BELMONT, N.C. (Oct. 11) – After scoring three times in the second half on Tuesday night, the Trojans rolled past Belmont Abbey on the road behind a 4-0 shutout victory in Conference Carolinas play.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive men's soccer team improves to 9-5 overall with a 6-3 mark in league action. The Trojans now sit second in the conference standings with 18 points heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Crusaders fall to 1-8-3 this season with a 0-4-3 record in conference play.
Belmont Abbey pressed the attacking side of the pitch early in the first half totaling four shots and one corner kick over 21-plus minutes. The Crusaders nearly broke through in the 29th minute when an attempt hit the crossbar. After a yellow card set-up a close range free-kick, junior
Walter Gomez blasted it past the goalkeeper to give the Trojans a 1-0 advantage at the 31:15-mark.
In the second half, Mount Olive wasted little time adding the lead after a free-kick cross into the box was deflection in by a Crusader defender for an own goal in the 48th minute, 2-0. The Trojans managed to stretch the advantage at the 54:05-mark on a goal by sophomore
Guilherme Semola after he chipped it over the keeper and poked it in to make it a 3-0 lead. UMO added a final goal at the 84:00-mark after freshman
Joao Barboza Filho stole the ball off a defender and buried it into the bottom left-corner of the net, 4-0.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Axel Engren notched the shutout win after totaling four saves on 13 shots faced in 90 minutes between the posts.
Belmont Abbey held a 13-7 shot advantage, including a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, while also posting a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.
The Trojans return to action on Saturday, Oct. 15, when they host the conference regular-season champions Converse on Senior Day at Amon Field, starting at 2:30 p.m.