In a game that went back and forth for the full 90 minutes, No. 18 North Georgia Women’s Soccer ended its matchup with No. 11 Flagler College in a 2-2 tie on Saturday, Sept. 23.
This highly anticipated matchup featured two of the top 25 NCAA Division II women’s soccer teams in the country, with UNG and Flagler being the only nationally-ranked Peach Belt Conference teams.
The first half ended with the score at 0-0. Both teams had some opportunities to score, but the Nighthawks’ and Saints’ backlines stepped up and contained each other’s attackers.
Once the second period was underway, the game’s pace kicked into high gear. Flagler got the scoring started with a goal in the first period from junior forward Andrea Fernandez.
UNG responded after junior forward Arielle Aronoff came off the bench and scored a goal, making it a 1-1 game.
But Aronoff was not finished. She found the back of the net again, this time off an assist from junior forward/midfielder Meghan O’Brien to give the Nighthawks the lead.
A few minutes later, the Saints were awarded a penalty kick, and Fernandez tied the game at 2-2 with her second goal of the day.
Aronoff said she was glad her team was not intimidated taking on another ranked opponent.
“We were able to control the ball well, and I am just so proud of this team and their work ethic,” she said.
In Aronoff’s 21 minutes of playing time, she made quite an impact scoring both of UNG’s goals.
“It was an exciting game, and I’m glad I was able to get on the field,” she said.
The Nighthawks stay undefeated this season at 5-0-2 as they head into a road matchup at Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday, Sept. 27. Click here for more information on UNG women’s soccer.
