Sergio Guerra, Sports Editor/Photographer 

Both UNCG Men’s Soccer and Volleyball were in action at home this weekend and grabbed commanding wins over the visitors. It was the regular season finale for nationally ranked UNCG Men’s Soccer, while Volleyball hosted a double header over the weekend in the Southern Conference. UNCG Women’s Soccer was on the road in the Southern Conference tournament, where No. 2 Western Carolina would get the best of the Spartans in an overtime thriller. 

UNCG Men’s Soccer Regular Season Finale 

The Spartans hosted their final match of the Southern Conference regular season against Mercer – a team that was one win away from tying the Furman Paladins in first place with 13 points. The Mercer Bears had everything to play for, but a brace from UNCG’s Arnaud Tattevin and a goal from Steven Hernandez were the difference, giving UNCG a comfortable 3-0 win.  

Arnaud Tattevin’s two goals bring him up to seven in the 2025 season, making him the second-highest goal scorer on the team. Meanwhile, Steven Hernandez takes his total to five this season (third highest on the team).  

It wasn’t just the offense that performed at a high level, as UNCG’s defense limited Mercer to just four shots in the entire game – only one on target. That one shot on target came from a penalty kick in the final 10 minutes that could have changed the dynamic of the match. However, UNCG goalkeeper Seth Wilson came up with a huge stop to earn a clean sheet. 

With the result against Mercer, UNCG clinched the third seed in the Southern Conference and is scheduled to face VMI in the SoCon quarterfinals this Friday in Macon, Georgia. A win over VMI, who just ended a 23-year winless drought in SoCon, will set up a rematch against Mercer for a chance to appear in the SoCon tournament final. The winner of the tournament gets an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. 

UNCG Volleyball Sweeps the Weekend 

UNCG Volleyball hosted two Southern Conference matchups at Fleming Gym this weekend. The first matchup was against Western Carolina, who were 3-7 in conference play. McKenna Timmerman led the Spartans to a sweep over the Catamounts with 14 kills, while Chloe Nussbaum led in digs with 17 (highest in the match). The result improved the Spartans’ record to 6-5 in conference play. 

The Chattanooga Mocs were the second opponent that the Spartans faced over the weekend, holding a superior record of 7-4 in SoCon. However, UNCG would go on to sweep the Mocs as well with an incredible performance from Allie Sweet, who led the match in kills (19) and digs (13). The result moves UNCG to fifth in the SoCon Volleyball standings, level with Chattanooga. The Spartans will be on the road for their next SoCon matchup against the Mercer Bears on Friday, November 7. 

UNCG Women’s Soccer Semi-Final Thriller 

UNCG Women’s Soccer defeated VMI earlier this week in the SoCon tournament quarterfinals with a relatively comfortable scoreline of 2-0. The result primed a semi-final road game against No. 2-seeded Western Carolina. A spot in the final and a berth into the NCAA tournament was enough motivation for these two teams to produce an absolute classic. 

It looked like it was going to be a comfortable win for the Catamounts within the first half-hour. Western Carolina led the Spartans 2-0 thanks to a brace from Isabella DeMarco. However, UNCG’s Rina Ogimoto, Merle Greulich, and Ava Kiss would score three unanswered goals to turn the game on its head. The Catamounts found an equalizer in the final five minutes of the match through Gabriela Vatrano to send the match into overtime. UNCG’s season would come to an end after Isabella DeMarco completed her hat-trick in the 99^th minute of the match.  

Despite falling to the No. 2 seed, UNCG can hold its head high after almost pulling off an incredible upset win. UNCG junior Rina Ogimoto finished the season as leading goal scorer with six. Meanwhile, Taylor Mentzer finished with the most assists at four.