DAHLONEGA – The No. 18 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's soccer team battled for a full 90 minutes with Lenoir-Rhyne to force a 0-0 draw on Wednesday afternoon.
In a rematch of last year's second round of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship, the Nighthawks (11-3-2, 6-2 PBC) and Bears (8-6-1, 6-3 SAC) dueled until the final whistle, with both defenses stepping up to make game-saving plays to keep the score knotted.
The first half remained evenly matched with six shots for LR and five for North Georgia. Even with the limited opportunities, four of them were on target from UNG, forcing Bears' goalkeeper Riley Miller to come up with multiple stops to keep the Nighthawks off the board.
In the final 45 minutes, both sides strung together more runs to try and break the deadlock, but the defense stood strong to stop the opportunities.
The second half was Kayleigh Marreel's time to shine. The sophomore goalkeeper stepped up in the clutch, coming up with multiple diving stops to put a halt to the Bears' offense.
Despite numerous attempts from LR to break through, Marreel was up to the task. The Port, St. Lucie, Fla. native closed out the game with seven saves; the second-most in a game in her career.
North Georgia held the advantage in shots 18-13 with a 10-4 lead in corner kicks. Nina Lopez led UNG with three shots, putting one on frame.
The Nighthawks will wrap up their regular season back in conference play against Clayton State on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the UNG Soccer Field.
