ALBANY, Ga. – The University of North Georgia (UNG) women's soccer team rolled to a 7-2 road win over Albany State Saturday afternoon. UNG moved to 7-1-1 with the victory and 3-0-1 in Peach Belt Conference play.
The win vaults the Nighthawks to the top of the PBC standings with 10 points this season, tied with USC Beaufort whom they defeated 1-0 just 11 days ago.
Against the Rams on Saturday, UNG started the scoring early and often. They had three first-half goals to take a lead into halftime.
Freshman defender
Alli Treadwell scored the competition's inaugural goal in the fifth minute. It's also the inaugural goal of Treadwell's collegiate career. The starting freshman now has a goal and an assist this season. She's just the third Nighthawk defender to find the net this season.
20 minutes later, junior defender
Alexa Aronoff (one of the aforementioned three defenders with a goal) scored her second of the season to give UNG a 2-0 advantage.
Aronoff then added an assist seven minutes later on freshman midfielder
Emma Moreau's first career goal. Saturday marked Moreau's sixth time seeing action on the field this season. Of UNG's nine freshmen, Moreau is the seventh to find the back of the net this season.
Out of halftime, junior forward
Bailey Oetinger made her mark in the scoring column with a penalty kick goal in the 51st minute. With the goal, Oetinger moved into a tie with freshman forward
Sam Cottle with four goals thus far this season.
Oetinger broke the tie nine minutes later when she scored her fifth goal of the season after an assist from Cottle.
Holding a 5-1 lead, UNG did not allow its second goal of the game until the 65th minute. However, the Nighthawks responded with a pair of goals in the final seven minutes to secure the 7-2 victory.
The first late goal came from Cottle, unassisted in the 83rd minute. With her net finder, Cottle moved back into a tie for the team lead in goals with Oetinger. Cottle's five goals this season are the most for a UNG freshman since
Katey Derkay found the net eight times in 2019.
Aronoff added the game's final goal, her second this game and of the season, in the 86th minute. She becomes the sixth Nighthawk with a multi-goal game this season.
Now UNG gets ready to continue its strong play away from home with a road trip to Milledgeville, Ga. to take on Georgia College next week. The Nighthawks are 4-0 on the road this season. The game against the Bobcats on Oct. 16 kicks off at 7 p.m.
