WINGATE, NC – Senior forward
Lucas Vila scored the game-winning goal in the 75th minute, as Francis Marion University captured a 1-0 shutout victory at Wingate University on Wednesday night (Sept. 9) in a non-conference regional men's soccer match.
The Patriots improve to 3-1-1 overall while remaining unbeaten on the road with a 2-0 record. It marked FMU's first win over the Bulldogs (2-2-0) since 2009, while boasting a 14-8-3 mark in the all-time series.
Francis Marion returns to Hartzler Field on Saturday, Sept. 12, to continue Conference Carolinas play against Shorter University at 1 p.m.
Graduate student goalkeeper
Vicent Sanchis collected his second clean sheet of the season after tallying one save on five shots faced on Wednesday.
The Patriots had a dominant first-half performance after controlling a majority of the possession while totaling 10 shots with five on goal. FMU's defense was lockdown as the Bulldogs were unable to record a shot in the initial 45 minutes of the contest.
FMU had multiple goal-scoring chances in the final 10 minutes of the first half, including a shot by sophomore forward
Sebastian Gough that hit the crossbar at the 35:55-mark.
In the second half, the Patriots continued to pressure Wingate in the offensive end of the pitch, but the contest remained scoreless. Francis Marion found its breakthrough in the 75th minute as junior forward
Jose Coutinho shook his defender and drove the ball from midfield to the 18-yard box. He delivered a centering pass to Vila, who scored into the right side of the goal, 1-0.
The Patriots finished with a 20-5 shot advantage while holding a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
