Asiedu’s goal lifts UNG past Erskine
Press Release September 6, 2021
DAHLONEGA – With 10 seconds left, North Georgia earned a corner kick and ended up finding Elwyn Asiedu on the back post for a header as the horn sounded to give the University of North Georgia men’s soccer team a 2-1 win over Erskine Thursday night in the home opener at the UNG Soccer Complex at Lynn Cottrell Park.
The Flying Fleet scored early on a rebound in the second minute as Dennis Cole found his first goal of the year. After going to the half down a goal, North Georgia came out attacking in the second half and finally broke through as Donovan Odier scored the game tying goal in the 73rd minute on a rocket from 30 yards out.
As time wound down, Gustavo Alencar and Victor Galterio combined in the corner to allow Alencar to swing a ball in to the back post where Asiedu headed it in as time expired to send the Nighthawk fans home happy and give UNG the win.
NOTES
– UNG outshot Erskine, 20-6, including 8-3 in shots on goal.
– The walk-off goal by Asiedu was the second such goal in the calendar year after Kevin Lopez netted a golden goal in the 100th minute against Clayton State back in March. It’s the fourth walk-off win for UNG since 2016.
– It’s the first season-opening win since 2017 and the first home opening win since 2018.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will hit the road to battle Lee on Tuesday with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
UNG Men’s & Women’s Soccer News
University of North Georgia November 2, 2016
Men’s Soccer Downs USC Aiken, 3-1, to Advance to PBC Semifinal
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The No. 2-seed University of North Georgia men’s soccer team downed seventh-seeded USC Aiken, 3-1, Tuesday evening to advance to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia on Friday. With the win the Nighthawks improve to 10-9 on the season.
North Georgia struck first in the 29th minute with a quick pass from Chris Paul to Jordan Day to allow for a floater pass to set up the Matt Shaftoe goal just feet from the net.
The second goal of the night came in the 54th with a pass from Shaftoe into Ivan Acimovic at the top of the penalty box to allow for a shot that went through the hands and legs of USC Aiken goalkeeper, Orlando Maldovan.
The final Nighthawk goal came in the 76th minute with Shaftoe’s second of the night, a perfect through ball from Day to allow for a one-on-one battle inside the box that Shaftoe made the best of.
The lone USC Aiken goal, came off a penalty kick by Andre Simmond in the 60th minute but it would not be enough to extend the Pacer season, as they finish 4-13 on the year.
NOTES
– With the win North Georgia advances to just their second Peach Belt Conference semifinal in program history, and the first since 2008.
– The Nighthawk matchup in the PBC semifinal will be the second installment of the Battle for Blood Mountain on the season. While Young Harris will try to avenge its defeat in Dahlonega from earlier this season, the Nighthawks will look to repay the Mountain Lions from postseason losses in the previous two years.
– With the win the Nighthawks improve to their best record since 2005 when the team finished the season 10-6-2 overall. The 10-win season is just the third in the past 20 years for North Georgia and is the first under head coach Pat Parris.
STAT OF THE GAME
8 – With his two goals on the night, Matt Shaftoe moves into the leading scorer position for the Nighthawks with eight goals on the year.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will face No. 3-seed Young Harris at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia in the Peach Belt Conference Semifinals, Friday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. More information on the PBC Soccer Tournament, including directions and admission prices, can be found on the Tournament Website.
Women’s Soccer Battles Out 3-2 Win Over Flagler
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The No. 3-seed University of North Georgia women’s soccer team edged out sixth-seeded Flagler, 3-2, to advance to the Peach Belt Conference semifinal at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia on Friday. With the win the Nighthawks improve to 13-1-3 on the season.
Following a slow start to the game, the Nighthawks struck first in the 34th minute as Brynn Finneran served in a ball from the top corner of the box that was flicked on to Rachel VanHorn, by her sister Renee VanHorn to give North Georgia its first lead of the night, 1-0.
Flagler brought the match back to level pecking in the 58th with a goal from Kaela Harmon coming off of the deflected save of Nighthawk goalkeeper, Kaitlyn Siberski, coming off a free kick from Charlene Nowotny just outside the box.
The VanHorn sisters countered with two quick goals; Rachel blasted her second goal of the night in the upper 90 in the 67th, and Renee in the 68th minute taking advantage of a failed clearance by Flagler just in front of the net.
