Coker Men's Soccer Comes Up Short 1-0 in Overtime to Carson-Newman

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker University men's soccer team's five game winning streak came to an end on Saturday (Oct. 12) as they were defeated by the Carson-Newman University Eagles by a score of 1-0 in overtime.

The Cobras came into Saturday's match riding a five game winning streak after defeating the Catawba College Indians 4-0 on alumni weekend last Saturday (Oct. 5). The victory helped propel the Cobras into the national United Soccer Coaches rankings at No. 15, also jumping up in the Southeast regional poll from No. 7 to No. 2.

It was a very competitive first half of play as both teams had their fair share of scoring opportunities. Neither team was able to convert as the score at halftime remained 0-0.

"Carson-Newman did a great job defensively stopping our attacks," said coach Michael Antoniewicz. "If you cannot take advantage of your chances against them, it will come back to haunt you."

Play in the second half was very similar as both teams continued to struggle offensively. The Cobras and Eagles each had eight shot attempts, however none of them found the back of the net as the match went into overtime remaining tied 0-0.

Early into the overtime period, Carson-Newman's Nencho Margaritha fired a shot that went past goalkeeper Guilermo Falo Ejea, but defender Morgan Ratcliffe was able to clear the ball away before it went over the goal line.

"We had a great all-around defensive performance," said Antoniewicz. "Falo Ejea made a lot of great saves and our back line did a tremendous job keeping the Eagles scoreless."

In the 102^nd minute, Collin Hensel crossed the ball into the box and found the foot of Nic Carsh, who scored the clinching goal for the Eagles.

"Tough loss today but I'm proud of the team's effort," said Antoniewicz. "We played very hard and will look to bounce back on Wednesday."

Guilermo Falo Ejea was named the McDonald's Player of the Game for the Cobras. 

The Cobras will be back in action on Wednesday (Oct. 16), as they will host the Newberry College Wolves in a South Atlantic Conference match. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m.