EVANS, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken netted two goals in the second half to earn a 3-1 win over Francis Marion in the Peach Belt Conference semifinals Friday afternoon and advance to Sunday'sPBC Championship match.

The Pacers improve to 14-4-1 on the season with the victory.

Adria Dalmau netted the first score of the match in the fourth minute, giving head coach Ike Ofoje's team a 1-0 advantage. Dalmau headed home the pass from Andre Simmond, who had sent the ball into the box off a free kick. Simmond was credited with an assist on the play.

The Patriots knotted the contest at 1-1 at the 18:46 mark on a shot from eight yards out. 

From there, neither team was able to get much going in terms of offense for the remainder of the period.

"Francis Marion came out in a different formation at the start of the match," Ofoje stated. "It took us a bit of time to adjust to it and once we did, we were able to apply pressure and push forward."

In the second half, USC Aiken adjusted rather quickly and it paid off. After Jan Wester was fouled in the defensive third of the pitch, Dean Smith took the free kick and blasted the ball into the box. There, Noel Mais was able to find Wester. After making a quick move, Wester booted the ball into the top half of the goal on a bending kick, which found the back of the net for what turned out to be the game-winning tally at the 56:50 mark.

Five minutes later, Simmond took a corner kick and blasted a pass across the box. Jordan Misiri corralled the ball and launched it to the far post for a 3-1 lead. 

The Patriots pushed forward, earning a trio of shots within minutes of the Pacers' third goal. However, a couple were high and one was blocked. 

USC Aiken dropped more players into the defensive third of the pitch and it paid off for Ofoje. The team frustrated the Patriots into mistakes and quickly sent the ball long on several occasions, burning time off the clock. 

Francis Marion continued pushing forward and had a point-blank shot with five seconds left. However, Joshua Poissant was up for the challenge, sniffing the shot out cleanly. 

For the match, the Patriots held a 15-14 advantage in shots. The Pacers maintained an 8-7 edge in corner kicks. 

Poissant played all 90 minutes in goal, registering five saves.

It marks the second time in three seasons that the Pacers have advanced to the PBC Championship match.

The Pacers take on top-seeded Young Harris in the PBC Championship Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.