GREENWOOD, S.C. – The UNCP women's soccer operated with an explosive offense, netting three second half goals, to put away Lander, 5-1, in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Tuesday afternoon at the Jeff May Complex.

Amalia Arvidsson scored two goals and notched three assists in the Lady Braves' (10-6-3) first round victory. Despite suffering the setback, the Bearcats (10-4-3) outshot the Lady Braves, 19-12; including 10-7 shots on goal. Arvidsson fired off a team-best five shots, with three shots on goal, while Kimberly Kesler led Lander with five shots and four on goal.

Just four minutes into the match, the Lady Braves took a quick 1-0 lead as Sherrie Gessin posted her third goal of the season on an assist from Arvidsson. Kendall Couch tied the game up for Lander in the 15th minute as she shot from 10 yards out into the left side of the box, with an assist from Casey Black. With just 10 minutes left in the half, freshman Rae-Shawna Campbell registered her 10th goal of the season as she delivered the game-winning goal for the Black and Gold. Arvidsson garnered her second assist of the game on the UNCP score.

UNCP dominated on offense in the second half of action. Michelle Hernandez scored her first goal of the season, as Arvidsson picked up her third assist. Arvidsson tallied the final two goals for the Black and Gold, on a breakaway in the 82nd minute of play and then five minutes later off of an assist from Ashley Anctil. 

UNCP netminder Britney Bennett played a full 90:00 between the posts for the Lady Braves. Bennett collected nine saves against Lander's 19 shots. The triumph marked Bennett's 10th victory in the net for UNCP this season.

"I am incredibly proud of this team and incredibly proud of their effort today. At half time we decided we weren't going to let this lead slip away, we had worked too hard and we owed it to ourselves. We put together a great team plan for the second half and executed it extremely well in the final third," said UNCP head coach Lars Andersson. "I think the 5-1 score is indicative of our effort and our efficiency in the final third. It really shows the heart and courage this team has had throughout the ups and downs of this season. I'm very proud of them and I look forward to taking a day off and getting back on the training pitch on Thursday to start preparing for the semifinals." 

The Lady Braves head to Evans, Ga., to finish out the PBC Tournament as they face Columbus State (15-2-1) in the semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m. The winners of both Friday contests, including the other semifinal matchup between Armstrong Atlantic and either Clayton State or North Georgia, will meet in Sunday's championship game at 1 p.m.