FLORENCE, S.C. — The first win of Catawba College head men's soccer coach Alex Morais' career in Salisbury came on Saturday night over Francis Marion in 3-2 fashion. The Patriots received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll and earned an NCAA Tournament berth last season by claiming the Conference Carolinas championship.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (1-1) booted one fewer shot than the Patriots (0-1-1) by a 14-13 difference, but peppered the net with eight shots on goal compared to the hosts' four
- Francis Marion was whistled for 10 fouls and shown three yellow cards, rivaling the eight fouls and two cards for Catawba
- The corner kick count finished at 6-2 in favor of the Patriots; the Catawba Indians recorded their lowest value in a win since Sept. 27, 2023
- FMU won the possession battle at 60%, spending over 67% of their time in the attacking half
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Máté Kenyeres came off the bench to register his second career brace, netting the tying and game-winning goals in just 39 minutes of action
- Tomas Kelly booted the go-ahead goal, marking the 13th of his career and third wearing blue and white
- Giovanni Benericetti dished out both of the Catawba Indians' assists
- Freshman Gabin Mazeyrat played all 90 minutes of his first collegiate start
- Hector Vara earned his first career victory between the posts while making two stops
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Othmane Karoumi broke the seal just 69 seconds into the contest, burying a shot from the top of the box to put FMU ahead 1-0
- Vara turned down a second net-bound attempt in the ninth minute as the following two shots fired by the Pats were blocked and missed wide of frame
- In the 29th minute, Benericetti polished off an upfield Catawba drive with a feed to Kenyeres, allowing the Hungarian forward to send a left-footed boot inside the right post to even the score
- FMU hurled three shots shortly before halftime, none of which had scoring ability to keep proceedings tied at 1-1
Second Half
- Kelly and Adriano Melo directed shots at FMU keeper Juan Antonio Tripero Sanchez, but both attempts came up empty
- Minutes later, Kelly broke through with help from Benericetti to thrust Catawba into the driver's seat
- After the sides traded offensive charges, Kenyeres knocked down a 79th-minute cross and found the twine from 25 yards out to add insurance
- The Patriots drew a foul in the box with three minutes to play, resulting in Matteo Benistant sending the penalty shot down the middle and slimming the Catawba lead to 3-2
- A final FMU try in the 90th minute missed up and away, solidifying the Catawba Indians' first victory of the 2025 campaign
NOTES
- Catawba avenged last season's loss at Hartzler Field, leaving the Palmetto State with its first win over the Patriots since 2012 after falling in the last three meetings
- The blue and white have won back-to-back matches against teams in the "receiving votes" section of the United Soccer Coaches poll; Catawba defeated Wingate last year on Oct. 16
- Three goals is the second-most Catawba has scored against FMU all-time, trailing only the programs' first-ever meeting on Sept. 13, 1982 (W, 4-2)
UP NEXT
The Catawba Indians return home for their season opener on Wednesday, Sept. 10, against Mount Olive. Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Frock Field.
