YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | The Young Harris College men's soccer team scored the final four goals as the No. 19 Mountain Lions rallied from an early two-goal deficit to defeat Francis Marion University 4-2 in a Peach Belt Conference match Saturday (Oct. 10) evening at the YHC Soccer and Lacrosse Field.
The Mountain Lions improved to 9-1-0 overall and to 4-0-0 in the Peach Belt while the Patriots slipped to 7-2-1 and 2-2-0. With the comeback, YHC extended its marks for most consecutive regular-season PBC wins (23) and consecutive PBC home victories (13). Francis Marion is the last PBC to defeat Young Harris when the Patriots defeated the Mountain Lions 3-2 in the semifinals of the 2013 PBC Tournament. Young Harris steps out of conference play for the final time Tuesday (Oct. 13) when they travel to Jefferson City, Tennessee, for a 5 p.m. match against Carson-Newman University.
Sven Ricke scored twice to give the Patriots the 2-0 lead at the 28:34 mark. Ricke, who has five goals this season, scored in the ninth when Williams passed to a sliding Anton Jonsson in the box, who found Ricke at the right post. Rickie and Jonsson teamed up for the Patriots' second goal. Jonsson crossed the ball from the left side to Ricke at the right post again.
Paco Craig got the Mountain Lions back in the game as he scored twice in a three-minute late in the first half to tie the match at 2.
Lewis Hilton served in a direct kick from the left to Craig in the box for the first YHC tally at the 38:10 mark.
Piers Oldland crossed the ball into Craig for the second strike. It was Craig's third goal of 2015.
A minute after Levin Sandmann took a 15-yard shot for the Patriots that was stopped by a Young Harris defender standing on the goal line, the Patriots were whistled for a foul in the box and Hilton converted the penalty kick for the Mountain Lions at the 62:17 mark to give YHC its first lead of the match at 3-2. It was Hilton's third goal of the campaign.
It would stay that way until
Jake Simpson added an insurance goal with 1:15 remaining.
Macauley King sent a long ball into
Jake Simpson at the top of the box and then beat the FMU keeper and put the ball in the left corner of the net for his fourth goal of the year.
Young Harris held a 26-10 lead on shots, including a 16-9 advantage on goals. The Mountain Lions took 10 of the 11 corner kicks in the match.
Jordan Bradshaw recorded six saves for Young Harris, while Jonathan Mannes stop a career-high 12 shots for the Patriots.
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