Top-Ranked Softball Set to Host Young Harris in Southeast Super Regional

University of North Georgia
5/15/2018 | Softball
DAHLONEGA – The No. 1 University of North Georgia softball team will take on rival Young Harris in the NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional Thursday and Friday at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium for a chance to continue the road to a National Championship in Salem, Virginia.

The Nighthawks breezed through Southeast Regional 1 last weekend, outscoring opponents by a score of 20-3 on the weekend. North Georgia has hosted four straight Super Regionals headed into the weekend and has never played in a Super Regional away from the Hill.

Young Harris needed the “if necessary” game to advance out of Southeast Regional 2 in Hickory, North Carolina, after No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne came out of the consolation bracket and forced the seventh game. The Mountain Lions are playing in their first Super Regional in program history.

The two rivals split their regular season series with YHC taking a 4-3 first game before the Nighthawks stormed back to win, 8-4, in game two.

The series will start on Thursday with a 2 p.m. first pitch. Game two will be played at noon on Friday with the third game of the best-of-three series to be played at 2:30 p.m. Friday if both teams split the first two games. Daily general admission is $10 for adults (over 17) and $5 for students (age 8-17), while children under seven are admitted for free. Students of participating schools can pay the student rates by providing a valid student ID.

Malasek Highlights Women’s Soccer Awards

University of North Georgia
11/2/2017 | Women’s Soccer
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Taylor Malasek won the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year to highlight the University of North Georgia women soccer team’s awards at the tournament banquet Thursday night.

Playing in her first collegiate season, Malasek was second on the team with nine goals during the year, with game-winners against Georgia College and Limestone. She is tied for eighth in the PBC in goals, she added one assist and is tied for 10th in the league in total points. The Peachtree City, Georgia, native becomes the second Nighthawk to be named the PBC Freshman of the Year, joining Kelsey Martin who received the honor in 2009.

Malasek joined Renee VanHorn (forwards) and Jessi Vaverka (defender) on the PBC’s All-Conference second team. Asa Thorsen (midfielder) and Michelle Allen were named to the first team in their first year at UNG after transferring from Armstrong State.

The Nighthawks were also given the PBC Regular Season Championship trophy during the event.

UNG will battle UNC Pembroke in the PBC semifinals tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia.

Women’s Soccer Comes Alive in Second Half in 5-1 Win

University of North Georgia
10/25/2017 | Women’s Soccer | Box Score
MORROW, Ga. – After a scoreless first half, the University of North Georgia women’s soccer team scored five second-half goals to defeat Clayton State, 5-1, Wednesday evening at CSU’s Laker Field. The Nighthawks clinch at least the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Peach Belt Conference Tournament with the win.

Renee VanHorn broke a scoreless match in the 47th minute with a penalty kick goal and then doubled the lead with a 64th minute goal. Just seconds later, Brynn Finneran scored her third goal of the season to make the lead 3-0.

After an Asa Thorsen goal in the 75th minute, the Lakers were able to get on the board. The Nighthawks would answer, however, on a Rosie Embley penalty kick to bring the match to its final score.

NOTES
– This is the fourth consecutive year that UNG will be a top-three seed in the PBC Tournament. UNG has been the No. 2 seed three of those times.

– VanHorn becomes the seventh North Georgia player to score at least 13 goals in a season, joining her sister, Rachel (twice), Emily Dover, Jacy Ramey, Cicely Taliaferro and Kelly Penston.

– The Nighthawks take the lead in the all-time series against Clayton State by a record of 9-8-2.

NEXT UP
North Georgia will wait on the final conference games to finish this week to see the Nighthawks’ final seeding and opponent in the quarterfinal round. The quarterfinal will be played in Dahlonega on Tuesday, October 31.

