ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Georgia Southwestern State University held No. 16 Flagler College scoreless for more than 78 minutes Monday evening, but a late goal lifted the Peach Belt Conference champions to a 1-0 victory over the Hurricanes in the men's soccer regular-season finale.
The Hurricanes (3-9-5, 0-7-5 PBC) were less than 12 minutes away from earning just their second result in 13 all-time trips to the Flagler Sports Complex before the Saints (12-1-4, 11-0-1 PBC) broke through in the 79th minute.
GSW goalkeeper
Adrian Bennetot turned in a strong performance, recording eight saves against a Flagler attack that generated 21 shots, including 10 on goal.
The Saints tested Bennetot early, but the GSW goalkeeper turned away attempts from Callum Stokes in the second minute and Tim Wahlborg in the 10th.
The Hurricanes created their first scoring opportunity at 12:21 when
Jose Monteagudo put a shot toward the bottom-right corner, forcing Flagler goalkeeper Ryan Rivas into a save. GSW followed with its lone corner kick of the match nine seconds later.
Flagler continued to apply pressure throughout the opening half. Bennetot denied Pierce Amalberti in the 17th minute before making another save on Mitchell Claxton in the 37th.
The Saints finished the first half with a 9-1 advantage in shots, but GSW's defense held firm to send the teams into halftime scoreless.
The Hurricanes generated two early opportunities after the break.
Gustavo Vecino recorded a shot in the 53rd minute before
Juan Franco sent an attempt wide less than a minute later.
Flagler continued to threaten, but GSW's defensive effort kept the match deadlocked. The Hurricanes registered a team save on an Amalberti attempt in the 59th minute before Bennetot turned away consecutive shots from Stokes and Hugues Iguaran in the 72nd.
Bryan Garcia nearly put GSW in front at 68:41, sending a shot on goal that Rivas stopped to preserve the scoreless tie.
The Saints finally broke through at 78:16 when Henry Okenla scored off assists on a corner kick and header from Stokes and Amalberti, giving Flagler a 1-0 advantage with less than 12 minutes remaining.
GSW was unable to generate another scoring opportunity in the closing minutes as the Saints held on for the victory.
Flagler finished with a 21-4 advantage in shots, including a 12-3 margin in the second half, and earned nine corner kicks to GSW's one.
Monteagudo and Garcia each placed a shot on goal for the Hurricanes, while Vecino and Franco accounted for GSW's other two attempts.
Bennetot played all 90 minutes and finished with eight saves, while Rivas recorded two saves to preserve the shutout for Flagler.
The Saints completed an unbeaten Peach Belt Conference regular season with an 11-0-1 league record, while the Hurricanes were unable to score against Flagler in either of the teams' two meetings this fall.
Next Up
GSW travels to Dahlonega, Ga., on Saturday to face second-seeded North Georgia at 3:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
