DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –
Theo Hoang continued his torrid start to the season with two more goals Saturday evening, but Georgia Southwestern State University was unable to overcome a three-goal first half from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in a 3-2 loss at Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium.
Hoang scored both goals for the Hurricanes (1-1), giving him four through the first two matches of the season and the Peach Belt Conference scoring lead following the opening weekend.
The Eagles (2-0) did all of their scoring during a 16-minute stretch in the first half before GSW held them scoreless over the final 60 minutes.
Embry-Riddle opened the scoring in the 14th minute after GSW goalkeeper
Javier Barbosa stopped a penalty kick by Johannes Larsen. Lukas Bludau followed up the save and converted the rebound to put the Eagles in front.
The lead lasted just 13 seconds.
Hoang answered almost immediately, scoring at the 13:50 mark to pull the Hurricanes even at 1-1. The goal was Hoang's third of the season after he scored twice in Thursday night's 4-0 season-opening victory over Andrew College.
Embry-Riddle regained the lead in the 21st minute when Riley Aldana found the net, and Bludau struck again at 29:54 off an assist from Mattia Motzo to send the Eagles into halftime with a 3-1 advantage.
GSW limited Embry-Riddle to three shots over the final 45 minutes and continued to search for a way back into the match.
The Hurricanes gained a man advantage in the 74th minute when Embry-Riddle's Gianmarco Bertolini was shown a red card, but the Eagles managed to keep GSW off the scoreboard until the closing seconds.
Hoang nearly cut the deficit in half in the 87th minute, putting an attempt on frame that was stopped by goalkeeper Marcos da Silva.
He would not be denied on his next opportunity.
With 13 seconds remaining,
Dante Johnson connected with Hoang for his second goal of the match, pulling GSW within 3-2. The Hurricanes, however, ran out of time to complete the comeback.
Hoang finished with three shots, placing all three on goal.
Mane Birovljev added three attempts for GSW, while Johnson recorded his first assist of the season.
Barbosa made four saves for the Hurricanes, including the first-half penalty stop. Da Silva finished with three saves for Embry-Riddle.
The teams were separated by little statistically, with Embry-Riddle holding a 10-9 advantage in shots and a 7-5 edge in shots on goal. GSW earned all four of its corner kicks in the opening half and finished with a 4-2 advantage in that category.
Saturday continued a tightly contested all-time series between the programs. The Eagles broke a 2-2-1 deadlock in the series with the victory, while the two sides have now scored eight goals apiece across their six meetings.
Hoang, meanwhile, accounted for each of GSW's final two goals Thursday against Andrew and both goals Saturday at Embry-Riddle, giving the junior the Hurricanes' last four goals and four total through the opening weekend.
Next Up
- GSW hosts the University of Alabama in Huntsville Thursday at 6 p.m. to kick off a three-match homestand.
