Box Score SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Freshman forward Matthew Aurednik scored the game-winning goal and assisted on the first goal, as the Wofford men's soccer team defeated Davidson College 2-1 in the Terriers' Southern Conference opener Saturday evening.
With the win, Wofford wins its fourth straight and improves to 4-3-1 overall, and 1-0 in the Southern Conference. Davidson falls to 4-2-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
The first half got off to a quick start for the Terriers as senior forward Chase West had an opportunity, stealing the ball away from the back line and had his shot saved in the 3rd minute of the match. The Wildcats then responded quickly in the 7th minute when Jake Keator has a shot that saved by Wofford's freshman goalkeeper Garrett Closs.
Wofford would create another chance in the 24th minute when West forced Wildcats' goalkeeper Andrew Kenneson to make a save.
Both teams continues to battle it out, but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 going into halftime. For the half, the Terriers outshot the Wildcats 9-4.
In the second half, Wofford would get off to a cracking start when sophomore midfielder Will Puckett hit a screaming shot from 25 yards into the top left corner of the net in the 51st minute giving the Terriers the 1-0 advantage. Aurednik would tab his third assist for the season on the goal by Puckett.
In the 55th minute, Aurednik would strike a beauty to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead. Aurednik dribbled the ball just outside the eighteen and placed a well struck curving ball into the top right corner of the net. It was the first career goal for the freshman from Lexington, South Carolina.
Davidson would respond in the 59th minute to bring the game back within one when Valeriy Sviderskiy scored his fourth goal of the season off a pass from Max Pragnell to make the score 2-1.
Both teams continued to create chances. The Wildcats had a great opportunity to tie the game in the 81st minute when Keator had a shot from inside the 18-yard box that was saved by Closs. Wofford's final chance to extend its lead came in the 87th minute when junior forward Benny Puetter had a shot that missed just wide of the goal.
For the match, the Terriers outshot the Wildcats 20-11, and outcornered Davidson 7-2.
In goal, Closs earned his first career victory, improving his season record to 1-3-0 overall. He faced 11 Davidson shots and made four saves. For the Wildcats, Kenneson fell to his first loss of the year moving to 1-1-0 overall. He faced 20 Terrier shots and made six saves.
The Wofford men's soccer team returns to the pitch on Saturday, September 28th when they host non-conference opponent North Florida at Snyder Field. Kickoff is set for a 6:00 pm start.