Women’s Soccer Shoots Past Francis Marion, 5-0

University of North Georgia
9/23/2017 | Women’s Soccer | Box Score
DAHLONEGA – Renee VanHorn had two goals and the defense didn’t allow a shot as the University of North Georgia women’s soccer team led from start to finish in a 5-0 win over Francis Marion Saturday night at the UNG Soccer Complex. The Nighthawks improve to 3-0-0 in Peach Belt play and 5-1-2 overall.

“We did exactly what we needed to do,” said head women’s soccer coach Chris Adams. “I thought everyone came in and contributed without letting the level of play drop tonight.”

VanHorn opened the scoring with a penalty kick goal in the fourth minute of play and followed that up with her second goal of the match in the 15th minute off a Payton Bisso pass.

Taylor Malasek increased the UNG lead with a shot from just outside the box after receiving a pass from Rosie Embley. The Nighthawks made the score 4-0 at halftime when Daizah Patterson scored her first goal of the season with seconds remaining in the half. Bisso scored the game’s final goal right at the beginning of the second half off a pass from Brynn Finneran.

NOTES
– UNG took 24 shots and allowed none for the Patriots in the contest. In the only two matchups against FMU in school history, the Nighthawks have only allowed one shot.

– North Georgia stretches its unbeaten streak to seven games this season. The Nighthawks are also unbeaten in its last 13 PBC matches.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks travel to the other side of Blood Mountain to take on Young Harris on Wednesday, September 27. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.

No. 1 Softball Opens NCAA Regional Play With 5-2 Win Over King

University of North Georgia
5/10/2018 | Softball | Box Score
DAHLONEGA – Kylee Smith threw 6.2 innings of one-hit softball as the top-ranked University of North Georgia softball team advanced in the NCAA Southeast Regional with a 5-2 win over eighth-seeded King at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium.

Shelby Hammontree jump started the offense in the second inning with a two-run blast to left field before Marley Stowersdoubled the lead with a bases clearing double with two outs to give the Nighthawks a 2-0 lead.

With two outs in the fifth, North Georgia struck again with a pinch-hit RBI single to left that plated Kaylyn Anthony all the way from first after a Tornado error to give UNG a 5-0 lead.

King did get on the scoreboard in the seventh with a two-run homer from Katelyn Davidson, but Smith came back in the game and sat down the remaining King batters to preserve the win.

NOTES
– Smith (31-2) struck out seven batters and hit one without allowing a walk or more than a hit in the fifth inning, a double by Erin Roper.

– Stowers finished 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBI, and Anthony was 3-for-3 with two runs scored to lead North Georgia at the plate.

– North Georgia improves to 5-0 all-time against the Tornado, 2-0 in NCAA tournament play.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will take on the winner of No. 4 Coker and No. 5 Queens tomorrow at noon, while King will play the loser of the Cobras/Royals contest at 2:30 p.m. in an elimination game.

No. 24 Women’s Tennis Advances Past USC Aiken in PBC Quarterfinals

University of North Georgia
4/20/2018 | Women’s Tennis | Box Score
FLORENCE, S.C. – Adrienne Bofinger earned the fifth point for the No. 24 University of North Georgia women’s tennis team to blow past USC Aiken, 5-1, in the Peach Belt Conference quarterfinals Friday morning at Francis Marion’s Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center.

UNG began with victories at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles as Holly Bennett and Felicia Baratta led the Nighthawk charge with an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles. Lexa Loden and Vaishali Jorge ran past the Pacers’ second flight, 8-1.

The Nighthawks closed the door with three straight wins in singles, starting with Jorge beating Karina Blas, 6-0, 6-4 at No. 4 singles while Loden downed Neves, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6. Bofinger clinched the match for the Nighthawks at No. 2 singles as she beat Kayla Calvert, 6-3, 7-5.

In the three matches remaining after the drop-dead point, the Nighthawks were leading one, trailing in one and were in a third set at No. 5 singles.

North Georgia will take on No. 25 Georgia College in the semifinals tomorrow morning with first serve set for 9 a.m.

