GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Stephen McNeill scored in the 73rd minute to boost Tusculum College to a 1-0 victory over Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
McNeill's team-high fifth goal of the season came off a pass by Javier Portillo and gave the Pioneers (2-6-1, 2-0-0 SAC), who started 10 freshmen, their second straight conference victory.
Tusculum statistically dominated the match against Newberry (4-5-0, 0-3-0 SAC), finishing with a 22-6 edge in shots and a whopping 14-1 advantage in corner kicks. Wolves keeper Joel Johnson was kept busy on his line, making nine saves in the match.
"It was a good team win for us. I felt like we put together a good team effort," said Pioneer head coach Allen Vital. "This is the first time we've been able to keep the intensity both offensively and defensively. We created a lot of chances, but we kept our shape well."
The Pioneers applied immediate pressure on the Wolves' side of the field, taking six corners in the first 15 minutes. Fingertip saves at the crossbar by Johnson denied opportunities by McNeill and Fernando Leon and kept the match scoreless.
Early in the second half, Portillo nearly gave the Pioneers a 1-0 lead as Johnson was out of position on a play near the goal. However, Newberry's Christian Ortiz cleared a shot by Portillo from the line to preserve the deadlock at 52:16.
With the clock under 18 minutes, Portillo passed to McNeill near the top of the box and he unleashed a high shot that Johnson deflected but could not smother as the ball crossed the line for a 1-0 Pioneer lead at 72:18.
The Pioneers masterfully protected the advantage over the final 16 minutes, nearly completely shutting down the Wolves' attack. A wide shot by Newberry's Justin Blomdahl with 16:15 to go was the last shot directed at Tusculum keeper Andy Goellner, who finished with two saves in his second straight clean sheet.
Tusculum will put its three-match unbeaten streak on the line on Wednesday night as Mars Hill travels over the mountain for a 7 p.m. SAC match.
"We have to try and get some rest and get our legs back and prepare for next week," said Vital. "Mars Hill is playing very well, so we have a massive challenge ahead of us. Hopefully we can come back with a performance like the ones we had this week."
- TC -
