PEMBROKE – UNCP played 45 minutes of
near-flawless soccer in battling sixth-ranked Montevallo to a
scoreless deadlock at the intermission, but the visiting Falcons
got goals from both Milan Pualic and Nathaniel Foster midway
through the second period in posting a 2-0 win over the Braves
Saturday evening at Varsity Grounds.
The setback kept the Braves (2-5-1, 0-2-0 PBC) winless on the
season in league play, while the triumph kept the nationally ranked
Falcons unbeaten on the season. Montevallo (7-0-1, 2-0-1) have now
won two-straight outings since registering a 2-2 draw at PBC foe
North Georgia a week ago.
Newcomers Braxton Perkins and Andrew Brown each tallied a team-best
two shots for the Braves, while goalkeeper Ryan Hanson grabbed four
saves in a complete game showing between the pipes. Foster's
score was his team-leading sixth goal of the season for Montevallo,
with Pualic notching the second score of his senior campaign. UM
netminder Brendan Ledgeway recorded three saves en route to
recording his third shutout of the season.
"We played a good first half, but had a terrible second
half," said UNCP head coach Phil Hindson. "It was a
lack of effort, lack of character, lack of pride…just a lack
of everything on our part. That is unacceptable. The game is 90
minutes, so only playing 45 minutes of good soccer is not even
close. I am very disappointed with the way that we played
tonight."
The Falcons collected four of the first five shots of the contest,
but UNCP found four of the final seven opportunities of the opening
stanza, including a 44th minute header by Braxton Perkins that
sailed just wide of the Montevallo goal. The Falcons would find all
the positives in the second half, however, as Pualic got his team
off the mark when he collected a shot off of a UNCP defender and
blasted a shot from 10 yards out that found nothing but the back of
the net at the 58:09 mark.
Foster would all but put the game away in the 72nd minute when he
dribbled into the penalty area and fired a shot down low that
escaped the diving hands of Hanson.
UNCP will be back in action again on Wednesday when the Black and
Gold suit up to host Coker (4-2-2) in a 7 p.m. tilt at Varsity
Grounds. Admission to all 2010 UNCP Soccer home games is free.
