PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke soccer team scored twice and limited visiting Young Harris to just one shot in a dominant first-half effort that helped the Braves close out a perfect regular season at home with a 3-1 victory over the Mountain Lions on Friday afternoon at Lumbee River EMC Stadium.
The triumph marked the 14
th-straight home win for the Braves (9-4-1, 6-3-1 PBC) who finished their regular season unbeaten and untied at home for the first time in program history. It was the third loss in the last four outings for Young Harris (6-8-0, 4-6-0) who remained winless in the 8-game-old series with the Black & Gold.
| SCORING SUMMARY |
| 5' |
Senior Stacey Scott's cross deflected off the left hand of Young Harris goalkeeper Alyssa Spridgeon to the waiting feet of freshman Bree Mason who finished with a shot to the inside of the far post. UNCP 1, YHC 0 |
| 15' |
A handball inside the penalty area set up a penalty kick for senior Christine Rolfes who beat Alyssa Spridgeon to the upper corner that gave the hosts a two-goal advantage. UNCP 2, YHC 0 |
| 46' |
Christine Rolfes took a feed from Stacey Scott and hit a 30-yard cannon shot to the back of the net to cap the scoring on the day for the Braves. UNCP 3, YHC 0 |
| 80' |
With the rain falling at its hardest on the day, Lucero Robayo became the first opponent to score at Lumbee River EMC Stadium this season when her chip shot caught the underside of the cross bar and bounced in behind the outstretched arms of UNCP goalkeeper Gina Ryan. UNCP 3, YHC 1 |
| TOP BRAVES |
+ Senior Christine Rolfes produced her first career multi-goal game, as well as her first two goals of the season. She came into the game with three career goals.
+ Senior Stacey Scott logged a pair of assists – the third career multi-assist game for the Jacksonville native. It was the seventh game this season that Scott has tacked up at least one point.
+ Bree Mason notched the fifth goal of her rookie campaign and has now scored at least one point in four out of the last five outings for the Braves.
+ Junior Gina Ryan tallied five saves, including four in the second half. She has now turned in five or more saves in seven outings this season. |
| NOTABLES |
+ The Braves finished their regular season schedule at home without a tie or a loss on their record for the first time in school history. It is the (2005, 2016) third time in program history that the Black & Gold has finished unbeaten at home during the regular season.
+ Friday's victory was the 14th-straight home win for UNCP. The Braves actually stretched their home unbeaten streak out to 17 games with the result, having tied Flagler, 2-2, on October 11 of last season. The last loss for UNCP in Pembroke came via a 1-0 setback to Limestone in the 2017 season opener.
+ Young Harris's 80th-minute goal marked the first opponent goal allowed by the Braves since a 2-1 win over USC Aiken on Oct. 25, 2017. UNCP had held opponents scoreless at home for more than 919 minutes until that score. |
| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will dive into postseason play on Tuesday in the quarterfinal round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. An opponent, site and time have yet to be announced. The Black & Gold will play a Tuesday evening home game with a Columbus State win over North Georgia on Saturday. |
