ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The seventh-ranked Tusculum College men's soccer team captured its third Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament title with a 1-0 win over No. seven seed Wingate University on Sunday evening at Manchester Meadows.
Junior goalkeeper Lance Moore set a new
single-season program record with his 11th shutout of the campaign.
With the win, the Pioneers improve to 18-2-1 on the season while
Wingate falls to 11-7-2.
The two sides played a scoreless first half as Wingate held a 7-6
advantage in shots at the break. Neither team could break into the
scoring column through the first 83 minutes, until Tusculum's
Corey McPherson knocked his sixth goal of the
season into the net in the opening seconds of the 84th minute.
After Scott Lucky's cross found him open in the
middle of the Wingate area, McPherson banged a curling shot into
the back of the net of the far post for his third match-winner of
the campaign.
Moore made six saves in the match as the 6-2, 185-pound goalkeeper
notched his 16 th career clean sheet to earn SAC Tournament MVP
honors. Wingate edged the black and orange 15-14 on the shot chart,
as Luke Mulholland took a match-high eight attempts on goal. SAC
Player of the Year Bruno Conceicão led the
Pioneers with four shots in the contest.
The Pioneers earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II
Tournament. Tusculum, who entered this week's action as the
top-ranked team in the Southeast Region, will learn its postseason
draw on Monday as the full tournament field is released. The
Pioneers will be making their fourth NCAA Tournament
appearance.