FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA – Senior forward
Victor Barón da Silva delivered the game-winner as his header deflected off the crossbar into the net in the 56th minute on Saturday evening (Sept. 26), as No. 18-ranked Francis Marion University secured a 1-0 shutout win at Emmanuel University in Conference Carolinas men's soccer action.
The Patriots continue a historic run after claiming a seventh straight victory to improve to 8-1-1 with a perfect 5-0 mark in league competition. It's the longest winning streak for the Patriots since 2008, when FMU captured 10 consecutive victories. Francis Marion has matched its win total from 2025 entering the back half of its regular season schedule.
FMU returns to the pitch on Wednesday, Sept. 30, as it travels to Ferrum College for a divisional matchup slated to start at 4:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Lions fall to 4-4-1 overall with a 4-2 mark in conference play.
Graduate student goalkeeper
Vicent Sanchis claimed his fourth clean sheet of the year after recording three saves on six shots faced in 90 minutes.
Francis Marion dominated possession in the opening 15-plus minutes of the match and pressured the Emmanuel defense with six shots and a trio of corner kicks. The Lions' goalkeeper tallied four first-half saves, including a stellar diving stop in the 44th minute. Graduate student defender
David Guevara peppered a header on goal off a corner kick, which was stopped by the fingertips of Emmanuel keeper Edouard Laberge.
At the break, Francis Marion held an 11-2 shot advantage with a 5-1 edge in corner kicks.
The Patriots broke the deadlock via a set piece in the 56th minute. Senior defender
Esteban Quintero fired a corner kick to the far post, which was headed back across the box by sophomore defender
Stiward Palacios. The pass found the head of Barón da Silva, who hammered the shot off the crossbar and in for his fourth goal of the year, 1-0.
Despite 13 shots by the Patriots in the second half, FMU relied on its defense late in the match to seal the victory. Francis Marion limited the Lions to just four shots in the final 34 minutes, with Sanchis making a pair of comfortable saves.
The Patriots finished with a massive 24-6 shot advantage while leading 8-2 in corner kicks.
