BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's soccer team gave up an early goal, but clawed their way back into the match, scoring a late equalizer to come away with an important point in conference play.

The Pride got on the board quickly, scoring in the fourth minute after Jovan Cotton slipped past the defense and sent in a beautiful cross for teammate Collin Thomas who found the back of the net.

Southern Virginia didn't let the early goal change their game plan and was able to maintain most of the possession in the next 15 minutes, creating multiple scoring opportunities from three corners.

Midfielder, Trey Ricker forced Greensboro's goalkeeper, Lee Carrico to make a diving stop in the ninth minute after he dribbled past a defender and set up to take a curler with his favored left foot.

The Pride settled into the game and were able hold onto the ball in the midfield, looking to send long balls in behind the defense. Both defenses held their ground for the remainder of the first half, sending the teams to the break with a score of 1-0 in favor of Greensboro.

The dog fight continued in the second half, with both teams playing extremely physical. The teams were able to get into dangerous parts of the pitch but couldn't capitalize on any scoring chances.

In the 81^st minute the Knights were awarded a corner kick. Ricker, who had just subbed on, ran all the way across the field to take the kick. The ball played in was a good one, allowing teammate Brandon Victory to leap over an opposing player and head the ball back towards goal. Freshman Kenyon Grange happened to be in the right place at the right time and flicked the ball past Carrico and into the corner for his second goal of the season.

"The ball came towards me and I just had to react, I barely touched it but it bounced in" said Grange of the goal after the match. "It wasn't the prettiest of goals but it was important to get a result, especially after being down a goal for most of the game."

The goal rejuvenated the Knights and lit a fire for the remaining 10 minutes of play. They continued to attack and create chances but were unable to find a winning goal.

The tie results in the first point in USA South play for Southern Virginia and gives them momentum moving into the weekend and down the stretch.

"We held our heads high and I am super proud of each of the boys," said head coach Payden Pemberton after the battle. "Fighting for 90 minutes shows we aren't afraid of anyone and we are not going to let past performances or people's perceptions of us affect us."

The Knights have a quick turnaround, traveling to Rocky Mount, North Carolina this weekend to square off against North Carolina Wesleyan. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

"We'll take care of the little things to recover, make small adjustments to our game plan and be ready to play again at the weekend," continued Pemberton.

For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's soccer, please visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmsoccer on Instagram.