Cross Country Set to Run in Peach Belt Championship

University of North Georgia
10/20/2017 | Women’s Cross Country

FORT BENNING, Ga. – After an undefeated regular season, the University of North Georgia cross country team will travel to Fort Benning, Georgia, for a second time this season to compete in the Peach Belt Conference Championship Saturday morning.

This will be the Peach Belt Conference’s 27th Cross Country Championships, and Columbus State University will host the event for the first time since 2006 and the third overall. The championship will be contested over a 5k course, the first time the PBC has held a 5k in the championship since 2008.

The Nighthawks have won all four races this season, including the Cougar Invitational on the same course last month. Brittany Truitt has the opportunity to become the 11th women’s cross country runner in PBC history to be named a four-time All-Conference honoree. She has the fastest time in the conference this season at 17:55 and has not finished lower than third individually all season.

North Georgia will also look to make program history as the first cross country team to bring home a championship after finishing runner-up the past three years.

The race will start at 9:00 a.m. Admittance to the race is free, but those wishing to attend need to allow time to pass through security at Fort Benning. More information about gaining access to the base, directions and maps can be found here.

Women’s Golf Tied for Second at LeeAnn Noble Memorial

University of North Georgia
10/16/2017 | Women’s Golf
DAHLONEGA – Fueled by Carson Roberts‘ round of even-par 72, the University of North Georgia women’s golf team is tied for second after the first round at the Fourth Annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial hosted at Achasta Golf Club. Lee leads the tournament by three strokes over the Nighthawks and Young Harris.

North Georgia shot a 299 in the opening round Monday. The score was the second lowest of the season and just the second time in school history the team has broken 300. Columbus State sits in fourth place, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne rounding out the top five.

Roberts is in a three-way tie for second, one stroke behind Tusculum’s Katie Tomassoni for the overall lead. Megan Sabol has fifth place to herself after a one-over-par 73. Jordyn Sims shot two-over and is tied for sixth.

The final round of the tournament is set for tomorrow with the Nighthawks teeing off in the final wave off hole No. 1. Tee times are from 10:40-11:20 a.m.

Nighthawks Cage Second-Ranked Cougars, 3-2

University of North Georgia
9/20/2017 | Women’s Soccer | Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Behind a three-goal team performance and a four-save effort by Hannah Goudy, the University of North Georgia women’s soccer team upset the No. 2 Columbus State Cougars, 3-2, Wednesday night at CSU’s Walden Soccer Complex. The Nighthawks improve to 4-1-2 and 2-0-0 in Peach Belt Conference play.

The scoring started early for both teams. Renee VanHorn headed home a goal just over 90 seconds into the match, but the Cougars answered with a goal in the fifth minute to tie the match, 1-1.

North Georgia retook the lead in the 29th minute when VanHorn found Taylor Malasek for a left-footed shot that went inside the post. The Nighthawks doubled their lead in the 62nd minute as Rosie Embley put home a shot from 25 yards out to put UNG up, 3-1.

The Cougars pushed forward and found a goal in the 89th minute, but Goudy and the back line for UNG stood strong late to preserve the win.

NOTES
– North Georgia snaps a eight-match losing streak to the Cougars with the win. The win also breaks CSU’s streak of consecutive unbeaten matches at the Walden Soccer Complex that dated back to the last time UNG beat the Cougars in 2013.

– The win serves as the UNG’s first over a ranked opponent since 2014 when the Nighthawks defeated No. 17 Clayton State on October 15, 2014, by a score of 5-0 in Dahlonega.

– UNG took just 10 shots, but eight of those shots were on goal.

STAT OF THE NIGHT
11 – 
Of Columbus State’s 19 shots, 11 of them were either blocked by a Nighthawk defender or saved by Goudy.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks return home to take on Francis Marion on Soccer Anniversary Night. Saturday’s kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at the UNG Soccer Complex.

