Utah Soccer Drops 1-0 Decision to UNCG

Sunday, August 29

Athens, Ga.

9:00 AM

University of Utah

UNC Greensboro

8/29/2010 12:00 AM | Soccer

Aug. 29, 2010

Box Score

ATHENS, Ga. - The University of Utah women's soccer team (0-4) lost a hard-fought neutral site contest to UNC Greensboro (3-0) Sunday by a 1-0 score. Utah put up yet another strong defensive effort, only to fall by a one-goal margin for the third time in four games. "Clearly we are disappointed in our results this weekend," said Utah head coach Rich Manning. "But I thought once again that we improved as a team and a lot of our individuals are getting better. Hannah (Turpen) was solid in goal and she showed good progress. We were unlucky not to get the win, I thought we created as many chances or more as we had in any game this year, but we hit the post three times. I'm confident we can turn this around and we are headed in the right direction. We are looking forward to getting home to Ute Field on Friday."

UNC Greensboro broke the 0-0 deadlock in the 65th minute when sophomore forward Tabitha Padgett chipped a shot into the back of the net, tallying the eventual game-winner. The Utes created several scoring opportunities but saw three shots rebuffed by the frame of the goal. Junior defender Lauren Dudley had a shot hit the goalpost early in the game, while junior forward Erin Dalley had a header hit the post and another parried onto the woodwork by the UNCG goalkeeper.

Despite giving up the score, Utah junior goalkeeper Hannah Turpen shined between the pipes, making six saves to keep the Utes within striking distance. On the weekend, Turpen turned away 13 shots in two games, including seven saves against Georgia in Friday night's contest. She has made 21 stops on the year, averaging more than five saves per contest.

"I am really proud of Hannah's progress over the last four games," said Mariel Wilner, Utah's first-year goalkeepers coach. "She has done a great job of communicating, organizing our defense and commanding her box in the air. She is also gaining more confidence in her shot-stopping ability, which we saw today on a breakaway opportunity."

The Utes were outshot 16-10 overall, while shots on goal went 7-4 for the Spartans. Each team took six corner kicks, while fouls went 13-8 against UNCG.

Utah, whose season has been riddled with injuries to several starters and key substitutes, looks to bounce back in its first home game Friday, Sept. 3 as the Utes host Loyola Marymount at Ute Field. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. MT.