HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker University men's soccer team picked up their fifth consecutive victory with a 4-0 win over the Catawba College Indians. A strong second half performance with four goals in the last 13 minutes of play fueled the Cobras' victory.
The Cobras came into Saturday's match with a lot of momentum, riding a four game winning streak after a 4-1 victory over the Anderson University Trojans on Wednesday (Oct. 2). Coker came out firing in the first half as they outshot the Catawba Indians 13-3 in the first 45 minutes of play, however the score remained 0-0 heading into halftime.
"I'm proud of our team's patience in the first half," said coach Michael Antoniewicz. "We stuck to the game plan and did not panic."
The Cobras stayed on the attack in the second half as they continued to execute coach Antoniewicz's game plan to perfection. Christian Provenzano had another strong performance on the outside wing with nine total shots in the match.
In the 77th minute, Riccardo Ricci broke free on the right side escaping the Indians defense. Ricci was able to cross it to Provenzano, who was able to score on a tremendous volley to give the Cobras a 1-0 lead. However, just a few moments later the Indians were back in their attacking third. Joseph Alleron ripped a shot on goal but Guilermo Falo Ejea made an outstanding diving save to keep the Cobras in front 1-0.
Provenzano continued to cause problems for the Indians defense in the 84th minute, beating several defenders and finding the back of the net for the second time in the match. To go along with his two goals, Provenzano was able to get his teammates involved as well. In the 87th minute, Provenzano was able to set Markos Touroukis up for his first goal of the season.
Perhaps the moment of the match came just 56 seconds after Touroukis' goal. Provenzano had possession in the middle of the field, and was able to connect on a through ball to Quadarius Grate. Grate then fired a rocket into the far side of the net for his first goal of the season and Coker's fourth of the night, highlighting the 4-0 win over Catawba.
"I am so proud of our team's patience and execution tonight," said coach Antoniewicz. "A great offensive performance and another clean sheet for our defense. Robi Obrstar, Morgan Ratcliffe, Adam Garner, and Steffen Husum were great tonight on the back line."
The Cobras will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 12) when they play host to the Carson-Newman University Eagles in a South Atlantic Conference match. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Coker Athletic Field.
McDonald's Player of the Game - Christian Provenzano