Women’s Soccer Opens Peach Belt Play With Double Overtime Win

University of North Georgia

No. 2 Softball Breezes Past USC Aiken in Doubleheader Sweep

University of North Georgia
4/21/2018 | Softball | Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
AIKEN, S.C. – After a week away from competition, the No. 2 University of North Georgia’s bats were on fire, tallying 22 runs on the day in a doubleheader sweep of USC Aiken in Peach Belt Conference play. The Nighthawks won, 17-2, in five innings in game one before a 5-0 win in the second game of the day.

GAME ONE
North Georgia got things started in the first, scoring two runs off a Kaylyn Anthony single after loading the bases. The Nighthawks added three more unearned runs in the third, taking advantage of a fielding error by USCA.

In the fourth, the bats really came to life, scoring eight runs off five hits in 13 plate appearances. The inning was highlighted with a three-run bomb from Anthony. The Pacers pushed two runs across in the bottom of the inning, bringing the score to 13-2 through four innings.

UNG scored four more in the fifth, starting with a leadoff homer from Kristen Adkins. Three batters later, Shelby Hammontree blasted a shot over the right center wall, bringing the game to its final score.

Kylee Smith earned the win, giving up just one hit across three innings of work and striking out seven.

GAME TWO
The latter half of the doubleheader was much closer as neither team was able to score through two innings. North Georgia finally got on the board in the third, scratching two runs across on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.

Hammontree hit her second homer of the day in the sixth, a solo shot over the wall in deep center to extend the Nighthawk lead to 3-0. UNG got another solo bomb from Sydney Sprague in the seventh, followed by an Alishia Frierson RBI double to give the Nighthawks a 5-0 win.

Smith again earned the win, this time throwing a complete seven innings and striking out 13 Pacers. She surrendered just two hits and one walk, improving to 26-1 on the season.

NOTES
– The 17 runs scored in game one is the third-most runs scored in a game in program history, trailing an 18-run performance against Union in 2015 and a 20-run output against Miles earlier this season.

– Hammontree finished the twinbill going 3-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored to lead UNG at the plate.

– With four games to play in PBC action, North Georgia holds on to a one-game lead over Georgia College at 15-1 on the year.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will take on Georgia College at The Hill on Wednesday, April 25, in a matchup of the top-two teams in the conference. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 4 p.m.

Sabol Leads Women’s Golf on Day One of Patsy Rendleman Invitational

University of North Georgia
10/9/2017 | Women’s Golf
SALISBURY, N.C. – Megan Sabol shot a one-under-par 71 as the University of North Georgia women’s golf team matched the second-best 18-hole round in program history to sit in a tie for fifth at the Patsy Rendleman Invitational after the first day at the Country Club of Salisbury. UNG shot a 305, putting them 10 strokes behind Lenoir-Rhyne for the lead.

Sabol’s 71 ties the second-best individual round in program history, matching Jordyn Sims‘ round of 71 earlier this season. The sophomore sits in second place, one shot behind North Greenville’s Savannah Hallman for the individual lead.

The Nighthawks’ score of 305 matches the 18-hole score of last season’s LeeAnn Noble Memorial at Achasta Golf Club. UNG is tied with Tusculum for fifth place, while Limestone, Queens and Anderson place second, third and fourth after the first round.

Sims, Carson Roberts and Karson Stone were the other scorers for UNG, shooting 77, 78 and 79, respectively.

The Nighthawks will wrap up the tournament with the final round tomorrow.

Truitt Named PBC Runner of the Week

University of North Georgia
9/26/2017 | Women’s Cross Country
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Senior Brittany Truitt was named the Peach Belt Conference Runner of the Week as announced by the conference office Tuesday morning. This is the fifth time in Truitt’s career that she has been given the award.

