MARS HILL, N.C. — Newberry earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw on the road against Mars Hill Wednesday evening at Meares Stadium.

Newberry (3-7-2, 2-2-1 SAC) scored in the 78th minute when Eric Brody’s corner kick connected on a header from Fabrizio Bucco. Mars Hill (5-5-1, 2-4-1 SAC) evened the scored five minutes later when Adnan Saltagic headed in a Lions corner.

Newberry started slow to begin the match as Mars Hill had four shots in the first 15 minutes of the match. The Wolves had few scoring opportunities apart from Bucco’s shot on goal in the 35th minute as a stout Lions defense held the Wolves back.

The Wolves came out firing in the second half as rain poured down in Mars Hill. Vojin Manojlovic fired a shot on goal in the 49th minute that was punched away by the Lions goalkeeper. Ibrahim Nadir also managed to break open a shot in the 64th minute but it too was stopped.

In the 78th minute the Wolves broke the tie as Brody’s corner kick sailed perfectly to Bucco where the team captain used his head to curl the ball in for a goal.

Mars Hill leveled the score in similar fashion when Saltagic headed in a Lions corner. The Wolves had chances to steal the game on a header by T.J. Paul in the 85th minute and a Bucco shot in the final minute of regulation, but neither could connect for a Wolves goal.

Both overtime periods went by without any quality scoring attempts by both teams as the match ended in a draw despite Newberry outshooting the Lions 15-14 overall and holding a 6-1 shot on goal advantage in the match.

Despite conceding a goal, the Newberry defense had an excellent night in only giving up one shot on goal the entire evening. The backline, led by Tarek Malz, forced Mars Hill in difficult positions to take shots throughout the night, making life easier for goalkeeper Brad Dixon.

“Our effort was very good tonight and we thought we deserved the result,” Head Coach Bryce Cooper said following the game. “But give Mars Hill credit as they are a tough team at home. We lacked a little quality at times in the attack, but overall it was a good performance and keeps us in the hunt for a good position in the conference tournament.”

Newberry currently sits tied for seventh in the SAC standings alongside Mars Hill and Carson-Newman. The Wolves will look to focus and continue to get results with five conference matchups remaining in the next few weeks.

The Wolves hit the road once again as they travel to Wingate Saturday for a crucial matchup with the Bulldogs. The match will be live-streamed and live stats will be available through StatBroadcast. Links for both will be available on the men’s soccer schedule page on Newberrywolves.com.

Newberry currently sits tied for seventh in the SAC standings alongside Mars Hill and Carson-Newman.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_MensSoccerMarsHill.jpgNewberry currently sits tied for seventh in the SAC standings alongside Mars Hill and Carson-Newman. Courtesy photo

Staff Report