Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's soccer team scored two goals in the second half en route to a 3-2 victory over visiting Lander Wednesday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.
The Pacers are now 6-2-1 overall, including a 1-1 mark against league foes.
It marked the first time since the 2006 campaign that the Pacers upended Lander. That season, the team bested the Bearcats 2-1 at the Pacer Pit.
It took nearly 20 minutes for either team to record a shot in the contest. However, it was a very physical contest as six fouls were called before the first shot of the match, which happened at the 17:47 mark.
The Pacers' first shot of the night came from the boot of Andre Simmond, but the attempt was blocked. However, head coach Ike Ofoje's team would strike first in the back-and-forth affair.
In the 31st minute of action, Rodrigo Goncalves took a free kick after a foul and found Jordan Misiri for the score that went across the frame and into the back of the net.
The visitors tied it 10 minutes later and struck again just prior to halftime as the Bearcats held a 2-1 edge heading into the second period.
Ofoje's squad was more aggressive at the start of the second period. The team netted the equalizer at the 54:29 mark when Simmond found Ryan Dwyer for the tally. Simmond blasted the corner kick to the center of the frame and Dwyer connected with it, making it a 2-2 contest.
The Pacers continued to apply pressure and broke through with what turned out to be the game-winning goal at the 66:47 mark. Gabriel Locher dribbled the ball near the corner and played it across the pitch where Noel Mais collected it and rocketed home the shot for the 3-2 edge.
Lander would continue to push forward, but the USC Aiken defense was outstanding and did not allow the visitors to net the tying goal.
For the match, Joshua Poissant played all 90 minutes between the pipes and stopped four shots.
USC Aiken tallied eight shots to five for Lander. Ofoje's squad maintained a 6-5 edge in corner kicks. The teams combined for 37 fouls.
"We needed the win tonight," Ofoje said. "We needed to get back into a groove after losing at Young Harris. Lander is one of the top teams in the PBC. We knew it was going to be a difficult match and our team played outstanding. The guys executed the game-plan and played extremely well.
"We have to turn our attention to Georgia Southwestern tonight," Ofoje stated. "Although this was a good win, we have to stay strong mentally and prepare for a tough match on Saturday."
The Pacers return to action Saturday when they travel to Georgia Southwestern. The match is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.
