First year forward Bree Mason was one of three Braves to record their first goals of the season against the Valkyries of Converse College. PN photo/Trevon Knight
UNCP moved to a perfect 5-0 all time against the Valkyries of Converse as the team defeated their foes at home by a score of 5-0 on October 2.
The victory also moved the Braves to a perfect 3-0 at Lumber River EMC Stadium, their home field.
The team emphasized getting out and running ahead of the Converse defensive sets and scoring goals on the move. The faster pace was good for the team’s conditioning and lead to a season-high five goals.
Freshman forward Bree Mason was a standout on the offensive side, scoring her goal by winning a one-on-one faceoff with the Converse goalkeeper and adding two assists. The score was Mason’s first of the season and her young career as a Brave.
Maya Grimes, Alexis Pittman, Carly Rochelle and Jillian Robson all added scores as well as the team
unleashed 28 shots on the Valkyries and showcased their scoring ability.
Head Coach Lars Andersson praised the team’s improved depth during the game. UNCP played all 19 players on the roster during the game with five different players scoring goals against the Valkyries.
“One of the things that we talked about [at the end of last season] was [scoring more goals] we have to have more people score goals. We can’t be so one-dimensional. We didn’t have a ton of players score last year. I think we have more widespread goal scoring, I think we have greater depth on the roster.” Andersson said.
UNCP continued to be stout defensively, pitching another shutout on their home field where they haven’t allowed a goal all season. The Braves are a flawless 10-0 in home point differential, also recording shutouts against Chowan and Anderson earlier this year.
The team rebounded nicely from the loss to Flagler in the previous game, their first full game since the team resumed play following Hurricane Florence.
While a victory over one non-conference opponent does not offset the loss, the Braves did enjoy getting back in the win column and settling some of the chaos the storm delay brought to the team.
“We can live in the past or we can move forward. We can focus on the problem and find a solution…We’re not pushing the panic button. We know we’re behind but we’re going to push forward.” coach Andersson said.
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