BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Taking to the pitch on a rainy afternoon for the last conference match of the regular season, USC Upstate faced the UNC Asheville Bulldogs for the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series.

The first half saw an evenly matched contest between the teams, with UNC Asheville holding the shot advantage by one. Neither team could get past the keeper.

Out of the halftime break, Morgan Nelson scored her first career goal off an assist from Riley O'Bryan to give the Spartans the one-goal advantage. Upstate struck again 25 minutes later with Savannah Noll capitalizing on a free kick. Paige Armstrong netted her sixth goal of the season three minutes later. Armstrong put up four shots with one on goal.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 3; UNC Asheville 0
Records: USC Upstate (10-6-1; 6-2-0) vs. UNC Asheville (5-9-3; 1-5-2 Big South)
Location: Pulliam Stadium | Black Mountain, N.C. (Montreat College)

How It Happened
1^st Half: UNC Asheville claimed the first shot of the match, but it went wide right. Marley Gerber made her first save of the afternoon two minutes in. Riley O'Bryan took the first shot for the Spartans, but it was saved by the Bulldogs' keeper. Each team kept trading shots throughout the half.
2^nd Half: In the 52^nd minute of play, Morgan Nelson netted the first goal of the match. Marley Gerber made her second save of the afternoon to help keep the Spartans ahead. Savannah Noll scored her second goal of the season at the 77-minute mark. In the 80^th minute, Paige Armstrong netted her sixth goal of the season to put the Spartans up 3-0. Marley Gerber made a huge save with four minutes left in the match for the shutout win.

Notable

• Morgan Nelson scored her first career goal
• Marley Gerber had a career-high five saves, earning her third shutout of the season
• Paige Armstrong tied her season-high in shots with four
• Riley O'Bryan tied her season-high in shots with four

 
UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans await their opponent and the official seeding for the Big South Women's Soccer championship.
 
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