GREENWOOD, S.C. –
Melvin Maboungou's goal late in the second half propelled the USCA men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory at Lander Wednesday evening.
The Pacers are now 3-5 on the season, including 2-4 in PBC play. The Bearcats fall to 3-4-2 on the year and 2-2-1 against conference foes.
Head coach
Nick Sakiewicz's team trailed 1-0 in the early going. In the 12
th minute of action,
Alvaro Corcuera's attempt missed high of the frame.
Daniel Dalehaug's attempt three minutes later narrowly missed finding the back of the net. USCA continued pushing forward as Dalehaug garnered another shot at the 16:51 mark.
In the 27
th minute of action,
Riad Zitouni fired a shot on goal that was saved. At the 26:50 mark, USCA's
Carlos Colomer took a corner kick and
Abdoulie Jallow headed it home, knotting the score at 1-1.
Sakiewicz's squad nearly took the lead in the 33
rd minute with another shot on target by Dalehaug, but Lander recorded the save.
After Lander recorded the first 10 shots of the second half, Maboungou started the offensive flurry by USCA. He had a shot that was stopped by the keeper at the 78:25 mark.
Kenny Kwizera Jr., had two more that were thwarted within 64 seconds. Then, the Pacers gained possession in the offensive third of the pitch. Maboungou received the ball from 20 yards out, made a move and blasted the shot past the keeper for the go-ahead score with just 7:20 remaining.
In the final 90 seconds, a stingy defense turned away Lander's offensive attacks, preserving the victory.
For the match, Sakiewicz's team had 11 shots, including seven on frame. The team earned four corner kicks.
Jallow and Maboungou each had goals while Colomer recorded an assist.
Sean Simoncelli played all 90 minutes in goal and had a save.
The win marked the first in the series history since a 3-2 win on Oct. 1, 2014. It was also the first victory in the series at Lander since Oct. 7, 1992.
The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host No. 15 North Georgia at 4 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