Flagler regained a glimmer of hope in the 71st minute with a successful penalty kick from Frida Lindblom, but it would not be enough as the Nighthawks made the 3-2 score stand to punch their ticket to Evans.
NOTES
– With the win the Nighthawks improve to 9-0-1 all-time against Flagler, the tie coming from the 1-1 draw between the two earlier in the season in St. Augustine.
– With the ticket to the semifinal punched, the Nighthawks advance to the PBC semifinals for the sixth time in the past seven years.
– With her 17th goal of the season, Rachel VanHorn moves within one goal of tying the program record for goals in a single season. Two Nighthawks have scored 18 goals in a given year with Cicely Taliaferro last achieving the feat in 2014 and Kelly Penston set the bar in 2013.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will face No. 2-seed UNC Pembroke at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia in the Peach Belt Conference semifinal on Friday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. More information on the PBC Soccer Tournament, including directions and admission prices, can be found on the Tournament Website.
Men’s Soccer Comes Alive Late in Thrilling 6-3 Win Over USC Aiken
University of North Georgia October 16, 2016
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Forward Eddie Hurst had a senior night for the ages scoring the first hat-trick in University of North Georgia men’s soccer history as the Nighthawks used a second-half comeback to down USC Aiken, 6-3, Saturday evening at the UNG Soccer Complex. North Georgia advances to 7-8 overall on the season and 4-2 in the Peach Belt Conference.
The first half ended in a 2-2 draw after North Georgia goals from Collin Maisch and Eddie Hurst were countered by USC Aiken goals from Adria Dalmau and Ryan Dwyer.
The score would remain 2-2 for much of the second half until the 78th minute with a Pacer goal from Ryan Dwyer made possible by a one-two dribble and pass from Jordan Misiri.
The Pacer’s didn’t hold the lead for long however, as the Nighthawks quickly struck back with four goals in less than seven minutes. The first goal coming in the 81st with a smooth shot into the upper left corner of the net from Eddie Hurst.
The Hurst goal was quickly followed by Matt Shaftoe‘s strike to the upper-90th in the 82nd minute. Hurst achieved his hat-trick just 20 seconds later in the 83rd with an unassisted breakaway goal.
The final goal of the night came from Daniel Bennett in the 89th minute with a shot launched from 35 yards out following a quick pass from Matt Shaftoe.
NOTES
– The hat trick from Eddie Hurst comes as not only a career first for the senior, but the first in UNG men’s soccer history as well.
– Jarrod Smalley earned his first career assists with two in tonight’s match against USC Aiken.
– With the win tonight the Nighthawks have surpassed the best season record since 2012 when the Nighthawks finished 7-7-2, overall on the season.
STAT OF THE DAY
12-6 – The Nighthawks out shot the Pacers with great accuracy, besting the opponent 12-6 in shots-on-goal.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will travel to Americus, Ga. on Wednesday, October 19, to take on Georgia Southwestern at 3:30 p.m.
CHAD HAYNIE // Director of Athletic Communications
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA ATHLETICS
Men’s Soccer Drops Heartbreaker to Lenoir-Rhyne in Overtime, 2-1
University of North Georgia October 13, 2016
10/12/2016 | Men’s Soccer
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The University of North Georgia men’s soccer team fell to Lenoir-Rhyne in extra time, 2-1, Wednesday evening in a hard fought match at the UNG Soccer Complex as the nightcap of the UNG Make-A-Wish Day 2016. The Nighthawks move to 6-8 on the season after the defeat.
Devi Ndrita got the Bears on the board first in the 32nd minute finishing a ball from Jens Roessler. The Nighthawks didn’t waste anytime finding an equalizer though as Chris Paul found the back of the net less than two minutes later finishing a perfect cross in off the foot of Daniel Bennett.
Despite a combined 18 shots in the second half, nether team were able to find a game-winner sending the match to overtime. It was Israel Ramirez giving L-R the victory on the golden goal following an amzing save by UNG keeper Conner Domaleski off a great shot toward the far post from Marc Fernandez, Ramirez sent is shot back across the goal well past Domaleski who did not have enough time to recover from the previous save.
NOTES
– Domaleski (1-2-0) picked up 10 saves on the evening, the most of his young career. UNG also tallied one team save on the night for a total of 11.
