YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Khurram Shazad scored a short-handed goal for the Young Harris College men’s soccer team as the Mountain Lions rallied for a 3-2 decision over Tusculum College Saturday (Sept. 17) afternoon at Frances Wood Wilson Soccer Field.

The Mountain Lions, who are ranked No. 8 in the latest NSCAA NCAA Division II Southeast Region poll, remained unbeaten at 5-0-0 while the Pioneers remained winless in six tries. Young Harris hosts the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, which is ranked No. 7 in the region, at 3 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 18).

Tusculum tied the match at 2 after the Pioneers’ Stephen McNeil converted a penalty kick with 12:28 remaining in the first half after the Mountain Lions had a player sent off for a red card for a foul in the box. The match only had 22 fouls called but 12 cautions (nine yellow and three red) were issued between the two teams.

It would stay that way until Shazad weaved his way through three Pioneer defenders with 12:18 remaining in regulation and kicked it past Tusculum goalkeeper Andy Goellner, who had six saves, into the left corner of the goal. It was Shazad’s first goal of 2011.

YHC took a 1-0 lead at the 18:11 mark when Alex Rivera played the ball through to Niall McCabe, who scored his second goal of the season. The Pioneers tied the match less than three minutes later on a Roberto Pimentel header off a McNeil cross. The Mountain Lions would retake the lead at the 32:03 mark of Rivera’s first goal off a Shazad assist.

Wezly Barnard had five saves in net for the Mountain Lions.