Box Score PEMBROKE, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's soccer team earned a hard fought 2-0 victory over UNC Pembroke Wednesday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.
The Pacers improve to 7-4-3 on the season, including a 4-3-1 mark against league foes.
Head coach Ike Ofoje's team got things started off in fine style. At the 4:36 mark, Nathan Shanko played the ball to Jordan Misiri, who rocketed a shot past the keeper for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
USC Aiken continued applying pressure in the offensive third of the pitch as Patrick Widemann launched a shot from the top of the box but missed right of the goal in the eighth minute of play.
After Andre Bernardini stopped the Braves' attempts at scoring, the Pacers pushed forward in the 19th minute of action and Shanko blasted a shot from the top of the box that was wide of the target.
Andre Simmond had a shot blocked in the 31st minute and Misiri missed wide three minutes later. Simmond recorded three corner kicks in less than a minute of action, but the team was unable to produce a shot during the stretch. Shanko and Sajih Daychoum each had shots that did not find the back of the net prior to intermission.
After a yellow card was issued to a UNC Pembroke student-athlete, Adria Dalmau launched a shot that was saved from just outside the box. Simmond had a shot inside the 18-yard box that was stopped in the 67th minute.
At the 86:55 mark, a red card was issued to the home team. Simmond calmly stepped to the ball and booted into the back of the net for a 2-0 advantage.
For the match, USC Aiken held a 16-14 advantage in shots. Each team had five corner kicks. Bernardini played 88:52 between the pipes and stopped seven shots in the shutout win.
The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host North Georgia on Senior Day. The match is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. At halftime of the match, the seniors will be honored for their hard work and dedication throughout their time as a member of the USC Aiken men's soccer team.