– The Bears outshot the Nighthawks, 23-15, on the night and had a 13-6 advantage in shots on goal.
– Lenoir-Rhyne improves to 5-2-1 in the all-time series against North Georgia with tonight being their first win in Dahlonega. The Nighthawks had held a 2-0-1 advantage over the Bears in Dahlonega entering tonight’s match.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will step back into conference play for the final stretch of the regular season, with four matches in a 12-day span, starting with Saturday’s contest against USC Aiken at the UNG Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
CHAD HAYNIE // Director of Athletic Communications
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA ATHLETICS
UNG Womens & Mens Soccer News
University of North Georgia October 10, 2016
No. 16 Women’s Soccer Soars Past Montevallo, 3-1
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The No. 16 University of North Georgia women’s soccer team raced past the visiting Falcons of Montevallo, 3-1, in front of another large crowd at the UNG Soccer Complex. With the win the Nighthawks improve to 7-1-2 on the season and 5-1-1 in the Peach Belt Conference.
The first goal of the match came in the sixth minute off the foot of Rachel VanHorn, assisted by the header from Jacey Ramey guiding the ball just in front of the goal for a one-on-one situation that VanHorn capitalized on.
The second goal of the match came off a corner taken by Taylor Wagnon that was headed into the net by Jessica Allen in the 24th minute.
Rachel VanHorn scored her second goal of the night in the 42nd with a shot from deep in the corner of the penalty made possible by a pass in from Sophia Matonak.
Montevallo’s lone goal came in the 80th with a breakaway goal from Ally Reeves just inside the penalty box, assisted by a pass in from Taylor Gonzales.
NOTES
– Rachel VanHorn scored two goals in tonight’s contest, making it four for the week after scoring two goals in Wednesday’s match at Lander.
– With the lion share of minutes on the night, North Georgia goalkeeper, Kaitlyn Siberski, improves to 3-1-1 on the season.
– With the win North Georgia improves to 8-0 in conference play against Montevallo in the all-time series.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will host Wingate on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m., as a part of Make-A-Wish Day at the UNG Soccer Complex. Admission to the match is free with donations encouraged to benefit Make-A-Wish Georgia.
Men’s Soccer Picks Up Key PBC Victory in 2-0 Win Over Montevallo
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The University of North Georgia men’s soccer team shutout the visiting Montevallo Falcons 2-0 in a key conference match, improving to 6-7 on the season and 3-2 in the Peach Belt Conference.
After a slow start to the match, the Nighthawks struck first in the 39th minute with a Matt Shaftoe header into the goal made possible by the low cross in from Adam Farrell.
The second and final goal of the match came in the 47th with the unassisted goal from Billy Johnson while the Montevallo goalkeeper, Robert Kuta, remained on the turf unable to recover after blocking the preceding shot from Johnson.
Montevallo’s Austin Petrovich was ejected in the 53rd minute after knocking down UNG’s Billy Johnson on the attack just outside the penalty box, with the Falcons playing a man down for the remainder of the match.
NOTES
-North Georgia goalkeeper, Conner Domaleski (1-1), earns his first win with the Nighthawk victory over Montevallo.
-The victory also comes as the first shutout of the season for the Nighthawks.
STAT OF THE DAY
2 – Today’s victory comes as North Georgia’s second in program history versus Montevallo, and is the second consecutive win in Dahlonega in the series.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will host Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday, October 12, at 6:30 p.m., as a part of Make-A-Wish Night at the UNG Soccer Complex. Admission to the match is free with donations encouraged to benefit Make-A-Wish Georgia.
CHAD HAYNIE // Director of Athletic Communications
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA ATHLETICS
Strong First Half Leads Men’s Soccer Past Francis Marion, 2-1
University of North Georgia September 25, 2016
FLORENCE, S.C. | The University of North Georgia men’s soccer team used two first half goals to get past Francis Marion, 2-1, Saturday evening at Hartzler Field. The win brings North Georgia to 4-5 on the season with a perfect 1-0 mark in Peach Belt Conference play.
Ivan Acimovic wasted no time getting the Nighthawks on the board first as he took advantage of a botched clearance by the Patriots knocking in a 15-yard shot to put UNG up 1-0 in the third minute.
