The Southern Wesleyan University Men's Soccer team were defeated by Conference Carolinas foe Belmont Abbey College on Saturday afternoon.
Despite failing to find the net in the game, the Warriors dominated in total shots with 26.
Diego Hernandez led the team with eight shots followed by
Dillon Bennett and
Brody Schroeder with six each.
Marco Iniguez played all 90 minutes in net recording five saves.
Game Vitals:
Final: Southern Wesleyan University 0, Belmont Abbey College 6
Records: Southern Wesleyan University (4-11-1, 1-9), Belmont Abbey College (9-4-2, 7-4-1)
How It Happened
The lack of finishing was a real problem for the Warriors today. The Crusaders scored early through Alexander Ljusberg, but the Warriors' energy did not drop. They answered back with on target shots from Schroeder, Bennett, and Hernandez, but all were saved by Belmont Abbey goalkeeper Will Whitman. In fact, SWU was the better team for the middle portion of that first half, it was just the inability to finish chances that prevented them from equalizing or taking the lead. And in the 24th minute the Crusaders would make them pay with goals from Davis McBee and Zion Duncan. The Warriors would get as close as they would all night in the 30th minute, when a thunderous strike from
Dillon Bennett bounced off the crossbar twice and somehow went out. And again, the Crusaders would punish the Warriors by scoring three more goals before the break, leading by 6 at the end of 45. The Warriors' offensive problems were not solved in the second half either. They got several shots from their forwards, just none finding the back of the net. However, the defense was much better from SWU due in large part to the play of Goalkeeper
Marco Iniguez. He a couple of magnificent saves again, as he has throughout the season.
Freshman defender
Josiah Pitts had a very strong performance tonight for the Warriors, and was named the "Spark Plug of the Match", a team selected award for a player with high energy and an impactful performance.
What's Next:
The Warriors have two games remaining in the 2023 season. They will host Erskine on Tuesday, October 24th and Converse on Saturday, October 28th.
