Pacers Upset 13th-Ranked Anderson in Regular Season Finale
AIKEN, S.C. - Kennis Paul netted the match-winner with six seconds left in the first half and the University of South Carolina Aiken closed out the regular season with its third consecutive win with a 3-2 upset victory over 13th-ranked Anderson at the "Pacer Pit."
The goal was the first of the year for Paul (Guoyave, Grenada/T.A. Marryshaw College). Paul's eventual match-winner earned USC Aiken a 3-1 lead at halftime.
The Trojans would tack one more on in the second half to cut the Pacer lead to one, but USC Aiken would be able to hold on for the win over the nationally-ranked squad.
The win over Anderson snapped the Trojan's seven-match positive result streak as Anderson had not lost a match since falling to Pfeiffer on Sept. 26.
The Pacers' win over Anderson is given even more credence by the fact that Anderson's recent string of success includes a 1-1 tie with current NSCAA NCAA Division II nationally-ranked No. 1 Lees-McRae on Oct. 20.
Troy Watson (Kingston, Jamaica/Montreat College) gave the Pacers a 1-0 lead in the 17th-minute when he artfully utilized a through ball from Amr Hailat (Aiken, S.C./South Aiken) that he took control of and then slotted past Anderson starting goalkeeper Benjamin Pepion into the bottom right corner of the Anderson net.
The Trojans would square the match in the 30th-minute on a give-and-go in the box that concluded with Paulo Passini getting just enough power on the ball to get it past USC Aiken netminder Andray Charles (Grenada, West Indies/T.A. Marryshaw). The goal was the 14th of the season for Passini.
The Trojan euphoria of squaring the match would not last long with Hailat and Watson flipping positions from the first goal. Hailat headed in Watson's corner to give the Pacers the 2-1 lead with just under 15 minutes left in the first stanza.
The two teams planning to go into intermission with USC Aiken up by just one score, Paul notched the match-winner on an assist by Scott Newby (Leicestershire, UK/Wreake Valley).
Anderson's Lasse Sohrweide scored the final tally of the evening at the 54:55 mark, but it would not be enough in the end with the Pacer defense holding on to pick up one of the largest wins in program history.
USC Aiken was only able to rattle off 11 shots in the match, but the Pacers nevertheless were able to withstand an Anderson offense that produced 24 shots in the match.
Charles made seven saves in net to preserve the huge victory.
The match was a make-up date of a contest originally scheduled for Sept. 9 at the "Pacer Pit."
The Pacers with the win over nationally-ranked Anderson conclude the 2009 regular season with a 7-10-1 record. The Pacers, who are 2-6 in the Peach Belt Conference, are not done yet as USC Aiken will next play in the opening round of the 2009 PBC Men's Soccer Tournament.
The Peach Belt Conference Tournament opens on Tuesday, Nov. 3 with the top eight teams playing at the higher seed. The final four will advance to the PBC Tournament Championship to be contested Nov. 6-8 at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga.
USC Aiken will learn of its first round opponent by the end of the upcoming weekend. Please check www.PacerSports.com in the coming days for further information.
 |  |
