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Catawba sends No. 7 Tusculum to 3-0 defeat

Catawba sends No. 7 Tusculum to 3-0 defeat

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Daniele Proch scored goals in each half and added an assist as Catawba College upset seventh-ranked Tusculum College 3-0 in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Field.

Proch scored in the 18th and 57th minutes as the Indians (9-5-0, 6-4-0 SAC) remain in the hunt for a SAC quarterfinal home match, while the Pioneers (12-2-0, 7-2-0 SAC) lost their second straight after opening the season with 12 consecutive victories.

Tusculum finished with a 20-8 edge in shots, but only put five of their shot attempts on goal as the Catawba defense clamped down on the Pioneer attack, turning away numerous crossing and service attempts without allowing a dangerous scoring opportunity.

The Pioneers applied pressure on the Indians early, with a shot by Andre De Giorgi off the post and another saved by keeper Christian Watts. Less than a minute after Catawba got its first shot, the Indians took advantage of a turnover at midfield as Jack Ragen connected with Proch, who drew out keeper Jorge Alvarez before firing home his sixth goal of the season at 17:23.

The Indians nearly extended their lead to 2-0 in the 23rd minute, but a shot by Ian Orr hit the goalpost. De Giorgi had another good scoring chance in the final seconds of the half, but fired high just before the whistle. Tusculum outshot Catawba 11-4 in the first half, but put just two of the attempts on goal.

In the second half, Proch scored his second goal of the match with just over 11 minutes elapsed on the first shot attempt by either team, as he collected a loose ball in the box and fired home his seventh goal of the season for a 2-0 Catawba lead.

Belony Joseph gave the Indians insurance with 12:05 remaining as he got loose in the middle and collected a pass from Proch, which he fired past Alvarez for his first goal of the season and a 3-0 Catawba advantage.

De Giorgi almost got the Pioneers on the scoreboard in the waning moments, but his header with 6 1/2 minutes left richochet off the top of the crossbar. Jonathan Spicher had a pair of opportunities in the final 3 1/2 minutes, but his headers were collected by Watts.

The Pioneers had 11 corner kicks in the match to two by the Indians, and were called for 12 fouls to eight by Catawba. The Indians were flagged twice for offsides, and each team was shown a yellow card in the 81st minute.

Watts, who was making just his third start of the season, finished with five saves in his first shutout of the year. Alvarez had one save in goal for the Pioneers.

Tusculum will close its regular season with two matches on the road, at Coker on Tuesday at 2 p.m. and at Wingate on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

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