FLORENCE, SC – Senior forward Mauricio Castorino scored the winning goal in the 51st minute as Francis Marion University clinched the top seed in the upcoming Conference Carolinas Tournament with a 2-1 victory over Barton College, Wednesday night (Oct. 27) in men's soccer play.
 
Francis Marion improves to 10-4-2 overall and also clinches at least a share of the regular-season title as the Patriots are 9-0-1 in conference play.  The No.1 seed means that FMU will advance straight to the tournament semifinals to be held Nov. 12 at the Florence Soccer Complex.
 
The Patriots will conclude their regular-season schedule, and attempt to win the regular-season championship outright, on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. kick-off at Erskine College in Due West, S.C.
 
FMU took an early 1-0 advantage when junior forward Javier Bello scored at the 5:41 mark.  Junior defender John Castro intercepted a Barton pass and threaded a through ball to Bello who dribbled around Barton goalkeeper Jacob Randolph and was successful on a 4-yard shot.  It was Bello's fourth goal of 2021 and 18th of his career.
 
Less than five minutes later, Barton knotted the score at 1-1 when Jeremy Alvarez scored from 27-yards out.
 
Only 5:32 into the second half, Castorino tallied the match winner, which capped a beautiful run of play.  Junior forward Alavro Zamora, the reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week, possessed the ball in the middle of the field near the halfway line.  He passed the ball out to the far left sideline where Bello crossed the ball into the penalty area.  His service found the head of graduate student Gabrielle Cavarero who nodded the ball back into the 6-yard box where Castorino finished the play with a one-touch, right-footed shot.
 
Patriot sophomore goalkeeper Riccardo Rossi made two saves in goal, while remaining unbeaten in his last nine starts.  Randolph finished with five stops.
 
Francis Marion held a commanding 15-3 lead in shots and a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
 
FMU sophomore midfielder Kimo Lemke forced a leaping save by Randolph only 2:26 into the contest.  After scoring the opening goal, Bello nearly doubled the margin in the 16th minute, but his header off a short-corner cross from senior Sam Pollard sailed high and over the crossbar.
 
Freshman forward Nick Huenig forced another strong save by Randolph in the 42nd minute.
 
In the second half following Castorino's score, FMU had two opportunities for an insurance tally.  Bello's header off a service from Zamora was wide of the near post in the 66th minute, and Huenig had a goal waived off in the 79th minute when the offside flag was raised.
 
The 10 wins is the 15th time the Patriot program has registered double-digit victories, and the second time in head coach Luis Rincon's three-year tenure (with the exception being the covid-shortened 2020 campaign).

 
 
Francis Marion Univ. (10-4-2, 9-0-1) def. Barton College (8-5-0, 7-3-0) 2-1
Date: 10/27/21      Attendance: 127
Weather: Nice, Cool, 65 degrees, Partly Cloudy
 
Goals by period       1  2  Tot
Barton College......  1  0 -  1
Francis Marion Univ.  1  1 -  2
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
1-0.   5:41 FMU Javier Bello (4) (John Castro) - intercepted pass, through ball, dribbled around GK for 4-yard shot from right
1-1.  10:20 BC Alvarez, Jeremy (1) (Stephen, Sebastian) - Long pass from defensive half, settled, turn and shot from 27-yards out, middle of field
2-1.  50:32 FMU Mauricio Castorino (2) (Gabrielle Cavarero;Javier Bello) - Service from far left, headed back in, one-touch right-footed shot from 6 yards
 
Shots: Barton 3, Francis Marion 15 ; Saves: Barton 5 (Jacob Randolph 5), Francis Marion 2 (Riccardo Rossi 2)