DAHLONEGA – In one of the most thrilling victories in recent memory, the University of North Georgia (UNG) men's soccer team used some late-game heroics to defeat Flagler 2-1 Saturday afternoon. The win propelled UNG to a first place spot in the Peach Belt Conference with a 7-4-2 overall record and a 5-2-1 mark in conference play.
The Nighthawks have now won six of their last eight matches. The win over the Saints on Saturday marked UNG's second win over Flagler this season. This season is now the first time since at least 2011 the Nighthawks have beaten the Saints twice in the same season. UNG is 3-0 in its last three contests against Flagler.
The victory did not start on such a note in the early stages of the game. Despite the Nighthawks' dominance in the early goings, it was the Saints who found the scoreboard first in the 12th minute as Alex Alexandrou scored off a rebounded save from UNG keeper
Aleksa Lukic.
The goal came on Flagler's third shot of the game, a game in which the Saints only posted nine shots in total. On the other hand, the Nighthawks tallied 26 shots in the contest which included seven shots before they finally found the back of the net in the 43rd minute.
Less than 60 seconds after head coach
Anel Lilic elected to substitute senior
Quinn Thompson into the game, the transfer defender flipped the script and the scoreboard.
The Nighthawks held possession just outside the penalty box as junior forward
Will Bentley tried to push the attack forward. His pass was deflected by a Flagler defender right to the foot of Thompson. With a touch, Thompson bounced the ball off another Saints defender and continued forward. The deflection again fell right at his foot and the defender made the opportunity count.
On one touch, Thompson rifled the ball through traffic and past Flagler keeper Ryan Rivas to level the contest at 1-1 just two minutes before the halftime break.
UNG rode the momentum of the late goal into a dominant second half performance.
In the final 45 minutes, the Nighthawks recorded 15 shots compared to Flagler's just four. Despite the barrage of offensive opportunities, UNG was continuously halted by Rivas. In a particularly big moment, Rivas made an impressive save on the best opportunity of the game for the Nighthawks. After a cross came soaring into the box, UNG junior forward
Miguel Romero leaped and placed a perfect header on the ball. Romero directed the ball to the ground in an attempt to bounce it into the net. Somehow, Rivas sprawled out and trapped the ball right on the goal line.
The Nighthawk momentum had been continually rising as the clock wound down below three minutes. This moment was made to be the pinnacle, until it wasn't. Flagler understandably gained momentum from the save and looked like it was going to secure a key draw on the road.
The clock continued to run under a minute.
With 45 seconds left, a foul just outside the box was called on UNG, setting up a Saints set piece in prime scoring position. The shot from midfielder Reiss Skeen went right into the arms of Lukic, giving the Nighthawks possession with less than a minute remaining.
Lukic quickly rushed the ball up field. On the far side, a Saints deflection led to a UNG throw-in directly in front of the Nighthawk bench. Sophomore midfielder
Aram Lara raced to grab the ball and throw it in with 33 seconds to go. Streaking forward was freshman forward
Jorge Sandoval.
As Lara chucked it forward, Sandoval turned and watched the ball land over his shoulder and a few feet in front of him. From just outside the box on the far side, Sandoval let the ball bounce once before striking it. He released a high arcing shot that, at first glance, appeared like it was headed towards Bob Stein Stadium, UNG's baseball complex 70 yards beyond the Flagler goal. Instead, the ball spun off Sandoval's foot and took a dangerous drop towards the goal.
Rivas stretched his arms, flailing towards the back corner. It was an effort that was not enough to overcome the stellar skill from Sandoval. The ball glided over Rivas' hands and dropped into the back corner of the net. The Nighthawks led 2-1 with 27 seconds remaining in the game.
Flagler would not get another opportunity to score as UNG secured its seventh win of the season.
After the game, Lilic remained poised as he put the game into perspective.
"This is a huge win for North Georgia. I'm so proud of how our guys dominated the pace of the game and kept fighting all the way until the end," said Lilic. "This is a big win, but we've still got work left to do. We're going to stay humble and push through to the end of the season."
The win gave UNG three crucial points, launching them to first place in the PBC, one point ahead of Flagler and Clayton State.
The Nighthawks will look to ride the momentum of the thrilling victory into their next game on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Clayton State. A win over the Lakers in the penultimate conference matchup could give UNG a stranglehold on the conference standings. Kick off from Morrow, Ga. is set for 5 p.m.
