DAHLONEGA, Ga. – For the second consecutive match,
Theo Hoang delivered from the penalty spot with less than five minutes remaining, as Georgia Southwestern State University battled No. 3 University of North Georgia to a 1-1 draw Wednesday night at the UNG Soccer Complex.
Hoang converted the equalizer at the 85:26 mark as the Hurricanes (2-4-2, 0-2-2 PBC) earned a result against the unbeaten Nighthawks (5-0-5, 1-0-4 PBC) and snapped a six-match losing streak in the series, giving GSW just its second result all-time in Dahlonega..
GSW was aggressive from the start and generated the first opportunity of the night when
Jose Monteagudo fired wide in the second minute. Hoang followed with an attempt in the 12th.
North Georgia broke the scoreless tie in the 32nd minute. Max Garnett set up Dzenan Cerimagic, who found the net off a corner kick at 31:42 to put the Nighthawks ahead 1-0.
The Hurricanes responded by creating several opportunities before halftime.
Josh Pursley put an attempt on frame in the 40th minute, and
Dante Johnson forced another save from UNG goalkeeper Miguel Pineda with a shot toward the top-left corner in the 44th.
GSW went into the break trailing despite holding a 6-2 advantage in shots over the opening 45 minutes.
The Hurricanes continued to apply pressure in the second half.
Juan Franco forced a save from Pineda in the 53rd minute before
Bryan Garcia and Monteagudo each put attempts on goal over the next 19 minutes.
The complexion of the match changed in the 73rd minute when North Georgia's Pavle Radojkovic was shown a red card, giving GSW a man advantage for the final 17-plus minutes.
The Hurricanes nearly capitalized six minutes later when
Ryan Burns struck the crossbar. Garcia and Franco followed with attempts as GSW continued searching for the tying goal.
The breakthrough finally came in the 86th minute when the Hurricanes were awarded a penalty kick. Hoang stepped to the spot and converted at 85:26 to level the match at 1-1.
It marked the second straight match Hoang has delivered a late equalizer from the penalty spot. The senior converted in the 87th minute of GSW's 1-1 draw against Middle Georgia State University a week earlier.
Hoang's goal was his seventh of the season, moving him into third place in the Peach Belt Conference in goals scored.
GSW had one more opportunity when
Mane Birovljev sent an attempt high in the 87th minute. North Georgia countered with a late chance of its own, but
Nathan Grady stopped Maxwell Mitchell's shot with 23 seconds remaining to preserve the draw.
The Hurricanes finished with a 15-7 advantage in shots and put six attempts on goal to North Georgia's three. GSW also outshot the Nighthawks 9-5 in the second half. Garcia and Hoang led the Hurricanes with three shots apiece, while Grady made two saves in goal.
Next Up
- The Hurricanes travel to the University of South Carolina Aiken on Saturday for a 7 p.m. PBC match.
