Phillip Goodrum pushed UNC Wilmington ahead 1-0 midway through the first half from a Jacob Evans’ assist. The Seahawks never looked back as they gave the crowd something to cheer about by capturing their first home win of 2019 in a 3-1 victory over Northeastern (5-3-1) on Saturday.

“It was time to step it up,” said Goodrum. “We have struggled early on but a lot of the younger guys have stepped up and now it’s our time to shine and show the nation what we are about.”

Since being named CAA Player of the Year in 2018, Goodrum has scored four goals in the first six games of the season. Clearly a repeat of this honor is fresh on the senior’s mind.

Senior midfielder Gabriel Cabral is also to thank for the Seahawks’ victory as he scored off an assist from Michael Morrel in the second half with 8:16 left to play as the Seahawks went up 2-0.

Northeastern’s Timothy Ennin tried to bring the Huskies back late by scoring on a penalty kick with 1:29 left to play. However, the goal was answered by redshirt senior defender Danny Reynolds in the following seconds.

After a tournament appearance in 2018, the goals coming into this season have not changed much for the Seahawks; “The goal is to win the conference,” said Goodrum.

The Seahawks (4-3-1) will face off against a dangerous North Carolina (4-2-2) team on Tuesday in Chapel Hill. The match will be the first true road test of the year for UNCW, as matching up against the fifth-ranked team in the nation will prove to be an early obstacle for the ‘Hawks.