EMORY, VA. – The William Peace men's soccer team was back in action this afternoon for their second game in as many days at Emory & Henry's Invitational Tournament. Bouncing back with little rest from last night's match against Bluefield College, the Pacers gave the Wasps of Emory & Henry all they could handle but came up just short, 3-2.
"We knew this was going to be a tough test and especially with tired legs, but I was very impressed with the boys efforts against a fresh Emory and Henry squad," said head coach Zane Hill. "We really showed a lot of heart as a team today pulling together on and off the field."
Emory & Henry (2-0-1) came out of the gates with a goal in the fourth minute as Kenny Sterne capitalized on a loose ball inside the six yard box to give the Wasps a 1-0 lead.
However, the Pacers (2-2) marched right back down the field with a response only a couple minutes later, as Brandon Page ripped a shot that was saved but deflected to Dylan Shields who knew what do with it, sending it home for the goal. Page was credited with the assist, and just like that the match was tied at one.
Despite several scoring opportunities in the opening segment following the equalizer, WPU was unable to take advantage and got caught on their heels in the 34th minute when Zach Quest lofted a shot from distance that went off the hands of keeper Connor Johnston and in for a goal to give the Wasps a 2-1 lead heading in to the break.
To make matters worse, WPU got caught napping less than thirty seconds into the second half and allowed Jared Eiriksson to score giving the Wasps a 3-1 lead.
Once again, it didn't take long for the Pacers to answer. In the 56th minute, Enrique Ochoa played Alex Donadio down the left sideline with a clever through ball, which allowed Donadio to free himself up for a one-on-one situation with the keeper. Donadio took the shot from a tough angle and deposited it into the upper 90, the only place he could have managed to sneak it past the keep, to bring Peace within one.
WPU had multiple breakaway looks at the goal and looked destined to tie things up before the end of regulation, but they never were able to put one in the back of the net resulting in the 3-2 loss.
"The chemistry was better today and we were able to connect on most passes, but we still need to work on improving our attacking creativity and efficiency," said Hill. "Simply put, we need more quality shots and goals."
The William Peace men's soccer team will return to action on September 19th against Maryville in their first ever USA South match.
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