DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia men's soccer team defeated USC Aiken in the opening round of the Peach Belt Conference tournament. The Nighthawks now move on to quarterfinal play after a 4-0 victory at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park.
Joe McInnes scored two goals to help lead the Nighthawks to the next round.
An early foul in the box led to a penalty kick goal by
Santiago Gimenez to kick off the scoring. McInnes followed with his eighth goal of the season in the 23rd minute to take a 2-0 lead over the Pacers.
Neither team would score for the rest of the half, with UNG outshooting the Pacers 6-1 in the first half. McInnes would add his ninth goal of the year late in the second half, scoring in the 76th minute off an assist from
Mikail Prince.
Tyler Vitelli would put a bow on it 12 minutes later, scoring an 88th-minute goal to make it a 4-0 final.
Inside the Box Score
• North Georgia's last shutout came against USC Aiken at home on September 28th.
• McInnes has scored two goals in each of the last two games.
• It is the first time North Georgia has defeated a team three times in one season.
Next Up
North Georgia heads to St. Augustine to face third-seeded Clayton State in a Peach Belt Conference quarterfinal matchup hosted by Flagler. The game is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 28 at 2:00 p.m.