BREVARD, N.C. - In a rematch of last year's USA South tournament semifinal, the Southern Virginia University men's soccer team shrugged off a two-hour weather delay to defeat conference rival, Brevard, 2-1.
It's a statement victory for the Knights, who defeat the Tornados for the first time since joining the USA South.
Originally slated for a 4:00 PM kickoff, lightning pushed the start time to 5:45 PM. The delay didn't bother the Knights, as they came out shooting early and often.
The Tornados followed suit, sending several shots of their own toward Southern Virginia keeper, Troy Chamberlain. However, with just over six minutes remaining in the first half, the Knights broke through.
After disrupting a Brevard clearance, the ball came to Jacob Cornejo who sent a pass ahead for a charging Benjamin Simister. Simister made a nice one-touch pass against the grain to Tate Hickman in the middle of the box who found the back of the net for his 9th goal of the season.
That would be the only scoring in the first half, bringing the Knights to the break with momentum on their side.
In the second, each team had scoring chances, but once again it was Southern Virginia who came up big in the clutch. Simister once again got loose after a throw-in at the attacking end and managed to poke the ball past the defense before drilling a shot into the back of the net.
Simister's first goal of the season couldn't have come at a bigger time as he was mobbed by his teammates.
Now trailing 2-0 with under eight minutes to play, Brevard made a desperate attempt to level the score. They did manage to cut the lead in half with just eleven seconds remaining, but it was too little too late.
The victory could signal a breakthrough for a team that has been on the rise since Head Coach Payden Pemberton took over before the 2021 season.
Looking Ahead
In hopes of keeping their two game winning streak alive, another opportunity comes knocking as Southern Virginia will host the defending USA South regular season champions, North Carolina Wesleyan, next week.
Kickoff at Knight Stadium is slated for Saturday, October 4th at 7:00 PM.
For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmsoccer on Instagram.