Eren Ozer found Matt Shaftoe in the box in the 36th to give UNG a 2-0 advantage that they took into the half. Oliver Drakenhammar broke up the shutout in the 56th minute, giving the match its final 2-1 score.
NOTES
– UNG was outshot 21-17 in the match. The Patriots had a 12-8 advantage in shots on goal.
– The victory is the first for UNG over Francis Marion since 2012 and gives North Georgia a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series.
NEXT UP
North Georgia returns home for a Wednesday night matchup against rival-Young Harris. Kickoff for the Battle of Blood Mountain match is set for 7:30 p.m. The match will feature the annual presentation of the Battle of Blood Mountain trophy after UNG’s third-straight win in the yearlong competition in 2015-16.
Men’s Soccer Edged by Lee, 1-0
University of North Georgia September 23, 2016
CLEVELAND, Tenn. | The University of North Georgia men’s soccer team couldn’t find the offense needed to extinguish the Flames of Lee University Thursday evening in Cleveland, Tennessee as the Nighthawks fell, 1-0. North Georgia slips to 3-5 on the season after the narrow defeat.
Drew Jackson gave the Flames the early game-winning goal in just the eighth minute of action as he struck a ball from Jose Orellana into the corner of the goal that put Lee on top.
It appeared as if the Nighthawks had found the equalizer just before the half but the UNG goal was disallowed as the referee said the ball did not cross through before the blow of the horn and the call was upheld after video review.
NOTES
– After allowing the early goal, UNG keeper Michael Samnick (3-5) picked up five saves to keep the match close.
– UNG’s previous three losses have all come by way of a 1-0 defeat. The last time UNG had three consecutive losses by a one-goal margin was at the end of the 2012 season, a year in which UNG dropped seven games by just one goal.
– Lee improves to 2-1 in the all-time series over North Georgia. All three contests have been decided by one goal, including UNG’s 3-2 win in 2004 and last year’s 3-2 Flames victory in Dahlonega.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will head to Florence, South Carolina on Saturday to open up Peach Belt Conference play at Francis Marion. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Men’s Soccer Holds Off Emmanuel, 5-4
Business September 15, 2016
DAHLONEGA | After taking an early 3-0 lead, the University of North Georgia men’s soccer team held off the visiting Emmanuel College Lions in yet another high scoring decision for the Nighthawks. With the hard-fought 5-4 victory the Nighthawks improve to 3-3 on the season.
Action came rather early for the Nighthawks with the header from Rahmy Baky made possible by a deflection by Eddie Hurst off a cross in the 11th minute.
After a penalty kick by Eddie Hurst in the 15th minute the momentum kept rolling for the Nighthawks in the 17th as Jarrod Smalley, only seconds off the bench, scored off the cross from Matt Shaftoe.
Battling back from a 3-0 deficit, Emmanuel struck back with two quick goals off set pieces. The first coming from Fitzy Fitz Gerald, assisted by Sam Mutton in the 30th minute. The second goal came two minutes later, in the 32nd from Michael Williams, assisted by Nico Becker.
The first half score line continued to roll in the 37th minute as Evan Davis scored his first goal of the season off of a free kick assisted by Matt Shaftoe and Eren Ozer.
The Lions came back from the break hungry for a goal, and would strike early in the 2nd minute of the half. The goal came from a header by Channing Park, just inches from the net, after a cross in from Blair Springhall.
Eddie Hurst scored his second goal of the night off a long cross in from Kevin Glendon in the 67th minute.
The final goal of the 5-4 match came from a North Georgia own goal by Fabian Abarca in the 74th minute.
NOTES
– Tonight’s victory pulled the Nighthawks back to .500 on the season. It is the first time UNG has been at or above .500 after the first six games of the season since 2012, which was also a 3-3 start. North Georgia finished the season at 7-7-2 that year.
– After snapping a streak of 85 games in which UNG had not scored five or more goals in a game on Monday at Shorter, the Nighthawks pulled off the feat again in today’s match. It is the first time in the NCAA-era that UNG has scored five or more goals in consecutive games.
STAT OF THE DAY
2 – North Georgia’s Eddie Hurst scored two goals off five shots for the Nighthawks, making it the second two-goal game for Hurst, the last coming against Pfeiffer University in 2014.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will host the visiting Tornadoes of King University at 4 p.m. on Monday, September 19 as part of Lumpkin County First Responders Day.