ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia women’s soccer team earned its first victory of the season with a dominant 6-0 win over UAlbany Sunday morning before 550 fans at the Turner Soccer Complex.
 
Fast Facts

• Georgia (1-1-0) controlled possession throughout the match, outshooting the Great Danes, 34-1, and not allowing a single shot on frame for the first time since the Florida match on Sept. 25, 2022, in Gainesville. Redshirt junior midfielder Summer Denigan led the Bulldogs with six shots (three on frame), while freshman Hailey Gordon followed close behind with five.
• Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Folliard earned her first career win in net, while redshirt freshman keeper Nicole Bidun made her collegiate debut as she faced no shots from UAlbany (0-1-0) in the second half.
• After numerous close calls in the opening 10 minutes, Denigan kicked off the scoring with an unassisted goal following her initial shot which hit the crossbar. The Bulldogs continued to narrowly miss scores in the first half before a pair of UAlbany own goals made the margin, 3-0, at halftime.
• Georgia continued to apply the pressure in the second half, resulting in junior midfielder Kiera Staude’s 51^st minute goal and senior midfielder Juliauna Hayward’s 58^th minute score, both assisted by redshirt sophomore defender Virginia Odom, setting a new career high as she continued her return from missing last season due to injury. For Staude, it was her second career goal, while it was Hayward’s first as a Bulldog.
• The scoring concluded in the 83^rd minute as freshman forward Lily Kate Elphick scored from distance off a service from senior midfielder Millie Filson. Elphick initially played the ball in on a corner, before Filson’s quick kick set up the sixth goal of the day.

 
Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Keidane McAlpine
On the victory…
“I thought our overall pressure was good. I thought we stepped up and defended pretty well and we got the ball back quickly. I thought we moved the ball okay, but ultimately, we got a shutout, and we found a way to win, it’s a decent day, but there’s some things we need to clean up.”
 
#3 Virginia Odom | R-So. | D
On what went well for Georgia…
“I think we did really well at trying to keep the intensity up. I think the first half was on the slower side, but I think we came out, we had a really good halftime speech, and the girls knew that it wasn’t up to the standard and that we needed to pick up the tempo. Really what we wanted to do was get out here and get goals on the board and just execute the stuff that we have been working on it practice. I think that we did really well with that.”
 
#18 Lily Kate Elphick | Fr. | F
On the team’s performance…
“I think we started off really strong with the tempo. All week, we’ve been working on keeping our tempo up no matter who we’re playing and even if a team isn’t as strong as we think they are going to be, we just need to keep our tempo up and don’t let them slow us down.” 
 
Up Next
Georgia continues its homestand against No. 1 North Carolina on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Turner Soccer Complex. Admission is free for all spectators, and the match will stream live on SEC Network+.