GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Andreas Kvam scored the winning goal in the 62nd minute as Tusculum College improved to 5-0 with a 2-1 win over Lenoir-Rhyne University Saturday night at Pioneer Field in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action.
Kvam's goal was his fourth in five matches this season and his second-game winner, as the Pioneers (5-0-0, 2-0-0 SAC) continued their best start since 2008, which was the last time Tusculum opened the season with five consecutive victories. Georgios Charkoutsakis also scored for the Pioneers, who were outshot 10-9 by the Bears (3-2-1, 0-1-0 SAC) but made the most of their three shots on goal in the match.
Tusculum had a good scoring chance at the nine-minute mark of the first half, but a direct kick by Tyler Linkous was knocked over the goal by Lenoir-Rhyne keeper Zach King. The Pioneers broke through at 34:52 when a corner kick by Linkous was headed home by Charkoutsakis for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 Tusculum lead.
The lead would be short-lived, as the Bears came back 4 1/2 minutes later to tie the score at 1-1. A long service by DeJean Charlton came to the feet of Romain Lopez, whose shot from 10 yards out beat Jorge Alvarez at 39:23. The teams went to halftime tied at 1-1, with Tusculum leading in shots by a 5-3 margin.
In the second half, Tusculum needed just over 16 minutes to take the lead as Vetle Salte made a perfect service to Kvam as he crossed in front of the goal, and he flicked a shot past King to give the Pioneers a 2-1 advantage at 61:04. The Pioneers nearly tacked on an insurance goal at the 77-minute mark, but a crossing pass by Rocco Menna caromed off the crossbar.
Lenoir-Rhyne had few opportunities in the final 20 minutes, failing to put a shot on goal after an attempt by Lopez was scooped up by Alvarez in the 69th minute. The contest turned physical in the second half, with the teams combining for 13 fouls and four cards in the final 30 minutes alone.
The Bears finished the match with an 11-6 advantage in corner kicks, while both teams were flagged three times for offsides. Tusculum ended up with the lead in fouls over Lenoir-Rhyne by a 20-14 margin.
Alvarez made two saves in picking up his fifth win in five starts this season for the Pioneers, while King had one save in the loss for the Bears.
Tusculum will be on the road for their next two matches, beginning Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Lincoln Memorial in a SAC matchup.
