Two early goals were all the 16th-ranked Lady Dawgs needed to win the interstate match-up over their neighbors from Kennesaw State.
Margie Detrizio stepped into two assists from Nicole Vernis slotting them both past KSUs red-shirt sophomore goalkeeper Charlee Bernal. The graduate forward scored both goals in under 60 seconds.
Sophomore teammate Summer Denigan joined in on the scoring with two goals in the 30th minute and 39th minute. Denigan picked up the hat trick on a penalty kick late in the game.
Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine held the team after the game to remind the players of the standards they set for the team. Graduate midfielder Vernis Nicole explains the standard in this clip.
The early lead allowed Coach McAlpine to give his bench some experience but he held them to the same high standard.
It was a clean sheet for Georgia goalkeeper Jordan Brown. The back line played so exceptionally well that Brown needed to make two saves to preserve the shutout. Only one of those shots on goal bothered Coach McAlpine.
The fifth goal had a bit of fairy dust on it. Sophia Brelage sent a blast high onto the crossbar that ricocheted back onto the pitch. The teams played on until a whistle signaled the shot would be reviewed. A still of the replay showed the ball had landed behind the line to make the score 5-0.
Kennesaw State Head Coach Chris Cahill saw this game as a system check for his team. “I wanted us to play into the game and not be scared of the game,” said Cahill. After giving up four goals in the first half, the Lady Owls played the second half free of the tentativeness that comes with playing a highly-ranked team. KSU played more minutes on the UGA half of the field in the second 45 allowing Brenna Young and Addison Neel to launch shots on goal.
Match Photos
All photos by Jason McDonald, JM Photography for CORE360 Sports