PULASKI, Tenn. – The UT Southern men's soccer team carried a second-half lead into the final 20 minutes Thursday evening, but No. 19 William Carey scored twice late to claim a 2-1 Southern States Athletic Conference victory at Grissom Pitch.
The Firehawks drop to 8-4-1 overall and 4-4 in conference play, while the Crusaders improve to 10-2-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the SSAC.
In a tightly contested first half, neither side was able to break through despite scoring opportunities on both ends of the field. Goalkeeper William McGinn turned in a strong performance, making five first-half saves to keep the match scoreless heading into the break.
UT Southern generated chances through Daquan Duhaney, Felix Hammel, and Jinto Kanagase, while the Firehawk defense matched the intensity of one of the conference's top teams throughout the opening 45 minutes.
The breakthrough finally came in the 68th minute.
Following a corner kick opportunity, Lorick Gustave and Marven Michel combined to set up George Grice, who found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, giving the Firehawks a 1-0 advantage and igniting the home crowd.
William Carey responded in the 74th minute to even the match at 1-1 before finding the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute.
UT Southern continued to fight until the final whistle, earning a late corner kick and pushing numbers forward in search of another equalizer, but the Crusaders were able to hold on for the road victory.
Despite the result, the Firehawks battled evenly for much of the night against a nationally ranked opponent. William McGinn finished with nine saves, while Kanagase led UT Southern with five shots. Duhaney added four attempts, and Gustave and Michel each recorded assists.
By the Numbers
Up Next
UT Southern returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Firehawks host Xavier (La.) at Grissom Pitch in another critical SSAC matchup.
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