FLORENCE, Ala. --- Chattanooga spoiled North Alabama's home opener Thursday night with a 1-0 win over the Lions in women's soccer action in Florence, Ala. The win was the second straight shutout for the Mocs who improve to 2-1 on the year. UNA is still looking for a win, falling to 0-2-1 overall.
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Birna Johannsdottir sent a sliding shot into the far side of the net in the 34
th minute and the Mocs held the Lions scoreless the remainder of the way for the win.
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Caroline Richvalsky sent a pass down the right side to
Clarissa Salinas who pushed it along to Johannsdottir in stride for her second goal of the season.
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Chattanooga's
Caroline Ekern made a pair of saves in the match and the Mocs out shot North Alabama 9-7 with a 6-2 shots on goal advantage. The shutout was the second of the year for Ekern and the eighth of her career.
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North Alabama possessed the ball much of the second half, but the Mocs put up a stout defense to keep them out of the net. A Lion corner kick in the 80
th minute hit off the cross bar for a near miss and Ekern was able to pull in a save on a free kick in the waning minutes to secure the win.
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Mackenzie Smith kept up the pressure on the Lion goalkeeper with a team-high three shots, all on goal. Richvalsky and
Nicole Solete each had a pair of shots in the match.
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UNA's Adriana Wright had five saves and Alice Bussey had a game-best four shots.
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Chattanooga hosts Austin Peay on Thursday, August 31 for it's home opener. The game will kick off at 6:00 p.m. at Finley Stadium. Admission is free and the gate opens one hour prior to kick off. Links for live stats and the ESPN+ live broadcast are available online at GoMocs.com.
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A WORD FROM HEAD COACH GAVIN MCKINNEY
"Credit to the squad for putting in a good performance on the road in very tough conditions. UNA are a difficult opponent, so we are delighted to come away with a win.
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"It will be nice to have additional time to train before our match against Austin Peay next Thursday. We are excited to be playing back at home and we hope the fans come out to support."
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SCORING SUMMARY
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â UTCÂ Â Â Â Â Â 33:41Â Â Â Â
Birna Johannsdottir (
Caroline Richvalsky,
Clarissa Salinas)
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