University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Soccer Knocks Off Kentucky, 1-0
October 15, 2006 | Soccer
ATHENS, Ga. --- The University of Georgia soccer team (8-7-0, 3-5-0) defeated Kentucky (8-6-2, 4-2-2) by a 1-0 score at the Turner Soccer Complex Sunday afternoon. The game-winner came off the foot of freshman forward Carrie Patterson (Atlanta, Ga.) who scored her ninth goal of the season.
“We put forth a tremendous effort today,” said Georgia head coach Patrick Baker. “I’m very happy for our players and proud of our team, they have been working so hard to get results and unfortunately have come up a little bit short in a lot of games. But today we defended well all over the field and our four midfielders did a great job against their five. Then Carrie Patterson continued to show why she is one of the best young players in the country.”
After playing the first half and most of the second half to a scoreless draw, Georgia changed from its 4-4-2 formation to more aggressive style. In the 82nd minute of play, Patterson ran onto a pass from senior midfielder Randi-Lynn Bruso and slipped the ball past Kentucky goalkeeper Anne Ogundele. Sophomore defender Megan Tomlinson (Atlanta, Ga.) began the attack as she fed Patterson the ball from Georgia’s own half, allowing Patterson to play the ball back to Bruso and then take off toward the goal. Bruso has now assisted on four of Patterson’s nine goals on the season. Patterson has now in three straight games and in four of the last five.
Patterson’s goal sets a new school record for most goals scored by a freshman with nine, moving past the former record of Jennifer Ahern (eight). She also tied another school record for game-winning goals by a freshman with three, equaling Ahern and Beth Culver.
By holding its opponent scoreless, Georgia earned its seventh shutout of the season and the third for freshman goalkeeper Michelle Betos (Flushing, N.Y.) Betos made two saves in the match, including a leaping tip over the bar in the second half on a line-drive strike from UK’s Megan Jones. Her counterpart, Ogundele, made four saves while UK also recorded a team save.
For the second straight weekend, Georgia fell on Friday night in a 2-1 heartbreak but responded by posting a shutout win on Sunday.
“This team has displayed a lot of character,” said Baker. “We have dug ourselves a hole on Friday night two consecutive weekends but have turned around on Sunday and have been able to put on two of our better performances together against two very good teams. It is disappointing that we haven’t protected our home field advantage a little better, but this is a great win for us. It gives us a little more life and sets up a very important weekend for us coming up against Auburn on Friday and Alabama Sunday.”
Georgia is back in action on Friday, Oct. 20 as Auburn comes to Athens for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Additional quotes from players and coaches:
Head Coach Patrick Baker:
(On what the win does for Georgia’s playoff hopes)
“Right now there are four teams in the SEC with three conference wins. This was a big game for us to get a result and keep ourselves in the mix. It sets us up to have a successful weekend next weekend and hopefully close the gap or overtake some people above us.”
(On the importance of earning the shutout)
“To have two consecutive Sunday shutouts is tremendous. The efforts of Megan Tomlinson and Catherine Bruce have been stellar. Also, Michelle Betos gets her second conference shutout in goal and I think that is great for her, I know she wanted to make up a bit for what happened on Friday night. At times we bent on defense but we did not break. We have broken a few times this year and that has been the difference in some results but tonight we did not give anything away. We did not hurt ourselves today the way we did on Friday and that is so important. Now we have to go forward and try to keep getting positive results. We have to pick things up a bit and keep moving forward.”
(On coming back to win on Sunday after falling Friday night)
“We have to give ourselves some credit for bouncing back on Sunday and putting for the effort and commitment necessary to win. I think it shows the great character of our team It makes you feel good about the ability of our team to respond when our backs are against the wall.
“One of the things that happened yesterday was that we trained. We pushed a lot of players that didn’t get much time on Friday night and the play was so sharp, our whole team looked great. It was good to get Kristin Garman back today playing the way we have come to expect her to over the last year and a half. She along with some other players looked very good yesterday in training and I think that really showed out there today.”
