most dominant offensive halves of soccer from the Nighthawks this season, North Georgia buried six goals in a matter of just 22 minutes and 37 seconds. UNG's win on Wednesday night also marked the second game of the 2026 campaign in which the Nighthawks have netted six goals.
Neff paced the stellar night for the Nighthawks with the first brace of her collegiate career. The freshman from Suwanee, Ga. has already netted three goals through her first five games with North Georgia.
McGill's two assists helped guide UNG to victory, marking the first multi-assist game of her career.
The Nighthawks (4-1) will look to carry this momentum into Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play. North Georgia will kick off its conference action at USC Beaufort on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. in Bluffton, S.C.
