Box Score BELMONT, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's soccer team recorded a 2-0 shutout at Belmont Abbey Friday afternoon in a non-conference contest.
The Pacers improve to 5-1-1 on the season.
Head coach Ike Ofoje's team got on the board rather quickly, breaking through at the 11:59 mark. After earning a corner kick, Andre Simmond blasted a pass into the box and found a diving Rodrigo Goncalves for the 1-0 lead.
The Crusaders had a chance to even the score in the 19th minute, but Brandon Jarosz came away with a huge save, helping the visitors maintain a 1-0 edge. The home team had another chance to knot the contest just prior to halftime, but Jarosz was once again up to the challenge, stuffing a shot by Jordan Gardner with just over a minute left before halftime.
Ofoje's squad had a corner kick in the 51st minute of action, but the team was unable to convert. A couple of minutes later Belmont Abbey recorded another shot that was turned away by Jarosz.
Just after a yellow card was awarded to a Belmont Abbey player, Simmond took a free kick and blasted home a goal at the 56:01 mark for a 2-0 advantage.
Things got dicey in the 77th minute when the Pacers were whistled for a foul in the box, which gave the Crusaders a penalty kick. However, Jarosz was on top of his game, stopping the shot to preserve the shutout.
In the final six minutes, Belmont Abbey had two corner kicks and two headers that missed just wide of the goal.
For the match, Jarosz played all 90 minutes between the pipes and recorded five saves.
USC Aiken held a 13-12 advantage in shots and maintained a 9-5 edge in corner kicks. Both teams had five saves and both were whistled for 14 fouls.
The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they travel to Young Harris for a 3 p.m., start. It is the PBC opener for Ofoje's team.
