EVANS, GA - Senior defender Willie Hunt headed in a corner kick by freshman Adrian Sikorski with 7:53 remaining in the second overtime period to give Francis Marion University a dramatic 1-0 win over Lander University in the championship match of the 2008 Peach Belt Conference men's soccer tournament, Sunday evening (Nov. 9) in Evans, Ga.

The tournament championship is the second for Francis Marion, but its first since 1999.  The Patriots were the top seed for the tournament after winning the regular-season title with a 3-1 victory over Lander last Saturday.

Francis Marion ups its record to 13-4-3 while extending its unbeaten streak to 14 matches.  Because there are no automatic bids, the Patriots must now await the announcement of the 32-team NCAA Division II national tournament field on Monday evening.

Hunt's heroics came after both sides had good opportunities to score in the overtime periods. FMU began the second overtime pushing the ball towards the Lander goal and were awarded a corner kick at 101:37. That kick did not produce the match-winning goal, but did produce another corner kick that Sikorski sent to Hunt, who put it past diving Lander goalkeeper Billy Hale for the score.

Hunt, FMU's lone senior, was named the tournament's most valuable player.  Joining him on the All-Tournament team were three Patriots: junior midfielder Kyle Clinton, sophomore forward Juan Rivas, and sophomore goalkeeper Clark Richeson.

Lander began the game as the aggressor, outshooting FMU 7-1 in the opening 45 minutes, but not generating any significant scoring chances. The Patriots maintained possession through most of the first period, trying to advance up the field with quick passes while Lander relied on counter attacks to generate their shots.

The second half saw the intensity increase as both teams opened up their offenses. The two were even on shots 5-5, but each had greater potential to lead to a score. Lander's Jamie Davison and Ivan Stoykov both had shots sail just a few feet wide of the goal, while Francis Marion's Emerson Peredo and Clinton also had excellent scoring chances.

That intensity carried into the first overtime period as both teams once again had good scoring opportunities. Lander got off two shots in the first five minutes of the extra session, but both were stopped by Richeson, who made eight saves in the match. FMU came back with a pair of on-goal shots from Hunt, both of which were rejected by Hale, who finished the game with five saves.

Richeson recorded his sixth shutout of the year, and did not allow a goal in FMU's two tournament matches while facing 28 shots and making 12 saves.  For Hunt, the score was the Greer, S.C., native's fourth of 2008 and 11th of his career.

Lander held the overall shots advantage 17-10, including an 8-6 lead in shots-on-goal, but Francis Marion gained a 12-4 edge in corner kicks.

FMU head coach Kevin Varnado wins both the PBC regular-season and tournament titles in only his second year on the Patriot bench, and in a season that saw his squad picked to finish fifth in the pre-season coaches' poll and saw the Patriots opened the year with a 1-4-1 mark after six matches.

The complete All-Tournament Team consisted of Diego Castillo (UNC Pembroke), Leighton Frederics (Clayton State University), Derek Schicker (Georgia Southwestern State University), Troy Watson (USC Aiken), John Lesko (USC Aiken), Stephen Smith (North Georgia College & State University), Avram Allen (North Georgia), Craig Hughes (Lander), Jamie Ramm (Lander), Adam Arthur ( Lander), Juan Rivas (Francis Marion), Kyle Clinton (Francis Marion), Clark Richeson (Francis Marion), and MVP Willie Hunt (Francis Marion).

Lander University (12-4-2) vs. Francis Marion Univ. (13-4-3)

Date: Nov 09, 2008  Attendance: 525

Weather: cool, windy

Goals by period       1  2 OT O2  Tot

-------------------------------------

Lander University...  0  0  0  0 -  0

Francis Marion Univ.  0  0  0  1 -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:

1-0. 102:07 FMU Willie Hunt (Adrian Sikorski) - header off corner kick

Shots: Lander 17, Francis Marion 10 ; Saves: Lander 5 (Billy Hale 5), Francis Marion 8 (Clark Richeson 8)