NEWBERRY, S.C. – After trailing 1-0 early in the second half, the Catawba College men's soccer team rallied back and pulled away from Newberry, 3-1, at the Smith Road Soccer Complex on Saturday afternoon.
TEAM STATS
- The Catawba Indians (6-4-5, 4-3-3 SAC) bombarded the hosts with 19 shots including seven on target versus the eight attempts by Newberry (4-8-1, 3-6-1 SAC) as the Wolves put three on frame
- The blue and white, entering as the nation's third-best squad in corner kicks, received seven opportunities compared to just one for Newberry
- Each side was whistled for 15 fouls and three offsides
- The Wolves were shown two yellow cards while Catawba endured five cautions
- Nine reserves were utilized by Catawba, triple the total of Newberry who had six field players go the distance
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Finding the back of the net for Catawba were Tomas Kelly, Tino Lira, and Bautista Vecchi-Ramello
- Jacopo Suagher dished out two assists while Salano Birch was marked with one
- Three different Catawba Indians recorded a team-high three shots as Lira led the on-goal category with a pair of deliveries
- Joe Whitney earned his second career win in as many starts, making two saves in the complete game
- Catawba had possession for a greater portion of the match, spending 59 percent in control
- Jaime Serrano and Greg Chatzopoulos played a full 90 minutes on the back line
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The contest got off the ground slowly with no meaningful offense until Garrett Alban forced Jacob Cotton to make a save in the 12th minute
- Alban fired twice more in the ensuing minutes, but the Newberry defense stonewalled both attempts
- Following a saved Lira dart, Henok Awoke maintained possession on the other end of the field and missed high with the Wolves' initial shot, spurring a trend of wayward shots from both sides
- A late charge by Newberry was denied due to an offside foul with two seconds left, sending the match to halftime at 0-0
Second Half
- One minute into the second stanza, Ethan Orozco landed a free kick in the box to Harry McDonnell who allowed one bounce before booting it to the twine
- Five Catawba infractions in the next 13 minutes presented McDonnell with a second scoring chance, heading a jump ball to the right post but Whitney snatched it up
- From there, Catawba flipped the field as Hugo Tejera slipped a feed to Suagher on the wing who then blasted a set piece to the back corner of the box. Kelly took flight head-first, directing the ball out of Cotton's reach for the equalizer
- A struggle for the lead ensued with alternating attacking opportunities, but it was Catawba who broke the tie when Lira drove in a bullet from about 25 yards out in the 73rd minute
- Whitney turned down an Orozco shot as a 79th-minute offside gave Catawba the ball back; the visitors took advantage as Suagher had his shot deflected but Vecchi-Ramello finished it to provide insurance
- The blue and white held off Newberry for the final eight minutes to spoil the Wolves' senior day in 3-1 fashion
UP NEXT
Catawba focuses its attention toward the regular season finale on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Lenoir-Rhyne. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.