Donna-Kay Henry recorded her fourth career multi-goal game to lead the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga soccer team to a 3-2 win over Elon in Southern Conference play Sunday afternoon.
With the win, UTC (3-7, 1-1 SoCon) evens its conference record after a difficult non-conference schedule.
Henry credited the Lady Mocs' success to playing hard for the entire game.
"We worked hard from the beginning, and it just followed through into the second half," she said. "Usually we play OK in the first half and better in the second half, but today we played hard the whole game and it showed."
Elon opened the scoring late in the first half on a header by Alanna Winsper, but UTC responded just before halftime with a goal by Danielle Barr following a corner kick by Lauren Wilson.
Henry gave the Lady Mocs the lead with an unassisted goal in the 48th minute of play, but a defensive lapse allowed tied the game 2-2 when an errant defensive pass got past UTC goalkeeper Taylor Mangrum for an own goal.
"No one ever expects to get an own goal on them," Mangrum said. "But once it happens, it's in the past and you can't harp on it. It was an honest mistake, and we knew that we had to keep going even though that happened."
With Elon pushing forward trying to take the lead, Becca Smith passed to Henry streaking down the left side. Henry cut inside to beat her defender and fired a shot past the Phoenix keeper for the game-winner.
"D.K. is my roommate, so I was ecstatic," Mangrum said. "Whenever she scores it makes our whole team lift up and gives us that extra energy. Scoring twice in one game is just so awesome. She's a really great player."
Henry just missed scoring a third goal Sunday when her open shot late in the game went high and hit the crossbar.
UTC coach J.D. Kyzer said Henry is a special player who is always a threat to score for the Lady Mocs.
"It takes everybody, but she's definitely a different kind of player - she's a high-level player," he said. "When people give her room she's going to take advantage of it."