SALISBURY, N.C. – Juan Camilo's late goal lifted the Catawba men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over a quality Super Region 2 opponent, Lee, on Wednesday night at Frock Field to remain unbeaten.
Catawba (7-0-2, 3-0-1 SAC) outshot the Flames 19-4 with seven on target, allowing just one Lee (6-3-2, 3-2-0 GSC) attempt on goal. The blue and white earned two corner kicks while the Flames received three. No cards were handed out during the contest.
The Catawba Indians controlled possession for a large part of the first half. Breno Andreucci recorded the game's first shot on goal in the 16th minute but was saved by the Flames' keeper. In the 28th minute, Alex Payton fired a good-looking shot that just missed wide left.
The blue and white were able to break through in the 34th minute when João Magalhães delivered a turnaround strike into the back of the net from a nice feed by Patrick Ostergreen for senior's third goal of the season and his sixth point in the last four games.
Catawba was able to tally six more shots in the next 10 minutes, with the best attempt coming from Camilo as it was deflected and tipped off the crossbar, nearly passing the goal line.
Lee looked to turn the tables, as they controlled possession more frequently early in the second half. In the 65th minute, the Flames uncorked their first shot of the game when Max Rode curled a perfectly placed ball in the net to even the score at one apiece. The goal marked the first allowed by Catawba in over a month, snapping a program-record shutout streak that spanned over six matches.
With a draw looming, the Catawba Indians displayed great resiliency after Lee appeared to take the momentum. As the clock reached under eight minutes to go, Gabriel Miranda worked to get free and attempted a shot that was blocked, leaving an opening for Camilo, who booted home the eventual game-winner.
The Flames would make a final push but fall short as their shot attempt was blocked as time expired, propelling Catawba to head into October undefeated for just the second occurrence in program history.
Catawba will be back at Frock Field to host the Luke Griffith Memorial Game on Saturday, October 3rd, against South Atlantic Conference foe Wingate at 1 p.m.
Hear from Head Coach Alex Morais and João Magalhães after the hard-fought victory:
ICYMI – The Catawba men's soccer team received votes in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll for the first time in 2026 and moved up to No. 5 in the Southeast Region Poll on Tuesday.
