DAHLONEGA – The No. 12 University of North Georgia (UNG) soccer team started its run in the 2026 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tournament in dominant fashion with a 6-0 victory over USCA in the quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon.
The Nighthawks' (12-3-3, 6-2-1 PBC) six-goal shutout marks their largest margin of victory in the PBC Tournament since Oct. 31, 2017. It also serves as the third game of the 2026 season in which UNG has netted six goals in a single match.
North Georgia found themselves on the front foot first, as Angelina Noorbehesht opened the scoring in the quarterfinals at the 25:11 mark by cleaning up a shot that ricocheted off USCA's goalkeeper to give UNG the lead.
After the 1-0 score stayed intact for the remainder of the first half, the Nighthawks put together one of their best offensive showings of the season in the final 45 minutes.
With less than three minutes ticked off the clock in the second period, PBC All-Conference midfielder Chloe Diaz fired in her fourth goal of the season to double North Georgia's advantage.
Two minutes later, the Nighthawks struck again. PBC All-Conference midfielder Nina Lopez chipped in her league-leading 11th goal of the 2026 campaign to quickly give North Georgia a 3-0 lead.
North Georgia stayed hot, as Blanca Cruz cleaned up a deflected shot with a header to extend the advantage to 4-0. In a matter of four minutes and 11 seconds, the Nighthawks had blitzed the Pacers with three goals to put the match out of reach.
Even with the four-goal advantage, North Georgia remained aggressive and continued to extend the lead. Fresh into the game for UNG, Hailey Blanott stepped onto the field, took a pass from Emma Moreau and rifled in the first goal of her North Georgia career to build the lead to five.
At the 89-minute mark, Sam Cottle stamped the victory by scoring her first goal of the season off an assist from Diaz to cement the 6-0 win.
On defense, North Georgia's backline shined, limiting USCA (5-11-2, 3-5-1 PBC) to just six shots. Kayleigh Marreel and Dayanara Figueroa held down the fort in goal to combine for UNG's seventh clean sheet of the season.
"We were coming off of a couple of ties, so getting some more goal-scoring output was critical for us moving into the next game," head coach Kayley Ralton said after the win. "We were able to get some different people scoring, so it was nice to have a blend around the team, and have it be a team effort."
The Nighthawks soar on to the semifinals and will take on the No. 3 seed Flagler on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at the UNG Soccer Field. Kickoff will be announced at a later date.
