GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Ruben Mancio scored the only goal of the match late in the first half and Barton's defense held off heavy pressure from Tusculum in the second half as the Bulldogs upset the Pioneers 1-0 in non-conference men's soccer action Saturday evening at Pioneer Field.

Playing in unseasonably cold temperatures and a persistent rainfall, the Bulldogs (1-0-0) withstood a 19-5 shot advantage from the 23rd-ranked Pioneers (0-1-0) to win the season opener for both teams.

Mancio's goal came at 39:07 when Pol Monells collected a loose ball in the Tusculum end and threaded a pass to Mancio, who beat Pioneer keeper Ivan Safranic to the far post. Nearly six minutes earlier, Mancio beat Safranic to a loose ball 30 yards from the goal but chipped a shot that traveled wide to the right.

Tusculum outshot Barton 13-1 in the second half, with no better chance than a header off a corner kick by Edgar Cervantes in the 49th minute. Bulldog keeper Jens Hordvik got a piece of the shot, but it took a clear off the line by Barton's Alex Blake to keep the Bulldogs ahead 1-0.

Hordvik also made a strong save in the 8th minute as he tipped a shot from Tusculum's Oscar Rubio Jimenez off the crossbar, and again in the 86th minute as he directed a blast from the Pioneers' Rocco Menna over the crossbar. Hordvik finished with nine saves in the shutout victory for Barton, while Safranic was credited with three stops for Tusculum.

In addition to its edge in shots, Tusculum also had a commanding 10-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Pioneers were flagged three times for offsides to two by the Bulldogs, while Barton was whistled for 10 fouls to nine for Tusculum.

The Pioneers will travel to Young Harris to face the Mountain Lions on Wednesday at 7 p.m.