Tigerville, SC – A goal with just 12 seconds remaining proved to be the difference Tuesday afternoon as the North Greenville Trailblazers suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Bobcats of Lees-McRae College at Pepsi Stadium.
North Greenville fell to 3-6-2 overall and 3-3-2 in conference play, while Lees-McRae improved to 6-2-3 overall and 5-1-2 in the conference.
The Trailblazers controlled much of the opening half. Samanta Garcia forced Lees-McRae goalkeeper Laura Walker into a save in the fifth minute before Jaycee Watkins and Jaspyr Rocha each put shots on goal during the opening 13 minutes. Ana Maria Pinzon added another shot on goal in the 24th minute as NGU continued to apply pressure. The Trailblazers came inches away from taking the lead at 30:35 when Jordyn Lamb's attempt bounced off the crossbar.
North Greenville finished the opening half with a 9-4 advantage in shots and put four shots on goal compared to just one for Lees-McRae.
The momentum shifted after the break, with Lees-McRae surpassing NGU in total shots after posting eleven in the second half compared to just four for North Greenville. In the closing seconds, Lees-McRae's Addy Geiss scored her fourth goal of the season with an assist by Julie Eskes at 89:48 to give Lees-McRae the 1-0 lead. Only 12 seconds remained after the goal, leaving North Greenville without enough time to respond.
Pendergrass put together a solid day at goalkeeper, playing all 90 minutes and recording seven saves. Six of those saves came during the second half.
Lloyd led North Greenville with three shots, putting one on goal. Pinzon and Hernandez each recorded two attempts with one on target, while Garcia, Rocha and Watkins each put their lone attempts on goal. Lamb, Kendyll Donnellon and Jordan Vaughn also recorded shots for the Trailblazers.
North Greenville finished with 13 shots and six shots on goal, while Lees-McRae recorded 15 attempts with eight on target. The Bobcats held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
NGU will return to action on Saturday, October 10th against the Barton Bulldogs in Wilson, North Carolina.