(On the flow of the game for Georgia)
“I didn’t think we were all that sharp in the first half, we turned the ball over too much and it was hard to find seams in their defense. In the second half I thought we looked much sharper. We switched to a different system because we knew we needed the points and we had to go for it.”
(On the play of Georgia’s midfielders)
“Joni has bee huge for us. Today she was in there winning headballs, slidetackling at the appropriate time and just making things happen. When you are down four players to five through the midfield, you have to have players like that show up and put forth the effort, and I can’t say enough about the job Joni has done for us by doing that day in and day out. Our whole midfield was dominant tonight. I thought Kelly Whitaker played very well on the outside and Cortni Joyner was herself on the outside as well. Randi-Lynn Bruso had another great game for us at the attacking midfield spot as well. Once we put her up top, as one of the best players on the field, she continued to make the players around her better and we ended up seeing once again the wonderful combination of Randi setting something up and Carrie getting on the end of it.
“Moving Randi from the holding midfielder to the attacking midfielder this year has been huge. It was partly because of her injury but mostly because of her ability to play the final pass. When she is that high and she can get that close to the opponents restraining line, no one else can see and do the things that she can do, so she makes us very dangerous.”
(On Patterson’s record-breaking goals)
“I had the good fortune of watching Jennifer Ahern grow up as a player in our region and she was one of the best, a very special player. Carrie could become one of those players. It is so exciting to see one of the best young players in America growing and developing on the field. When you have a player that is consistently the difference between winning and losing for your team, she will of course receive special attention from your opponents. For her to continue to find ways to be successful and make others successful around her is remarkable and is a great credit to her.”
Senior midfielder Randi-Lynn Bruso:
(On getting a result Sunday after a Friday loss)
“We have been playing good soccer. We may not have gotten the results but we are playing better soccer and that is encouraging. We still have three more games left to try to get us into the SEC Tournament so we have to keep working.”
(On the flow of the game and switching systems)
“I think we played well in the first half. We didn’t create too much but we did ok. We looked like we could get something done in the second half. Any time you move to a three-front it is high pressure, it gave us a lot of opportunities to get forward and get a lot of chances to score.
“We did well against their five-player midfield, and that’s what allowed us to change formations. We handled the midfield well so we were able to make another adjustment, it just allowed us to do more things, we played well within both systems.”
(On Patterson’s goal)
“Carrie made a great play with a defender on her and then I was able to get it back to her. She got it to me somehow, and she is the type of player where I can just put a ball into an area just somewhat near her and I know she will be able to get there and make something happen. Carrie is the type of player that makes a difference. Even as a freshman, she is one of the best forwards I have seen here at Georgia and in the SEC.”
Freshman forward Carrie Patterson:
(On the team’s ability to come back and win Sunday after losing Friday)
“I think it shows a lot about our team to come back from the tough loss and get a win today. Our team has a lot of character.”
(On her game-winning goal)
“Got a long pass from Megan and played Randi back, then she saw me take off and she played a great thru-ball so I just ran onto it and one-touched it in.”
(On leading the team in scoring as a freshman)
“I didn’t think about whether I was going to be productive or not coming into the season, I just wanted to get in and try to help the team and do whatever I could do. I am just glad that my goals are helping the team win.”
(On the play of Randi-Lynn Bruso)
“Coach always says she is one of the best center mids in the conference and it is definitely true. She plays a great ball and she makes it so easy for us.”
(On setting Georgia freshman scoring records)
“It feels good but I’m just hoping it will help us win.”
Freshman goalkeeper Michelle Betos:
(On the flow of the game)
“I think we were pretty dominant today, to come out with anything but a win would have been very disappointing. Our defense was good, they kept the pressure off, I only had to make two saves. I think we deserved to win this one.”
(On the defensive effort)
“I think this was a tremendous effort from the back four tonight. They made everything predictable and easy. Getting Kristin Garman back there was big today too coming back from the problems with her calves.”
(On winning Sunday after losing Friday)
“I think it was huge. We needed this win and we got it. It is very big to come out with three points this weekend instead of coming up empty. After Friday night we were heartbroken so to be able to come out today and get a win was great for our team.”