Jacobs, Dwyer and Cunningham all notch goals
Greenville, SC (May 19, 2023) – The Greenville Liberty fought back to earn a 3-2 comeback win in the club’s first road match of the season at Wake FC on Friday. A muggy day in central North Carolina turned to an afternoon battle between the Greenville Liberty and Wake FC had the Liberty behind at the half before Molly Dwyer netted a shot from midfield and Kat Cunningham curled in a corner kick in the second half to carry the Liberty to victory as they hit the quarter mark of the season.
Ting Stadium was dressed in baseball lines and fresh rain as the players stepped onto the pitch in Holly Springs, NC on Friday. For its third match in eight days, the Liberty lined up a little differently, with three of its showrunners unavailable. Greenville started the match disjointed and lacked chemistry without Lauren Harkes, Haley Schueppert and Carly Thatcher. Despite a rocky start, Greenville was quick to win the first point of the match. A Liberty corner settled in the Wake 18-yard box but was bobbled around until Liberty captain, Sarah Jacobs tucked the ball into the net. Fifteen minutes later, Wake got a breakaway and Greenville goalkeeper, Allanah Blye cut the angle and feet out from under the player. She was issued a yellow card and Wake was awarded a penalty kick for the foul that denied Wake a goal. Blye lined up for the PK and dove but couldn’t get a glove on it as Wake drew even, 1-1. A few minutes after the successful penalty, Wake took advantage of a counterattack and scored a second goal after a precise set of passes in the congested Liberty box.
A physical North Carolina team and rough playing surface continued to make the game choppy as the second half resumed, and Greenville struggled to regain control as the teams settled in to the final 45 minutes. Midway through, though, Greenville’s Molly Dwyer had a game-changing goal when she chipped the keeper with a brilliant shot from just inside midfield to square up the match at 2-3. Strategic in choosing its attacking moments, Greenville focused its efforts on defending cohesively to try to earn a valuable road point. When the opportunity presented itself in the 70th minute, though, Greenville used a set piece to score what would become the match-winner. Kat Cunningham stepped up for a corner kick, curling the ball through the hands of Wake’s keeper and into the back post for another highlight-reel Liberty goal. The defending South Atlantic champions managed the game clock for the final 20 minutes of the match, shutting down repeated attacks from the home side to capture the 3-2 victory and move the club to a 2-1-0 record.
The Greenville Liberty continues its road stretch next Wednesday against Charlotte Independence at 6:00 PM. The squad returns home after Memorial Day for a match on May 30that 7:00 PM in Paladin Stadium. Tickets are on sale now.