NEWBERRY — The Newberry College men’s soccer team swept past Catawba 4-2 in Wednesday afternoon’s South Atlantic Conference match at the Smith Road Complex.
The Wolves (2-2-1, 2-1 SAC) took the early lead with Daniel Reyes recording his first goal of the season just one minute after start of competition.
The Indians (0-5, 0-2 SAC) retaliated with a goal from the left of the box via Omer Green. With the help of Tobias Henriksen, Till Neumann tallied the second goal for the Wolves which put them up 2-1 at the 11 minute mark.
Neumann needed just nine more minutes to notch his second goal of the afternoon to stretch Newberry’s lead to 3-1 before the midway point of the first half. He tallied seven shots on the afternoon, forcing the Indians’ goalkeeper to make three saves.
In a game that yielded a combined 17 shots on goal, goalkeeper Jacob Williams, making his second career start, played a huge part saving four shots in the match.
Fabrizio Bucco added another Wolves’ goal just over two minutes into the second half. He outran the defense and his shot from the left side of the box sailed in the goal to make Newberry’s lead insurmountable.
Tom Joyce added a goal for Catawba in the 81st minute, but the Indians could get no closer in Newberry’s second SAC win of the season.
“We had a few good days of practice after the Carson-Newman game and it showed today. We came out fast and I thought our intensity and effort were very good for most of the match. We faded a little down the stretch but we’ll learn from that and ensure we do a better job of closing our games. That being said it was great getting a win in conference and protecting our home turf,” said head coach Bryce Cooper.
The Wolves outshot the Indians 21-13 in the contest. Newberry had a 5-2 edge in corners. Reyes and Bucco were impressive on the offensive end, combining for seven shots with five on target. Henriksen racked up two assists in the match.
The Wolves will host defending national champion Wingate at the Smith Road Complex on Sept. 23 at 3:30 p.m.