Greensboro, N.C. - The Greensboro College Women's Soccer team is maturing right before our very eyes. The Pride, led by Head Coach
Mike Johnston, would bring a nice string of play into this contest, as they had gone undefeated in their last three games. This string of success would continue on Saturday afternoon as the Pride would defeat a solid William Peace University squad by a tightly contested 1-0 final score.
The Pride would require a second glance as they entered Pride field for the game as their "signature green" tops would be covered by blue tee shirts in recognition of Rare Disease Awareness with a personal emphasis on the Austin 1st Foundation. The Austin 1st Foundation was named in honor of Austin Terling, the cousin of
Kelsey Jarrett, currently a sophomore on the Greensboro College Women's Soccer team. Austin was born in 2013 with an ultra-genetic disease, known as UBA5 Mutation, which is only reported in about 50 people worldwide. Sadly, Austin would pass away in July of this year, but his legacy will continue to be far reaching for generations to come.
Once the royal blue tee shirts were shed for traditional green jerseys, the Pride would begin the first half with several scoring chances and the fast-paced game would require both goaltenders to make several stops. However, at the 19:04 mark the scoreboard would be changing. Yes, you guessed it, as
Kelsey Jarrett would break the tie with a high arcing lob kick that would barely find the net between the outstretched fingers of the goalie and brushing the crossbar for her first goal of the season to the delight of the Austin 1st Foundation's family and friends. And even though the final record books may list Jarrett's goal as unassisted, to those in attendance it felt the assist must have been delivered by Austin Terling. The timing of the play was impeccable as the Pride would exit the field after 45 minutes with the one goal advantage.
The second half would find the Pride being very conscientious on maintaining the lead and limiting Pacer's quality shots. The mission would be accomplished as the back line and the aggressive play of freshman sensation
Sofia Pagnamenta in goal would thwart all comers for the next 45 minutes. Pagnamenta would stop 8 shots in the game, with a pair coming in the closing minutes to preserve the win by the one goal margin.
GC's Head Soccer Coach had these post-game comments: "One of the most special moments I have been around in the game of soccer. For Kelsey to score in our Rare Disease Awareness game in honor of her cousin is something none of us will ever forget. I am proud of this group's resilience and grit tonight. William Peace is a very good team and to get a win, on this day, was super special. Tonight, we indeed played for something much bigger than ourselves."
The Greensboro College Women's Soccer team (4-5-2 Overall- 2-0-1 Conference) will next travel to Staunton, VA to play Mary Baldwin University on Tuesday, October 11th at 4:00PM.
For more information on Greensboro College Women's Soccer, please visit www.greensborocollegesports.com
