SALISBURY, N.C. — Catawba College men's soccer scored twice in the second half and held off a late North Greenville rally to earn a 2-1 victory over the Crusaders Saturday night at Frock Field.
The Catawba Indians, who improved to 1-0-1 on the season, broke through in the 55th minute when Lukas Garcia-Huidobro found the back of the net to break the 0-0 first-half stalemate.
Catawba continued to pressure North Greenville throughout the second half, out shooting the Crusaders 9-2 after halftime and inevitably finished with a 14-6 advantage in shots for the match.
Alex Payton doubled Catawba's lead in the 80th minute, scoring his first goal of the season on a pinpoint strike to the upper left corner that put the Catawba Indians ahead 2-0 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
North Greenville quickly answered when Warren Traina converted a penalty kick in the 81st minute, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
With the Crusaders a man up in the 83rd minute, Catawba held off a persistent North Greenville final push, including two late corner kicks, to secure the victory.
Hector Vara made two saves earning the win in goal for Catawba, while Payton led offensive efforts for the team with five shots, including two on target.
Catawba returns to action at Newberry 4:30 p.m. Sept. 5, for its first road match of the 2026.
