AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's soccer team lost a hard-fought match to Francis Marion Wednesday evening in the home finale.
The Pacers are now 4-10 on the year and 2-4 in league play. The Patriots are 12-3-1 overall and 4-2 against conference competition.
The visitors had a chance to get on the board in the fourth minute, but
Kenneth Kalek made an outstanding save.
Chukwudi Apugo's attempt in the 24
th minute of action was blocked, keeping the contest scoreless. Kalek came up big late in the half while
Jervel Tobierre's attempt was just wide of the frame at the 43:33 mark.
Still tied at 0-0 in the second half, the Patriots managed to find the back of the net in the 47
th minute after a scramble in the box.
David Box rocketed a shot in the 49
th minute, but Maximilliano Rocco was able to save it, keeping the match at 1-0.
FMU took a 2-0 lead with 9:21 to go in the contest.
USC Aiken earned a pair of corner kicks with less than five minutes to play, but
Ricardo Pineda's shot was saved at the 86:23 mark.
For the match, Kalek tallied eight saves while playing all 90 minutes.
The Pacers return to action Saturday when they play at Clayton State in the regular-season finale. The match is slated to start at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.