UNCG wins 2018 women's soccer championship

MACON, Ga. – The UNCG Spartans won their second straight SoCon Championship and conference-leading ninth in program history with a 2-1 win over No. 5-seed Furman on Sunday afternoon at Mercer’s Betts Stadium. The Spartans, the No. 2 seed, led 2-0 at the half before Furman added a second-half goal.

The first half was back-and-forth to start. Furman got off two shots in the first six minutes, but UNCG answered with two of its own minutes later. UNCG then outshot Furman 5-0 in the next 20 minutes of play before the eighth Spartan shot found the back of the net in the 31st minute as Emily Jensen netted her fifth of the year. Senior midfielder Heida Ragney Vidarsdottir shot from a couple of yards out and Furman goalkeeper Kellsey Weaver earned the save, but the junior couldn’t corral it and Jensen was there to get the rebound and capitalize, giving UNCG a 1-0 advantage.

UNCG added an insurance goal in the 40th minute when Grace Regal scored her fourth goal of the season and third goal in as many contests. The junior forward received a quick pass from Cienna Rideout, the SoCon Player of the Year, and stretched the Spartans’ lead to 2-0. The 2-0 score held until the half.

Furman outshot UNCG 6-1 in the first 20 minutes of the second half but couldn’t convert. In the 74th minute, Furman found the back of the net on a header from Virginia Poe. The second-team all-conference defender got a pass from Caitlyn Reilly. The assist was the team-leading ninth of the season for Reilly, a first-team all-conference selection.

UNCG goalkeeper Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper, an All-SoCon second-team selection, finished with six saves and moves to 15-4-1 on the year. Weaver recorded seven saves in goal for the Paladins. In total, UNCG outshot Furman 16-14 and had an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.

UNCG is the only current Southern Conference member to win back-to-back women’s soccer championships and have now done it three times. The Spartans’ first championship came in 1997 and they repeated in 1998 before earning the third and fourth championships in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

The Spartans will find out where they play during the NCAA Selection show, which airs on NCAA.com on Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team 

Lea Ann Cutshall, ETSU
Isabel Hodgson, ETSU
Leigh Haynes, Samford
Lexi Orman, Samford
Jordan Evens, Furman
Isabella Gutierrez, Furman
Erin O’ Hearn, Furman
Emily Jensen, UNCG
Grace Regal, UNCG
Cienna Rideout, UNCG
Heida Ragney Vidarsdottir, UNCG

Most Outstanding Player 
Heida Ragney Vidarsdottir, UNCG

Pinnacle Award (highest cumulative GPA among championship-eligible student-athletes on winning team)
Kaley Tucker, UNCG 

2018 Women's Soccer Championship

Wednesday, Oct. 24

First Round (at higher seeds)

Match 1: No. 9 The Citadel 3, No. 8 Wofford 2
Match 2: No 10 VMI 1, No. 7 Chattanooga 0

 Saturday, Oct. 27 Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)

Match 3: No. 1 Samford 1, No. 9 The Citadel 0
Match 4: No. 5 Furman 1, No. 4 Western Carolina 0
Match 5: No. 2 UNCG 3, No. 10 VMI 2

Sunday, Oct. 28

Match 6: No. 3 ETSU 1, No. 6 Mercer 0

Friday, Nov. 2 Semifinals (Betts Stadium; Macon, Ga.)

Match 7: No. 5 Furman 2, No. 1 Samford 0
Match 8: No. 2 UNCG 5, No. 3 ETSU 1 

 Sunday, Nov. 4 Final (Betts Stadium; Macon, Ga.)

Match 9: No. 2 UNCG 2, No. 5 Furman 1