Truitt won the Columbus State Invitational on Saturday at Fort Benning, Georgia, on the same course that will host the PBC Championship in October. The senior from Villa Rica, Georgia, covered the 5K course in 18:11.8, finishing 30 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Her efforts helped the Nighthawks to the team title with a 58-point margin. Her time was the third-fastest 5k run in the PBC this season.

The Nighthawks will hit the course again on October 6 at the Georgia College Bobcat Invitational. The race is scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m.

Thorsen Makes Golden Goal as No. 13 Women’s Soccer Downs Wolves

University of North Georgia

Smith, Johns Named First Team NFCA All-Americans

University of North Georgia
5/23/2018 | Softball
SALEM, Va. – University of North Georgia sophomore pitchers Amber Johns and Kylee Smith were each named to the NFCA All-America First Team Wednesday night as announced by the association at the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Banquet. Smith was one of three first team pitchers, while Johns was an At-Large selection as a pitcher.

Johns, a sophomore from Powder Springs, Georgia, is a perfect 18-0 in 29 appearances this season. She has struck out 112 batters in 110 innings with batters hitting just .146 against her this season. She has the third-best ERA in Division II at 0.76. This is Johns’ first NFCA All-American honor as she was named to the D2CCA Third Team earlier in the day.

Smith, a sophomore from Suwanee, Georgia, is 35-1 in 39 games in the circle, compiling three saves as well. She has the most strikeouts in the nation with 320 punch outs to just 43 walks. With batters hitting just .129 against her this season, her ERA is the second best in the nation at 0.65. This is Smith’s second NFCA All-American accolade as she was named to the First Team last year as well. Earlier Wednesday, Smith was named the D2CCA Ron Lenz Pitcher of the Year and to the D2CCA First Team.

The pitching duo and the rest of the No. 1 Nighthawks will open the tournament tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.

FIVE STRAIGHT!!! No. 1 Softball Breaks Records in PBC Tournament Championship

University of North Georgia
5/5/2018 | Softball | Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
DAHLONEGA – For the fifth consecutive year, the No. 1 University of North Georgia softball team claimed the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship Saturday with a 4-0 win over Columbus State at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium. Earlier in the day, the Nighthawks broke the program’s single season wins record with a five inning 8-0 win over Lander in the semifinals.

GAME ONE
Jordan Deep got things started in the second inning with a solo bomb to left field to put UNG on top, 1-0. In the third, the Nighthawks got rolling again with a RBI double from Brittany Gilliam followed by a RBI single from Alishia Frierson to push North Georgia out to a 3-0 lead.

Lexi Duncan kept the rally going in the inning with a double to the wall in right center to plate Frierson before a RBI single by Sydney Sprague to cap off the five-run inning.

Sprague walked the game off in the fifth with a two-run bomb to deep center to push the Nighthawks to their 10th PBC Championship game.

GAME TWO
Both teams were quiet headed into the bottom of the third inning when Sprague struck again for another two-run blast to give UNG a 2-0 lead. After three more quiet innings, Shelby Hammontree hit a two-run bomb that plated Gilliam and gave the Nighthawks the four-run cushion.

Kylee Smith (30-1) threw her second one-hitter of the day and struck out nine batters to push the Nighthawks to their fifth consecutive conference tournament championship.

NOTES
– North Georgia has now won 56 games this season, breaking the program record for wins in a single season that was at 54 previously. UNG is 56-2 headed into the NCAA Division II regional round next weekend.

– The Nighthawks break the conference record for consecutive tournament championships that Kennesaw State held from 1995-98.

– Smith, Hammontree and Sprague were named to the All-Tournament team, while Sprague was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

– The Nighthawks are now 8-2 all-time in PBC Tournament championship games and have still never lost in the league’s tournament when holding the top seed.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks, No. 1 in the nation and in the latest regional rankings, will likely host the regional round of the NCAA Division II Softball Tournament but will await the selection show to be broadcast Monday morning at 10 a.m. on NCAA.com.

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