Maryville, TN - After a picture-perfect first weekend and an undefeated record, the Southern Virginia University men's soccer team took their perfect mark to Tennessee to face-off with Maryville College and Piedmont University. After a tightly contested 1-0 loss to Maryville in their first match, they bounced back to defeat former USA South foe Piedmont by a score of 3-1.

In the first match with Maryville, offense was difficult to come by. Both teams were scoreless until Maryville struck in the 50th minute, a goal that would hold their lead the rest of the way and hand the Knights their first loss of the season. In their next match with the Lions from Piedmont, the Knights returned to form and produced more opportunities on the attack. To open the scoring, Landon Stock lofted a pass into the box where Zach Bartholomew was waiting to tally his second goal of the season. With the assist, Stock has six on the season and continues to be a difference-maker for the Knights' offense. Minutes later, a beautiful passing sequence involving Jacob Cornejo and Brock Hester led to an Ammon Lewis strike into the back of the net. By the 20th minute, the Knights had blown out of the gates to a 2-0 lead. Despite the early momentum, Piedmont made a strong push to cut the deficit to one, sending a flurry of shots toward Dallin Chappell in the Knights' goal. However, the senior keeper stood tall and helped them maintain their two-goal lead heading into halftime. 

In the second half, the Lions sustained the attack they found in the first, forcing Chappell to make three key saves in the opening minutes. Their relentless pressure paid off as they finally broke through on a rebound less than five minutes into the second frame. Despite the adversity, Southern Virginia increased their intensity, making it difficult for the Lions to find open grass. With the clutch back-stopping of Dallin Chappell and fresh legs on the field, the Knights cashed in on an opportunity with just over ten minutes remaining in regulation with a goal from Jackson Gorringe. With the game seemingly put away, Piedmont refused to give up and forced Chappell to make three more saves to close out a 3-1 victory for the Knights, who are also off to a 3-1 start to the season.

Dallin Chappell tied a career-high with 11 saves, nine of those coming in the second. With his score in the second half, Jackson Gorringe recorded his first collegiate goal to keep the Knights undefeated against Piedmont in their three meetings all-time. Next on the schedule, the Knights will host non-conference opponent Ferrum tonight, September 10th, at Knights Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. 

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmsoccer on Instagram.