The LSUS men’s soccer team (1-1) started the season on the road for their first two games of the season. The Pilots headed to McKenzie, TN to take on No. 10 Bethel University Wildcats where they fell 4-1 on Thursday. The second road game was favorable for LSUS as they got a 1-0 double overtime when against Lyons College in Batesville, AR on Saturday.
No. 10 Bethel University 4, LSUS 1
The Pilots season had to start a little late as the beginning of the game was a delay from a 7 pm start to 9:20 pm due to lightning. Bethel game out the gate heading into the LSUS third by firing two shots that went wide. Arsenios Dimitrious got a couple of opportunities to score with a save required on the first. The Pilots looked like stunning the No. 10 ranked Wildcats as Abdoul Karii Pare scored on follow-through from Julius Williams in the 16th minute. Both teams went back and forth with a sole shot from Julius Williams in the 21st minute which went high. Bethel had to change things up as Nicholas Ruiz, Adrian Musbi, and Alphonso Gooden made an appearance in the 29th minute. The subs worked as Gooden scored on a front sidekick for the Wildcats to tie the game in the 32nd minute. The 1-1 tie would hold for the remainder of the half. LSUS and Bethel played evenly in the first half matching on 5 shots, 7 fouls, and a save apiece.
Second half Bethel realized why they had a number before their name. Julius Williams got another quick shot in early. Bethel took the ball and went on the strike. After being rewarded a corner in the 48th minute, Bethel kept the ball on offense. Gooden took a second goal just a little less than two minutes later to break the tie to 2-1 in favor of Bethel. LSUS made some changes including bringing in goalie Louis Owens in the 56th minute. The Pilots snuck in a couple of shots but Nicolas Ruiz snuck a top-shelf goal is to push the lead to 3-1. Justice Nmergini added another goal in the 80th minute to give the Wildcats to 4-1 win.
LSUS 1, Lyon College 0 (2 OT)
The Pilots collected its first win of the season despite needing two overtimes to get the sole goal for the win. The Scots challenged goalkeeper Louis Owens right after kickoff and was faced with a corner kick. LSUS got control and took control down to their third and fired three shots in the next three minutes by Abdoul Karim Pare, Arsenios Dimitrios, and Matt Roberts. The two teams continued aggressive play as the referee whistle started screaming including bringing out a yellow card on Dimitrios for the Pilots. Lyon College got a close opportunity with another corner kick followed by a header by Paul Florian-Fang that went wide off the corner. The two teams looked to break the stalemate by making nine substitutions (4 LSUS, 5 Lyons College) in the next six minutes. LSUS fired two more quick shots in the 33rd minute by Gledi Doda and James Averies. The first half ended scoreless for each team. LSUS slightly outshot the Scots 5-3 in the first half.
The two continued their aggressive style of play as Lyon College had been charged with their 10th foul by the 53rd minute. The two sides had kept each other to a single shot by LSUS’s Maurice Theart in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Scots took some opportunities as Kanata Furtani’s took two shots which both required saves by Owens. Lyons got the chance at back-to-back corner kicks. The aggressive Scots though were being a little rough as two yellow cards were handed out Fang and Furtani. This was Lyon’s third yellow card of the match. Lyon made a flurry of substitutions to throw fresh legs as five more subs came in the next ten minutes. LSUS took some chances after the 71st minute with a shot by Julius Williams and their sole corner kick in the second half. Dimitrios also fired a shot that was stopped with a save. The Pilots continued to fall prey to the offsides flag as they were charged with six offsides in the second half. Both teams tried to break the deadlock by throwing in fresh legs but the second half ended with the match still scoreless.
The Scots continued to work the bench send in two subs to start the first overtime. Lyon College’s Raimundo Cabello shot high almost two minutes into the overtime. Marcos Fernndez took the second opportunity for the Scots. LSUS lone shot by James Averies in the 98th minute went wide as the two headed towards the second overtime.
Five substitutes started the second overtime for the Scots. Lyon College had made 25 substitutions for the entire match. LSUS made two changes bringing in Williams and Liam Vivian. The sub finally paid off. Scott Neils sent a through ball to Julius Williams to score the game-winning goal in the 104th minute.
The Pilots will now get a three-match homestand starting with Saturday, September 4 game against Southwestern Christian University at 4:30 at The Swamp. They will follow that up on Labor Day with a finale of a doubleheader with the Lady Pilots at 2 pm against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Dovers
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