Lady Bucs Beck’s late header lifts Bucs past West Georgia

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) -  In an hour and a half full of missed chances, Alex Beck found the needle in the haystack. The sophomore got her head on the end of a left-footed Reagan Fitzgerald cross and flicked it to the back post in the 88th minute, giving ETSU its first goal and win of 2026 in a 1-0 victory over West Georgia in the home opener at Summers-Taylor Stadium on Thursday.

Beck's goal, the second of her college career, came on the 14th and final shot of the night for the Buccaneers and was the only one to solve the Wolves' active young goalkeeper, Emily Sanabria. Fitzgerald's assist was the eighth of her career, making her the ninth player in ETSU history to reach 40 or more career points.

The Bucs outshot West Georgia 14-8, putting seven shots on goal to the Wolves' two. The performance earned Addison Yelton her ninth career shutout, tying her with Megan Masch for the fifth-most in program history. The victory also extends ETSU's home unbeaten streak to 11 games, holding a 7-0-4 record in that span.

With the win under their belt, ETSU now moves to 1-1-0 on the season while West Georgia falls to 0-2-1. The Bucs will embark on a three-game road swing next, starting with a matchup at UNC Asheville on Sunday at 2:00 PM.