Georgia Plays to Scoreless Draw Against No. 8 Duke in Exhibition

Friday, August 16

Athens, Ga.

6 p.m.

University of Georgia

Duke (Exh.)

Georgia Plays to Scoreless Draw Against No. 8 Duke in Exhibition

August 16, 2019 | Soccer

Box Score

ATHENS, Ga. --- The University of Georgia soccer team played to a scoreless draw against No. 8 Duke in the final exhibition game of preseason on Friday night at the Turner Soccer Complex.

The 2019 season officially kicks off at Purdue on Thursday, August 22.

"It was important for us to see [a different team]," Georgia head coach Billy Lesesne said. "It was good for us to face a team that is really strong offensively and defensively. They apply pressure in a lot of different ways. Their ball movement on offense and closing in quickly on defense made us play a little faster. It was a good opportunity for us to expose our younger players and show our depth. We expect this to be a trend moving forward for us."

Duke held a slight advantage in possession during the first half, but Georgia was able to hold the Blue Devils to three shots in the first 45 minutes of play.

Both teams turned on the attack in the second half, doubling shots. The Bulldogs allowed the Blue Devils nine total shots throughout the game.

Georgia's seven total shots came from different players. Ashley Andersen, Chloe Chapman, Delaney Erwin, Reagan Glisson, Katie Higgins, Bella Ponzi, and Daria Stan each took a chance at goal, but only two were on target to be saved by the Duke goalkeeper.

Twenty-six Bulldogs saw playing time against the Blue Devils. Sophomore Emory Wegener and junior Liz Brucia split time in goal. Both made two saves and kept the scoreboard clean against the Blue Devil attack.

"I think a lot of that started in the spring," Lesesne said about the team's confidence. "We are a really young team with only two active seniors so the spring was a great opportunity for us. We did a lot of maturing and worked on the details. The best thing I have seen is that they all came back in July, before the coaches could help, and made a calendar and stuck to that for the preseason. I think that shows their maturity and it showed today."

After beginning the season at Purdue, Georgia's home opener against Binghamton is set for Sunday, August 25 at 1 p.m. Admission is free.

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA SOCCER: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.