Area sports notes: UTC women's soccer team off to strong start

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The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's soccer team is 2-0 for the first time since 2009 after beating Georgia Southern 3-0 Sunday afternoon in Statesboro. Sophomore forward Chloe Arnold's 17th-minute corner kick set up junior midfielder Bailey Gale for the match's first goal, and Arnold scored the final two goals after halftime, finding the net unassisted in the 47th and 66th minutes. Arnold has three goals this season after also scoring in Friday's 3-0 opening win against Alabama A&M. UTC freshman Ashton Shields made five saves to earn Sunday's shutout in goal. The Mocs were outshot 13-9 overall but held a 6-5 advantage on goal. They play at South Alabama on Friday and at Troy next Sunday before hosting Georgia State on Aug. 31.

Tennis

* After gutting out the deciding wins in the United States' 60-over men's semifinal and final matches of the International Tennis Federation Senior World Team Championships last week in Ulm, Germany, doubles partners Wesley Cash and Mark Vines won again Sunday as the World Individual Championships began there. Cash, a Manker Patten teaching pro in Chattanooga, and Vines of Naples, Florida, are seeded fourth in the individuals event and opened with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of a Swedish duo in the round of 32.

Basketball

* Lee University recently announced that two former area high school standouts have been added to its NCAA Division II and Gulf South Conference basketball teams as junior transfers. Daaron Maston from Tyner's class of 2014 has joined the Lee men after two years playing and a redshirt season at LeMoyne-Owen in Memphis, where the 6-foot-5 guard-forward averaged 13.5 points and 3.2 rebounds a game as a sophomore in 2016-17, and Rebecca Cheeks from Sonoraville is taking her graduated sister Carrie's place with the Lady Flames after two all-conference seasons at NAIA member Reinhardt in Waleska, Georgia. The 6-2 younger Cheeks averaged 16.1 points and 10.1 rebounds a game as a freshman and 11.4 and 7.7 while hampered by injuries last season. "We are so excited to add Becca to this year's recruiting class and need her to have an immediate impact on the court," coach Marty Rowe said in a post on the Lee athletics website. " She has an ability to score in various ways and is an active presence both defensively and on the boards, and we're looking forward to seeing what she can do as she transitions to GSC play." In a separate post, Flames coach Bubba Smith said of Maston, "He brings to our program collegiate experience as a transfer, and his skill set will allow him to play multiple positions. He's a physical athlete that will be able to compete right away in the GSC."

Football

* Freshman Jacob Saylors from Marion County ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries in East Tennessee State's football scrimmage Saturday night, after playing defense and making the Buccaneers' only interception in the previous week's scrimmage. Quarterbacks Austin Herink and Logan Marchi totaled 20 pass completions for 224 yards, 123 of those on throws from Cleveland High graduate Herink.

Golf

* The Georgia Northwestern Technical College men's golf team opened its season last Friday at LaFayette Golf Course with the two best rounds in program history, 288 and 289, as the Bobcats beat Cleveland State by 42 strokes. It was a scrimmage for the visiting Cougars. Cole Roberts shot a 6-under-par 66 and a 71 for GNTC, which got a 143 from fellow sophomore Lane Strickland and a 148, a 149 and a 151 from freshmen Noah Hankins, Spencer Alexander and Ryan Redd. "These guys have worked so hard, and I'm very excited about this team," Bobcats coach Eddie Jackson said in a GNTC release. "These guys are consistently good, and this team has a shot at doing something special." Colbe Cagle led the Cougars' 619 score with a 149 (73-76).

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