CIU Defeats SMC Men's Soccer in NAIA Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Spartanburg Methodist (0-1-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
CIU (SC) (1-0-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Host Columbia International University spoiled the NAIA debut of the Spartanburg Methodist College men's soccer team with a 2-1 win on Saturday.
CIU (1-0) went ahead in the 32nd minute when they successfully converted a penalty-kick attempt.
SMC (0-1) nearly had the equalizer when Adrian Johnson had a shot that was blocked and a rebound attempt by Ossian Lindberg-Haak went wide right to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.
A rebound attempt by the Rams' Rodrigo Vicente Cerc found the back of the net to put the home team ahead 2-0 in the 71st minute.
Sam Avram got the Pioneers on the scoreboard in the 85th minute for what proved to be the final margin.
CIU outshot SMC by a 13-8 margin and had a 11-4 advantage in corner kicks on its way to the win.
Next, the Pioneers will have its home opener on Friday at 4 p.m. when they host Columbia College at the Nash Soccer Field for its first NAIA home contest.
