BROWNS SUMMIT, NC – Top-seeded Francis Marion University fell to fifth-seeded Converse University 4-1, Friday afternoon (Nov. 10) in the semifinals of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Tournament.
 
Francis Marion, the East Division champion, ends its season at 7-4-6, while the Valkyries (12-4-3) advance to Sunday's championship match.  FMU was looking to make the title match for the third time in its three years as a conference member.
 
Junior forward Rafael Silverio scored the Patriot goal with 37.4 seconds remaining.  He took a pass from junior forward Edorta Cabieces in the box, and after eluding several defenders including the goalkeeper, hammered a three-yard shot into an open net.
 
Converse outshot the Patriots 13-12 and both teams took three corner kicks.  Francis Marion held a slight edge in ball possession, 51 to 49 percent.
 
Cabieces, a first-team All-Conference selection, led FMU with four shots.
 
The Patriots, coming off a 12-day layoff, came out pressuring after the opening kickoff.  Francis Marion forced a pair of saves by Valkyries goalkeeper Tim Baerwalde in the opening five minutes.
 
However, on Converse's first serious foray into the Patriot defensive end, Guilherme Fontes served a ball from the right side into the penalty area that found Kyle Lewis for a successful short attempt and a 1-0 advantage at the 5:24 mark.
 
Cabieces forced another save by Baerwalde in the 13th minute and was just wide on a long blast in the 29th minute, a ball the keeper could only watch and hope didn't find the net.  Senior midfielder Jhancarlo Palma also challenged Baerwalde at 41:44, but the Valkyries keeper was up to the task.
 
The margin doubled to 2-0 when Joel Houston tallied a rebound goal only 3:30 into the second half.
 
With the Patriots pushing numbers forward, Converse added a pair of unassisted goals by Jaxon Keene and Lewis in the 67th and 84th minutes.
 
Trailing 3-0, Francis Marion did produce two serious scoring opportunities, but All-Conference midfielder Philipp Worner was wide on a shot from 20-yards out in the 78th minute and senior forward Pedro Crespo had his short header snagged by Baerwalde in the 83rd minute.
  
FMU junior All-Conference goalkeeper Felipe Ramos Peralta finished with three saves.
 
Six Patriot seniors played donned the red, white, and blue uniform for the final time: conference Defensive Player of the Year Sebastian Garcia, All-Conference midfielders Vicente Arratia Veit and Hugo Jonsson, defender Max Bisinger, midfielder Juan Aleman, and Crespo.
 
 
Converse (12-4-3) def. Francis Marion Univ. (7-4-6) 4-1
Date: 11/10/23      Attendance: 121

Goals by period          1  2  Tot
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Converse University    1  3  - 4
Francis Marion Univ.   0  1 -  1
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
1-0.  5:24 CON Kyle Lewis (2) (Guilherme Fontes) – cross from right, scored from far post
2-0.  48:30 CON Joel Houston (5) (Nathan Hoover) – scored off rebound
3-0.  66:53 CON Jaxon Keene (6) (unassisted) – beat GK 1-v-1
4-0.  83:26 CON Kyle Lewis (3) (unassisted) – beat GK bottom right corner
4-1.  89:22 FMU Rafael Silverio (4) (Edorta Cabieces) – 3 yard shot into empty net
 
Shots: Converse University 13, Francis Marion Univ. 12 ; Saves: Converse University 5 (Tim Baerwalde 5), Francis Marion Univ. 3 (Felipe Ramos Peralta 3)