Lukas Zarges dribbles past an ETSU defender.

By Joseph Abraham, Editor-in-Chief

Published in print Nov.12,2014

It might just happen. After such a disappointing regular season, a year which began with a win less September, UNCG still has a chance to make it to the NCAA Tournament.

This thought sunk in my head as junior forward Jacques Francois’ golden goal slid into the net and UNCG moved on to the second round of the Southern Conference’s semifinals.

The Spartans defeated East Tennessee State 2-1 in double overtime this past Saturday night at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.

East Tennessee State came into the game as the fifth seed with a 2-2-1 conference record, while UNCG was the fourth with a 4-2 SoCon record. 

The seeding technically  made the Spartans slight favorites, though watching the match Saturday evening, it was difficult for most of the contest to determine who was the better team.

Early on, the game started out slow with mistakes by both sides as both teams sought to determine the other’s strategy.

It was not until the 70 minute when things ramped up. for both sides in the match.

It looked like the Blue and Gold struck first blood in the 74 minute after a shot by junior Lukas Zarges hit the back of the ETSU net.

However, the referees had other plans.

After complaints from the ETSU sideline, the officials met to discuss the goal.

After much debate and a restless, booing crowd, the officials believed Zarges was offside for the goal and took the point away, setting the game back to zeros on both sides.

The reversed decision perhaps gave East Tennessee life, as forward Joao Ramalho gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead in the 76 minute.

In a match of one-upmanship, the Spartans responded 24 seconds later.

Jacques Francois squashed the Bucs’ momentum, providing the equalizer off a cross from senior Aaron Reifschneider.

The game remained tied at 1-1 as the game descended not only into an overtime, but a chilly, autumn evening which had players, coaches, and fans anxious to see who would come out on top in overtime. 

There was excitement on the Bucs’ sideline, as their goalkeeper shouted to his teammates,  “Come on, we have come this far, let’s win this” walking off the field as regulation had ended.

It was a good message, but one that would not come to fruition for the Bucs of ETSU.

Neither team scored in the first overtime with the only threat being a shot by UNCG freshman Moises Gonzalez. The shot went wide and the Bucs were still alive.

In the second overtime, it did not take the Spartans long to end the game.

In the 104 minute, Jacques Francois beat three ETSU defenders to clinch the game for the Blue and Gold.

Coach Maullin was proud of his team’s performance and discussed the game in a UNCGSpartans.com interview. 

“A win is a win and we are happy to be moving on,” coach Maullin said.

“Really proud of Jacques as he sunk them at their place and he did it again tonight. Proud of our guys as they stuck to the game plan, stuck together and got the result we needed tonight. There is no tomorrow in tournament time and we played with that intensity all game long. We are excited to be hosting the final two rounds of the tournament here next week and eager to play in front of our fans again.”

UNCG hosts the SoCon Tournament semifinals and championship match on Thursday and Saturday.

The Spartans next challenge is the Mercer Bears, the tournament’s number one seed with a 5-0 conference record.

While UNCG is the underdog, they have played Mercer close in two matchups during the regular season.

In a trip to Mercer, the Spartans lost 2-3. UNCG lost a heartbreaker to the Bears at UNCG Soccer stadium on Oct.18, after a Mercer golden goal in double overtime squashed the Spartans’ chances.

The game with Mercer is Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

If UNCG were to defeat Mercer, they will play in the SoCon Tournament final which would give the Spartans an opportunity to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

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