FLORENCE, SC – The senior duo of forward
Lucas Vila and defender
Esteban Quintero scored goals for the Patriots on Wednesday night (Oct. 7), as #10-ranked Francis Marion University captured a 2-0 shutout victory over the University of Mount Olive in Conference Carolinas divisional men's soccer action at Hartzler Field.
With the win, the Patriots secure all three points to remain atop the East Division with a perfect 4-0 mark. This season, Francis Marion holds a 10-2-1 overall record with a 7-1 mark in Conference Carolinas play.
Meanwhile, the Trojans drop to 2-9-0 this season with a 1-7-0 record in league play.
FMU will travel to Melbourne, Florida, this weekend for a Super Region 2 matchup against Florida Tech with kickoff set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The Patriots controlled and maintained the ball in their offensive half throughout the majority of the match, finishing with 71% of the possession in the 90-minute contest. Despite recording nine shots through the initial 40 minutes of the match, the Patriots were unable to find the back of the net as Mount Olive goalkeeper Josiah Jones tallied six saves to keep the contest scoreless.
At the 40:13 mark, senior forward
Volkan Celikkol delivered a cross from the top left-corner of the box to the far post. Vila collected the pass and quickly dispatched it into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season, 1-0
At halftime, the Patriots held a 12-2 shot advantage and a 1-0 edge in corner kicks.
Francis Marion added to its lead in the 49th minute, as senior midfielder
Santiago Sanchez controlled the ball off a throw-in before delivering a pass to the top of the box. Quintero secured the ball and scored from 19 yards out into the left side of the net to increase the lead to 2-0.
The Patriot defense was stellar the entire match, surrendering just three shots and not allowing a corner kick.
Freshman goalkeeper
Patrick Maher earned his third win of the 2026 season after securing the clean sheet with two saves.
FMU finished the match with a 29-3 margin in total shots while boasting a 10-0 lead in corner kicks.
