Georgia Southern women's soccer tallied two second-half goals in a three-minute stretch to claim a season-opening 2-0 victory over host UAB on Thursday evening in Birmingham, Ala.
The Eagles (1-0) notch a win in their season opener for the first time since 2019, while also picking up its first win over the Blazers (0-1) in four tries. Georgia Southern continues its season-opening road swing on Sunday, traveling to Greenville, S.C., to take on former SoCon foe Furman at 3 p.m.
Neither team could claim a shot within the match's first 15 minutes, and as the game went into halftime scoreless, Georgia Southern enjoyed a 7-2 edge in shots.
Early in the second half, the Eagles would strike as a loose ball in the box found the foot of freshman Meredith Pugh, who lofted a shot over the UAB keeper for her first collegiate goal in the 49th minute.
Less than three minutes later, Pugh would draw a penalty kick for the Eagles after a hard tackle in the box. Junior Smith Cathey stepped to the spot in the 52nd minute and, after her try was initially saved by Blazer keeper Anika Toth, Cathey put the rebound in the back of the net for the 2-0 advantage.
UAB had a chance to draw to within one but a long-range shot from Jolie St. Louis hit the crossbar. The woodwork would also stymie the Eagles in the 79th minute as a shot from Isabel Kopp from distance also hit the crossbar.
Georgia Southern finished the match with a 14-6 edge in shots. Freshman Quinn Wilson made three saves in net for the Eagles, recording a shutout in her first collegiate match. Toth made three saves in net for the Blazers.
The shutout for the Eagles was the seventh straight in the regular season, dating back to last season. Georgia Southern finished the 2022 campaign with six straight shutouts.
"Tonight was a great way to start off the season on the road," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said. "We were able to play a lot of players and we felt like we had control of the match throughout. I think in the first half we lacked a little composure, especially in the final third, but we did a really good job of coming out in the second half and scoring twice early. I'm proud we were able to keep the clean sheet as well. We will celebrate this win tonight, but then turn our attention towards getting a result at Furman on Sunday."