AIKEN, S.C. – The No. 4 USCA men's soccer team earned a hard-fought 4-2 win over Lander in the opening round of the PBC Tournament Saturday afternoon.
The Pacers improve to 6-8-1 on the season.
Head coach
Nick Sakiewicz's team jumped on top of the Bearcats with a pair of goals within a three-minute span. Just past the midway point of the opening half,
Murilo Carli blasted a shot to the upper right of the frame for a 1-0 lead. USCA continued the momentum and scored to make it 2-0 in the 26
th minute.
Melvin Maboungou rocketed an attempt to the lower right of the frame for the two-goal advantage.
Sean Simoncelli kept the visitors off the board in the 27
th minute with a solid save.
Carlos Colomer tried to extend the advantage to 3-0, but his shot was thwarted by the keeper at the 36:44 mark. Simoncelli recorded another save late in the half as the contest stayed at 2-0 entering the second period.
Lander had a pair of attempts that were blocked in the opening minutes of the second half. Colomer's shot missed left in the 50
th minute.
The Bearcats cut the deficit to 2-1 with a goal at the 53:46 mark.
USCA extended the margin to a two-goal lead at the 83:37 mark.
Kenny Kwizera Jr., made a sensational pass to
Riad Zitouni, who promptly raced past a defender and hammered home the shot for a 3-1 lead.
The two-goal advantage was short-lived, however, as the Pacers were whistled for a foul in the box. The Bearcats made it 3-2 with a penalty kick at the 84:11 mark.
Sakiewicz's squad pushed forward, but
Aloni Elfu's shot was blocked in the 57
th minute of action. He had another shot at the 64:24 mark, but it was saved.
With just 19 seconds remaining, Kwizera Jr., found
Ayoub Ben Amar racing toward the box. He rocketed a shot to the lower left of the frame for the final score.
For the match, USCA held a 16-13 edge in shots, including 9-6 in shots on goal. The team earned four corner kicks.
Ben Amar, Carli, Maboungou and Zitouni recorded goals. Kwizera Jr., had a pair of assists. Simoncelli played all 90 minutes between the pipes and had four saves.
The win marked the program's first PBC Tournament victory since the 2014 season. That year, the Pacers reached the tournament championship.
USCA plays at No. 1 Flagler on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in the semifinals.
