[su_spacer size=”20″] The Georgia soccer team opened up the 2015 season with a 4-0 win over Furman in an exhibition during a humid night at the Turner Soccer Complex. The win unofficially marks the opening action this fall under first-year head coach Billy Lesesne.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The initial 20 minutes of the contest went back and forth with both teams taking shots early. The Bulldogs were first on the scoreboard after an impressive goal from Kelsey Killean. The sophomore was able to ricochet a rocket fired by Stephanie Krouskos past the Furman goalkeeper to put Georgia up 1-0.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Head coach Billy Lesesne was pleased with the effort he saw in his team, especially after the game settled in.
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[su_spacer size=”40″] “I thought we played well,” Lesesne said. “The first 10 minutes of each half it took us a while to settle into our rhythm. Once we started to figure out our spacing and our movement off of the ball things got better. In the first half we struggled with the decisions in the final third. In the second half I really thought we started to attack the flag space well that created two really nice team goals. I thought we did a really nice job of getting our players in good spaces and finishing opportunities.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Action picked up heavily for the Bulldogs in the second half, netting three goals in the final 20 minutes. At the 70-minute mark freshman Clara Gastaldi found herself open with the ball after Maddie Burdick’s shot from 20 yards out drilled the crossbar. Gastaldi wasted no time burying a ball in the back of the Paladins’ net giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage.
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[su_spacer size=”40″] Two minutes later nifty footwork from Marion Crowder led to a wide-open goal for junior Lauren Tanner. Crowder was able to drag the Furman defenders to the corner before finding her streaking teammate.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs final goal came in the 89th minute with Clara Gastaldi finding senior Andie Fontanetta open in the Furman box. The Bulldogs outshot the Paladins 30-3 overall in the contest and were able to control possession for much of the game. Goalkeeper Louise Hogrell registered two saves in the contest.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia officially kicks off the regular season next Friday night at 7 p.m. ET against High Point in High Point, North Carolina. The Bulldogs round out the weekend on Sunday facing Wake Forest at 4 p.m. ET in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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