Franklin Springs, GA - The Warriors Men's Soccer team fell in their Conference Carolinas opener on Tuesday against Emmanuel. The Lions came out with a superior level of energy and were the better team for most of the match. 

SWU recorded 10 shots, four of them on target. Ryan Rodriguez and Diego Hernandez led the team with three shots each, followed by Feren Nunez with 2. Marco Iniguez started and played 80 minutes in goal finishing with seven saves, and Freshman Luke Bramblett came on in relief for the final 10 minutes. 

 

Game Vitals:

Final: Emmanuel 5, Southern Wesleyan 0

Records: Emmanuel (2-2-0), Southern Wesleyan (2-2-1)

How It Happened:

Five minutes in the Lions scored with the first shot of the game; a beautiful volley from Iker Martinez. Although Emmanuel was very threatening for the majority of the first half, in particular off corners, the Warriors began to settle into the flow of the game. They challenged the Lion defense through a long ball from Feren Nunez directed toward Josiah Pitts and Dillon Bennett. However, not much fruit came from the labor of the SWU attack. Only two of the team's 10 shots came in the first half and they rarely scared the Emmanuel goalkeeper. The Warriors once again came out with poor energy from the kickoff of the second half, and Emmanuel scored two goals in the first eight minutes of the half. Although Southern Wesleyan did begin to create some more decent chances following the third goal, they were unable to capitalize and Emmanuel punished them again with their fourth and fifth goals in a five-minute span. Following the fifth goal, Coach Quarandillo emptied the bench giving chances to freshmen Jonathon Parra, Luke Bramblett and Luke Burleson and transfer juniors Bertin Manzi and Andrew Baxley. The Warrior second unit was the bright spot of the night. The defense held the opposing Emmanuel attack scoreless and connected with the midfield and attack for some nice possession. 

Caden DeFronzo was named the Warriors' "Spark Plug of the Game", a team-selected award for a player who brought high energy and an impactful performance. DeFronzo came off the bench and played 80 minutes at left back. He was one of the hardest-working players tonight and was key in defense for the team.



What's Next:

The Warriors continue Conference Carolinas action on Saturday, September 16th at 3:30 against North Greenville at Childs Field, followed by a trip to Lees-McRae on Tuesday, September 19th.