Central, SC - The Southern Wesleyan University Warriors dropped their first home game of the season on Wednesday Night to the USC Aiken Pacers in 2-0 final score. 

The Warriors registered seven total shots with six of them being on target. Dillon Bennett led that department tallying three shots off the bench. Luke Bramblett played the full ninety in goal saving four Pacer shots. 




Game Vitals

Final: Southern Wesleyan 0, USC Aiken 2

Records: Southern Wesleyan University (1-1), USC Aiken (1-0-2)




How It Happened

The Pacers started quickly with two shots on target inside three minutes, both saved by goalkeeper Luke Bramblett. SWU recorded their first shot of the game just inside ten minutes following a corner kick taken by Alberto Esquivel that was half-cleared towards Noah Koch, but his shot was deflected before it could trouble the Peach Belt Conference Goalkeeper of the Week, Felipe Mattos. USC Aiken struck first in the twenty-third minute of the game as Damian Rogers played a decisive pass through the left side of the Warrior defensive finding Juan Felipe Ruiz for a right-footed shot that flew past Bramblett. The mistakes compounded for the Warriors over the next ten minutes as Esquivel was shown a straight red card and Sebastian Tascon scored the second USC Aiken goal of the game with a shot from the center of the box following another really good move from the right side of their attack. However, the Warriors got their best chance of the game in the thirty-seventh minute as Dillon Bennett was gifted an opportunity in the middle of the field but the angle was tight and the shot on target was saved by Mattos. 

Ryan Rodriguez and Steven Núñez were bright introductions with Rodriguez winning a couple of free kicks in dangerous areas and Núñez cleaning up with some hard work in the midfield. The Warriors only recorded one second-half shot and it came in the seventy-fourth minute through Dillon Bennett following a long throw-in from Soloman Pitts, but Bennett didn't get the cleanest of contact and it sailed out of bounds for a goal kick. SWU was reduced to nine men in the 88th minute as Brody Schroeder was penalized for a late challenge after pressuring the USC Aiken defense.  Southern Wesleyan ended up dropping the game to the Pacers in a 2-0 final score.




What's Next

The Warriors begin Conference Carolinas play on Saturday, September 14th, with a trip to Florence, South Carolina and a date with Francis Marion University. After that, they travel to Mars Hill University on Wednesday, September 18th, for a non-conference match-up against the Lions.