Georgia Tops Missouri, 1-0, in Divisional Opener

Thursday, October 7

Columbia, Mo.

7 p.m.

University of Georgia

9-3-1, 2-2-1

Missouri

4-8-0, 0-5-0

Georgia

Missouri

October 07, 2021 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Despite tallying eight shots on goal, only one proved necessary Thursday evening as the University of Georgia soccer team opened SEC East play with a 1-0 victory at Missouri before 275 spectators at Audrey J. Walton Soccer Stadium.

The Georgia (9-3-1, 2-2-1 SEC) attack dominated Missouri (4-8-0, 0-5-0 SEC) on the offensive end, outshooting the Tigers by a 25-4 margin, including an 8-2 advantage in shots on target. The Bulldogs also earned nine corners as opposed to just two for the Tigers, although further scoring opportunities were thwarted by 10 offsides calls.

Senior midfielder Bella Ponzi posted Georgia's lone score of the contest in the 35^th minute as her deflected shot, set up by a service from freshman midfielder Morgan Hart, narrowly crossed the line for her second career goal.

Graduate forward Mollie Belisle led the Bulldogs with a career-high eight shots (four on target), while senior midfielder Dani Murguia and sophomore forward Madison Haugen each finished with three. In net, senior goalkeeper Emory Wegener only tallied two saves as she earned the 17^th clean sheet of her career.

"We had to grind it out – it wasn't our finest performance in the final third," said Georgia head coach Billy Lesesne following the match. "A lot of credit to Mizzou. I thought they did a nice job of condensing the space and making it difficult in scoring areas. We created opportunities and just didn't finish as many as we'd like, but still pleased with getting a shutout on the road, being 1-0 in the East, and getting to go back and play at home. I'm excited about getting a result and a shutout is great at this level."

Early in the first half, Missouri found what proved to be its best scoring chance of the match, but Wegener saved the shot in the top center of the net. Minutes later, Belisle had the first of multiple near misses as her strike grazed the post. In the 17^th minute, Georgia had an excellent look off a corner with four players in scoring position but came away empty as graduate defender Kayla Bruster's shot went high.

The Bulldogs continued to rack up shots in the half, but strong play from Tigers goalkeeper McKenna Sheehan helped maintain zeroes on the scoreboard. Eventually, Georgia's persistence paid off as Ponzi, playing off a pass from Hart following a corner, broke the stalemate. Ponzi's shot appeared to be partially deflected by Sheehan, but the ball was able to roll just enough for the score.

Georgia looked to extend its lead and almost did so immediately in the second half, but consecutive shots from Murguia and Belisle were saved in the opening minute. Another opportunity arose after Missouri's Mo Adesanmi was booked for a yellow card, but Murguia's ensuing free kick was blocked.

In the 59^th minute, Belisle appeared to have netted her 13^th goal of the season, but the goal was disallowed by a close offsides call. After one final attempt from Belisle in the 85^th minute, the Bulldogs were able to run out the clock and preserve the shutout.

"We want to take the momentum of getting back to winning ways, being in front of our fans in Athens, and build on that," said Lesesne. "We treat the SEC East as a different season, so this is another opportunity to have a 2-0 weekend as we start divisional play. Again, something to build on, continue the shutouts and keep executing in the final third is going to be a big thing for us on Sunday."

Georgia returns home this weekend as it plays host to Kentucky on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Turner Soccer Complex. Admission is free for all spectators and the match will be streamed on SEC Network+.

For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.