BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's soccer team got their conference play underway Saturday afternoon, giving up a late goal to fall to Brevard College.
In the first half, the Knights stuck to their game plan, keeping the Tornados attacking players in front of the back line and defending together. The center back trio of
Brandon Victory,
Justice Mack and
Luke Hemenway worked well together, turning away numerous attacking opportunities.
Victory was exceptional in the air, stepping up aggressively to send away multiple balls played in by the Tornados. On corner kicks he was especially productive, clearing many crosses.
Some of Brevard's best scoring chances came off free kicks, with Southern Virginia committing three fouls in dangerous locations.
Sean Gutzman, goalkeeper for the Knights, shut down one of these attempts as he made a diving stop in the 29
th minute. Luis dos Santos snuck the ball past the wall of defenders and had the ball heading towards the bottom right corner before Gutzman turned the shot away.
Just before halftime, the Tornados looked likely to get on the board, but Gutzman came to the rescue once again. Duncan Struik streaked down the sideline after the ball was played in behind the defense, he got on the end of it and sent in a wonderful cross that landed just outside the six-yard box. Agustin Onetto flew in to get a foot on the ball and redirect it on goal, but a strong right hand from Gutzman sent the shot away to keep the game level after the first 45 minutes.
The second half was similar to the first, with Brevard on the front foot, hoping to capitalize on one of their many scoring opportunities. They continued to get the ball in menacing parts of the field, having 11 corner kicks and 17 shots in the second half.
Perhaps the best save of the game came at the beginning of the second 45 when a Brevard forward headed the ball into the ground with it bouncing to the top left corner. Gutzman sprung off his line and stretched out fully to get a hand on the ball and punch it away. After the game, the Southern Virginia goalkeeper remembered the save, saying "the ball was heading right for the top corner but I was alert and ready to react."
Although Gutzman seemed to be unbeatable, the Tornados continued to test the Knights' keeper, finally seeing the ball hit the back of the net in the 80
th minute of the match. Sam O'Callaghan played a hopeful ball into the box and after a failed clearance from Southern Virginia, Daniel Morgan took advantage of the miscue, sneaking it in for the first and only goal of the game.
Despite the loss,
Payden Pemberton was extremely proud of his team and their effort. "The team definitely executed the game plan well," stated the Knights head coach.
"Sean was phenomenal today, making some extremely difficult saves," continued Pemberton. The Provo, Utah native had the best game of his young career, making 12 total saves, including eight in the second half. His 12 saves and 32 shots faced in the match are the most by an SVU goalkeeper this season.
"I am proud of the teams' performance as a hole," said Gutzman after his stellar performance. "We gave everything we had today and left it all on the field. I am excited to continue working and get ready for the next game because there's always room for improvement."
Southern Virginia coach is also looking forward to the rest of USA South play. "Moving forward we will be very confident in our ability to compete with any team in our conference and look to challenge any team for results. Brevard has a very experienced and talented team, we can be confident moving forward knowing we competed toe-to-toe with them for 90 minutes."
The Knights will have just a few days to get ready for their next game with Greensboro College coming to town on Wednesday, October 5.
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's soccer, please visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmsoccer on Instagram.
