FLORENCE, SC – #7-ranked Francis Marion University was forced down to 10 men for the final 34 minutes of the match on Saturday (Oct. 17) and ultimately salvaged a 0-0 draw on Senior Day versus Ferrum College at Hartzler Field in Conference Carolinas divisional men's soccer action.
With the draw, the Patriots move to 11-3-2 this season with a 7-2-1 mark in league competition. Following today's contest, FMU maintains a one-point lead in the East Division standings with two matches left, while sitting fourth in the Conference Carolinas NPI, which determines tournament seeding. Meanwhile, the Panthers stand at 5-5-3 overall with a 3-5-2 record in conference play.
Francis Marion will close out the regular season next week with a pair of road matches, starting with Barton College on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m., followed by a trip to the University of Mount Olive on Saturday, Oct. 24, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Both sides managed a shot on goal in the opening 20 minutes of the contest, as senior forward
Lucas Vila saw FMU's first shot saved by the Ferrum goalkeeper at the 14:06 mark. Graduate student midfielder
Filippo Noseda registered a shot on goal in the 29th minute before senior forward
Marc Hernandez just missed the net at the 35:09 mark. In the closing moments of the first half, graduate student goalkeeper
Vicent Sanchis made two heroic plays, grabbing a loose ball on a shot that hit the crossbar and shutting down a last-second attack by the Panthers to keep the match scoreless at halftime.
At the break, the Patriots held a slight 6-5 lead in shots while boasting a 2-1 lead in corner kicks.
Disaster struck in the early minutes of the second half for the Patriots as a turnover near midfield created a breakaway opportunity for Ferrum. Graduate student midfielder
Othmane Karoumi denied the goal-scoring chance by pulling down the attacking player, forcing a straight red card from the official at the 56:24 mark.
Despite playing with 10 men to complete the match, Francis Marion managed to create several scoring opportunities, outshooting its opponent 6-4 in the second half.
Sanchis recorded his sixth shutout of the season after collecting one save on nine shots faced.
FMU finished with a 12-9 advantage in total shots while holding a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
