FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, dbeall@uscupstate.edu

Box Score (PDF)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team held Florida Gulf Coast University scoreless for the first 65 minutes on Friday evening, but the Eagles rallied with a pair of late goals to take down the Spartans in Atlantic Sun action at County University Stadium.

FGCU remains unbeaten in its A-Sun openers, improving to 6-2-2 overall and 1-0 in the league, while the Spartans fall to 2-8 overall and 0-1 in the A-Sun. The Eagles are perfect against Upstate in the all-time series, holding a 5-0 edge.

"It's never fun to lose, but I think for us this is a bit of a moral victory," head coach Abby Minihan said following her first A-Sun game at the helm of the Spartans. "I thought our shape was much better defensively and it allowed us to possess and counter attack more effectively."

Florida Gulf Coast peppered the Upstate defense throughout the first half, controlling play and recording 10 shots with seven of those on goal. Upstate keeper Sarah Plantz was up for every attempt, picking up seven saves heading to intermission.

The Eagles continued to control the pace in the second half, but the Spartans finally recorded their first shot of the game in the 66th minute when Kenzie Major lined up an attempt from 40 yards out, but Brittany Brown battled the setting sun squeezed the shot to keep the contest scoreless.

Just over a minute after Upstate recorded its first shot, FGCU finally broke through on the other end when Kayley Clay cleaned up a scram in the box and recorded her first goal of the season to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

Less than a 60 seconds later FGCU doubled its lead when Ally Kasun took a cross and fired a shot from 10 yards out and connected on her third goal of the year and make it 2-0.

The Spartans looked to answer in the final minutes off a set piece when Kayli Moore lined up a free kick in the 80th minute and sailed a perfect serve in the box that found the head of Michelle Calmeyn, but her header just cleared the cross bar.

The Eagles outshot Upstate 16-4 and held a 10-1 edge in corner kicks. Plantz tallied nine saves for the Spartans, while Brown stopped all three shots she faced for Florida Gulf Coast.

The Spartans will have Saturday off before returning to action on Sunday afternoon as they play host to Stetson in another A-Sun matchup. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at County University Stadium.

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