The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga earned a 3-0 shutout at Georgia Southern on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon. The Mocs start the season at 2-0 for the first time since 2009 and the Eagles are 0-2 in the opening weekend.
“Great performance on the road,” Chattanooga head coach Gavin McKinney said.
“Georgia Southern is a tough opponent and we had to battle for the result.”
Sophomore Chloe Arnold scored both of her goals in the second half to go along with a first half score by junior Bailey Gale.
Chattanooga’s first goal came in the 17th minute off a corner kick by Arnold. She sent the kick to the near post were it was picked up by Gale who headed the ball into the left side of the net.
The Eagles outshot the Mocs 5-3 in the period, but Chattanooga held the lead at 1-0 into intermission.
It wouldn’t take long for the Mocs to get on the board in the second half. Arnold picked up the ball and drove down the field for an unassisted goal in the 47thminute to make it 2-0 in Chattanooga’s favor. Her second goal, and the third for the Mocs, came in the 66th minute with a shot from the top of the box.
“We are happy with the progression of our group,” McKinney said. “The direction we are heading is very positive.”
Georgia Southern outshot the Mocs 13-9 for the match but UTC had a 6-5 shots on goal advantage. Ashton Shields earned her first collegiate win with five saves in 90 minutes in the net. Eagle keeper Jocelyn Springer played the entire match and made three stops.
The win snaps a three-game losing skid to the Eagles dating back to the last three meetings ending in 2013.
Chattanooga will be on the road next weekend at South Alabama Friday night and Troy Sunday afternoon. Follow all the action online at GoMocs.com.