University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Sunday, August 21
Asheville, N.C.
3:30 pm

UNC Asheville

vs

VMI

wofford-pic

Women’s Soccer opens home schedule Sunday vs. VMI

08.20.2022 | Women's Soccer

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville women's soccer team will open its home schedule on Sunday when it hosts VMI at Greenwood Field in a non-conference matchup. Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Keydets is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

Last Time Out – Asheville opened its 2022 campaign on Thursday with a short trip to Wofford. In a hard-fought match, the Bulldogs and Terriers played to a 2-2 tie after Asheville erased an early deficit to take a lead. It marks the first draw in a season opener for Asheville since 2018 when it also tied Wofford, 1-1.

No Sophomore Slump – After leading the Bulldogs with six goals as a freshman in 2021, sophomore Taylor Gardner picked up right where she left off in the season-opening tilt at Wofford. Gardner tied for the team-lead with three shot attempts and netted the team's first goal of the season. Dating back to last fall, Gardner has now scored a goal in four of her last five matches.  

Freshman finding her first goal – Asheville's other goal on Thursday came from freshman Azalea Mihailovich. Mihalovich matched Gardner's three shot attempts for the team-lead and netted her first collegiate goal on a penalty shot to give the Bulldogs the lead. She became the first Bulldog freshman to tally a point in her collegiate debut since 2018 when Gillian Oyos tallied an assist vs. Wofford.

Building a Home Field Advantage – In 2021, the Bulldogs won four matches at home, which was the most for the program since 2015 when they posted a 6-4 mark. Furthermore, Asheville won two of its last three home matches to close last season.

About the Keydets – VMI dropped a 2-0 decision on the road at Robert Morris on Thursday to open its season. The Keydets, which went 3-16-1 a season ago, figure to be led by 2021 SoCon All-Freshman Team member Riley Flanagan who scored a team-best eight goals last fall.

Series Rewind vs. VMI – The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against the Keydets having won nine of the 14 all-time matchups (9-4-1). Sunday will mark the first clash between the former conference foes since September 2018 when the two teams played to a scoreless draw at Greenwood Field.

How to Follow – As mentioned previously, Sunday's match will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available for following HERE. A reminder that admission to Sunday's match and all of Asheville's home matches this season are free of charge.
 
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