ROCK HILL, SC - Three second half goals propelled Winthrop to an exciting Senior Day win Saturday afternoon, as the Eagles topped USC Upstate 3-0 at Eagle Field to close the regular season. The win was the Eagles' six in seven games, closing the regular season 8-6-1 and 6-3-1 in Big South play. Winthrop still awaits its seeding in the Big South Tournament, still capable of hosting a quarterfinal match.
Prior to kickoff, the Eagles' seven seniors were honored in front of a sizeable Eagle Field crowd. Once the game got underway, Winthrop was able to handily control possession but was unable to put a ball across the line in the opening half as the two sides were locked 0-0 after 45 minutes of play.
In the second half, Winthrop completely controlled possession and was able to get nearly anything it wanted offensively. The Eagles broke the scoreless tie in the 53rd minute when
Bella Hovis threaded a great ball up to
Leah Greene, whose low shot into the lower left of the goal sent Eagle Field to a frenzy. The goal was the first of Greene's career, with the assist being the first of the year for Hovis.
In the 71st minute, Winthrop converted on another great offensive chance. With prior touches from
Megan Loveland and
Lauryn Jennings,
Natalie Royaards turned in a right-footed line drive from the top of the box into the back right corner of the net, putting Winthrop on top 2-0. The strike was Royaards' sixth goal of the season, with assists credited to Jennings and Loveland on the play.
Less than 90 seconds later, the aggressive Winthrop offense drove home its third goal when
Allie Thomas broke away down the right side for an unassisted goal, her fifth of the season to put Winthrop ahead 3-0 and seal the match.
The three goal lead allowed head coach
Spencer Smith to give his seniors a proper sendoff in front of friends and family as the Eagles ran out the clock to secure the victory.
UP NEXT: The Eagles will await their fate for their seeding in the Big South Tournament, which is slated to begin next Friday.
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