GREENWOOD, S.C. – Georgia Southwestern kept Lander University off the scoreboard through the opening 45 minutes Saturday afternoon, but a pair of goals less than eight minutes apart in the second half lifted the Bearcats to a 2-0 victory at Van Taylor Stadium.
The Hurricanes (2-4, 0-2 PBC) matched Lander with five shots in the opening half and created a pair of opportunities in the closing minutes before the break.
Jesus Duque put GSW's first shot on goal toward the bottom-left corner in the 44th minute, forcing a save from Lander goalkeeper Jack Ammann.
Mac Vargas followed with another attempt less than a minute later as the Hurricanes went into halftime locked in a scoreless tie.
Lander (2-1-2, 1-0-1 PBC) broke the deadlock at the 51:41 mark when Felipe Costa converted a feed from Orran Mushet and Omar Erwa to give the Bearcats a 1-0 advantage.
GSW nearly answered six minutes later.
Mane Birovljev put an attempt on frame in the 58th minute, but Ammann made the save to preserve the lead.
The Bearcats doubled their advantage at 59:47 when Chad Haynes found the net to make it 2-0.
The Hurricanes continued to generate opportunities despite the two-goal deficit. Birovljev forced another Ammann save in the 69th minute before
Mateo Acuna Marmol put a shot on target two minutes later, with Ammann again turning away the attempt.
GSW had its best opportunity to cut into the deficit in the 83rd minute when the Hurricanes were awarded a penalty kick.
Dante Johnson stepped to the spot, but his attempt missed the mark and Lander maintained its two-goal advantage through the final whistle.
The Hurricanes finished with 10 shots, including four on goal, while Lander totaled 14 shots and five on frame. Birovljev led GSW with three shots and put two on goal, while Acuna Marmol finished with two attempts and one on target.
Javier Barbosa made one save over the opening 59:47 in goal for GSW before
Nathan Grady took over for the final 30:13. Grady stopped both shots on goal he faced to keep Lander off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Saturday marked the ninth Lander victory in the last 10 meetings between the programs.
Next Up
- GSW returns home for Senior Night on Wednesday against Middle Georgia State University at 7 p.m.
