University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
1-5-1, 0-0-0
The Citadel
5-2-0, 0-0-0
Asheville, McNab earn first victory
09.09.2021 | Women's Soccer
Women’s Soccer tops The Citadel 1-0 at home
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Women's Soccer team hosted The Citadel on Thursday evening, earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory to give the Bulldogs their first victory of the season and head coach Andy McNab his first win at the helm of the program.
UNC Asheville outshot The Citadel 15-12, registering a season-high nine shots on goal. After a scoreless first, it was youngster Lillian Morrison who buried a right-footer to give the Bulldogs all the offense it would need. In net, Courtney O'Malley was a brick wall, totaling six saves, many in key moments to preserve the win and earn the shutout victory.
"We knew coming in that we were playing a quality team that scored a lot of goals," McNab said of the approach to the game. "It was, can we get to the level that we need to get to in order to get a result, and as we saw the level was high. First shutout of the season and a fantastic goal to win the match."
With the win, the Bulldogs move to 1-5-1, while The Citadel suffered just its second loss of the season (5-2). McNab, who is in his first year as the program's head coach after being hired from Barton, notched his first win at the Division I level on Thursday.
"It feels great, but it's not just me, a lot of credit goes to my staff," McNab said of his first win. "The lead up to Indiana State was good and we continued to take it to another level. The girls have really bought in and hopefully it's the first of many both this year and the future."
The Game at a Glance
- Asheville totals season-high nine shots on goal, 15 total
- 17-year-old Morrison scores first collegiate goal
- O'Malley picks up five saves to help seal game
- Bulldogs, McNab pick up first win
How it Happened
With the teams settling in, Carson Bogan fired the first shot of the game in the eighth. In the 20th Suzuka Yosue fired a shot but O'Malley was there to turn it away. In the 30th, Jewel Padilla fired a shot on frame that was picked up by Jess Newton. Ava Bjorkman-Tracy registered a shot in the 32nd, but neither team had a quality scoring chance as the half ended 0-0.
The Bulldogs came out firing in the second, with three shots in the first seven minutes, capped off by a Lillian Morrison right-foot rocket set up by Lizzie Ball to put the Bulldogs in front 1-0.
"We've been telling the players, have that shot from outside the box, don't be scared," McNab said." Brilliant volley and it started with Lizzie Ball up the wing, she played it in and she took the shot quickly and it was a fantastic finish."
The Citadel would not go away easily, pinging the post in the 64th. Just four minutes later, O'Malley robbed what was most certainly the equalizer, tipping a shot by Ani Ford over the crossbar. In the 74th, The Citadel earned a corner kick and put another shot on frame, but O'Malley was there once again. From here, the Bulldogs drained the clock to help grab their first win of the season.
What's Next
The Bulldogs host Davidson on Sunday for the last of its non-conference matches. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Lillian Morrison (1)
Assisted By: Lizzie Ball
GOAL by AVL Morrison, Lillian Assist by Ball, Lizzie.
52:59
