FLORENCE, SC – Junior forward
Jose Coutinho scored his fourth game-winning goal of the season in the 81st minute on Wednesday night (Sept. 23), as #18 Francis Marion University secured a 2-1 victory over Barton College at Hartzler Field in Conference Carolinas men's soccer divisional play.
The Patriots extend their winning streak to six and improve to 7-1-1 this season with a 4-0 mark in conference play. The last time Francis Marion won six-straight matches dates to 2019; that season the Patriots won the Peach Belt Conference, made the NCAA Tournament, and finished No. 22 in the final national poll.
FMU will play its next three matches on the road, with the first road trip to Emmanuel University on Saturday, Sept. 26, for a Conference Carolinas match starting at 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs suffer a third consecutive loss to fall to 1-6-1 overall behind a 0-4-1 record in league action.
The Patriots dominated possession in the first half and produced a majority of the goal-scoring opportunities, but the Barton defense held tight as the contest remained scoreless through the opening 40 minutes.
FMU capitalized on a loose ball after a quick tackle in the back as junior midfielder
Marc Hernandez gained possession. He delivered a quick pass to senior forward
Volkan Celikkol, who dipped a goal into the top right corner in the 44th minute, his first of the season, 1-0.
In the second half, Barton took advantage of a miscue by the Patriot defense as Akos Tajyti exploited the chance by tying the game at 1-1 with a shot into the bottom right corner of the net at the 47:04 mark.
Just over six minutes later, Barton was forced down to 10 men as Tajyti was issued a red card after denying a goal-scoring opportunity. The Patriots nearly scored on the free-kick chance as Celikkol hit the crossbar.
FMU would control the ball in the attacking half for a majority of the final 36-plus minutes, tallying nine shots, including five on goal.
The Patriots eventually found the game-winner in the 81st minute as a cross into the box by sophomore forward
Sebastian Gough was quickly gathered by senior forward
Juan Esteban Silva. He directed a pass to Coutinho, who curled a shot in from 21 yards out into the top left corner to seal the 2-1 win over Barton.
The Bulldogs were forced down to nine men for the final three minutes of the match following a pair of yellow cards to Dan Ivanov.
Freshman goalkeeper
Patrick Maher earned the win after facing just three shots and not recording a save in 90 minutes of action.
Francis Marion finished with a 19-3 advantage in total shots and a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.
