ANDERSON, S.C. – Alex Payton and João Magalhães lifted the Catawba men's soccer team over No. 24 Anderson on the road, 2-1, as the blue and white remained undefeated and earned a pivotal three South Atlantic Conference points on Wednesday night.
Catawba (10-0-2, 6-0-1 SAC) outshot Anderson (7-2-4, 3-2-3 SAC) 9-8, with four attempts on goal to the Trojans' two. Corners were 9-2 in favor of Anderson, while one yellow card was distributed apiece.
The hosts built the early momentum. 15 minutes into the match, the Trojans threatened with a one-on-one breakaway against the Catawba goalkeeper Héctor Vara, but the shot was pushed wide right. Anderson's next best opportunity of the half came off a free kick that connected with the crossbar before getting cleared by the blue and white's defense.
The first stanza's lone shot on target occurred in the 38th minute, presented off a well-placed free kick pass from Leo Souza to Guilherme Quintas on the right side of the crease that the Trojans' keeper stopped. Less than four minutes later, Juan Camilo worked free inside the box and chipped his attempt just above the net as the SAC heavyweights went to halftime scoreless.
The visitors came out of the break the aggressor, controlling possession and creating opportunities. Diogo Correia opened the second half with a shot on goal that was deflected off an Anderson defender before a diving save.
The Catawba Indians were able to break through in the 55th minute as Correia sent a pass to Luis Rodrigues on the left side, who delivered a perfect crosser to Payton inside the box. The sophomore capitalized and booted home the goal, providing an immediate impact in his return to the lineup.
Payton was not done there. In the 81st minute, the midfielder made a crafty move on the right side and found Magalhães positioned in front of the net, who scored a crucial goal as Catawba increased its lead to two.
The defending regular season conference champions would not go down without a fight, scoring in the 83rd on their first shot attempt on goal of the night to cut into the Catawba lead.
Anderson continued its final push, earning a corner kick in the 85th minute. The ball was sent into the box, and a Trojan fired a clean shot attempt that Vara courageously stonewalled, sealing the momentous South Atlantic Conference victory, 2-1.
The win marks another milestone in Catawba's impressive season, as the blue and white remain unbeaten through 12 matches for the first time in program history.
The Catawba Indians will travel to Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, October 21st, at 4 p.m. for more critical South Atlantic Conference action.
ICYMI – The Catawba men's soccer team ranked fourth in Super Region 2 and 14th in the nation in the first NCAA Division II National Power Index (NPI) rankings, released on Monday, October 12th.
