BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – USC Upstate women's soccer made program history yet again in the 2022 season, finishing second in the Big South Conference after its 0-0 tie with Gardner-Webb to conclude the regular season. Its second-place finish is the highest the Upstate woman's soccer program has finished during its entire Division I era. Upstate will go into the Big South Conference Tournament as the second seed after a strong performance through the regular season.  

Upstate went on the attack early, looking to get on the board quick. The Spartans had a few set pieces and a few runs through the back line in the first five minutes but came up empty off the attempts. Following their attempts to attack early, the Spartans successfully defended a few set pieces from the Runnin' Bulldogs to keep the score 0-0. Cora Brendle collected five saves in the first half, shutting GWU down in the first 45 minutes while the Spartans also went into halftime scoreless.   

The Spartans went into the second half with the same energy they entered the game: hungry for the win. Upstate produced numerous opportunities through the Runnin' Bulldogs' back line but had trouble capitalizing on the opportunities that were created. Brendle and the backline continued to shut out the Big South leading goal scorer while sending balls through in an attempt to gain the lead. At the final whistle, Upstate and Gardner-Webb walked away with one point each and a seat in the Big South Conference Tournament.  

Following the draw tonight head coach Sharif Saber said, "I am really proud of the progress we've made as a program during the regular season. The team has made tremendous strides both individually and collectively. With that said that is the regular season. We are now going to the playoffs where records go out the window and players need to rise to the moment." 
 

  
    
Game Information    
Score: Upstate 0, Gardner-Webb 0 
USC Upstate (9-4-4, 6-2-1 Big South) vs. Gardner-Webb (9-6-4, 4-3-2 Big South)  
Greene-Harbison Stadium | Boiling Springs, N.C.    
    
How It Happened   

• 2'– Ashley Finn (UPST) makes an early attempt to get the first shot of the night on the board in favor of the Spartans but is unlucky.  

• 3'- A foul called on GWU provides a set piece from almost half line. Cora Brendle (UPST) sends a kick into the box finding Emily Rangel but the redirected header goes out of bounds. 

• 15'- A foul caused by USC Upstate allows GWU to take a free kick. The kick is sent into the back corner off the box, finding Lina Ullen (GWU) whose shot was met by Cora Brendle (UPST).  

• 19'- Maddie Turlington (GWU) sends one in from distance but Cora Brendle (UPST) collects the ball easily.  

• 20'- Nya Baccelli (UPST) fires one from inside the box but it's blocked. Dara Russo (UPST) collects the rebound and fires, but the shot is wide.  

• 25'- Emily Sanders (UPST) gets a break into the box through the GWU back line; she fires a shot, but it's saved by Chloe Leffler (GWU). 

• 27' Maddie Turlington (GWU) gets space in the middle, firing a shot from outside the 18-yard box, but Cora Brendle (UPST) easily cradles the save.  

• 32'- Carina Leal (GWU) gets past an Upstate defender and sends a cross into the box from the near side, but Brendle (UPST) shuts the play down before it can evolve.  

• 37'- Carina Leal (GWU) collects the ball in the middle and fires one at the cross bar, but Cora Brendle (UPST) comes up with a big save to keep the Runnin' Bulldogs off the board. 

• At halftime, Upstate trailed Gardner-Webb in shots (6-5) and corners (2-0) while trailing in saves (5-2). 

• 48'- Maddie Turlington (GWU) gets the first shot of the second half, attempting to redirect the ball with a header towards the net, but Cora Brendle (UPST) makes her sixth save of the night.  

• 54'- GWU fouls Upstate in the Bulldogs defensive half. Brendle (UPST) sends the ball into the top of the 18-yard box; Regardless of the Spartans getting a touch first, they come up short on the finish.  

• 63'- Maddie Turlington (GWU) collected the ball in the middle, about 30 yards out from the net and fired a shot but the shot was blocked by the Upstate back line.  

• 65'- Campbell Gibson (UPST) made a run through the center and found Ellie Arnold (UPST) with some space. Arnold took a touch and fired a shot, but the shot was blocked by the GWU defense.  

• 77'- Magret Edda Bjarnadottir fires one but the shot is blocked by the GWU defense.  

• 85'- Carina Leal (GWU) found the end of a long ball through the Upstate defense. Leal took a shot from distance but found the crossbar before the ball went out of bounds.  

• At the final whistle, Upstate trailed Gardner-Webb in shots (12-7) and shots on goal (7-2) while leading in saves (7-2) and being even with two corners each.  

Notable   

• This is the second straight game Alaina McKnight and Emily Rangel have played the full 90 minutes.  

• Cora Brendle started her 16th straight game, making seven saves and earning her sixth shutout of the season. 

• Brendle also set a new season-high with seven saves on the night.  

• Upstate hasn't tied Gardner-Webb since 2016.  

• Upstate's regular season finish is the highest since 2016 when they finished 6th. 

UP Next for the Spartans   
The Spartans will prepare to compete in the semi-finals of the Big South Conference Tournament on November 3rd, which they will enter as the second seed.  

Semifinals – Thursday, Nov. 3 at Matthews SportsPlex 

No. 1 Campbell vs. No. 4 Gardner-Webb, 4:00pm 

No. 2 USC Upstate vs. No. 3 Radford, 7:00pm 

JOIN UP   
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GET INVOLVED     

Want to be a ball kid for USC Upstate Soccer? Kids ages 10 and up can help the Spartans all season long by retrieving game balls on the sidelines during home men's and women's soccer matches at County-University Soccer Stadium. Click here for more details.     

   
   
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