SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The men's soccer team suffered their first home loss since 2013, dropping Tuesday night's match to UNCG 2-1 at Snyder Field.
 
The Spartans (7-5-2, 3-1-1 SoCon) controlled possession for the majority of the match and outshot the Terriers 16-11 in all.
 
The Terriers (8-3-1, 3-2-0 SoCon) allowed the first goal of the match in the 32nd minute. Forward Jacques Francois took a shot for the Spartans that Terrier goalkeeper Joe Wichmann was able to save, but the ball deflected off Wichmann allowing midfielder Rouven Wahlfeldt to take another shot and score, giving Francois an assist on Wahlfeldt's goal.
 
UNCG took the 1-0 lead into halftime, but the Terriers responded quickly into the second half.
 
A minute into the period, midfielder Will Puckett launched a corner kick into the box that defender Connor Bauknight was able to get a foot on and shoot past Spartan keeper Jon Milligan for his first goal of his collegiate career. Puckett earned his third assist of the season on the goal.
 
It was Francois however that provided UNCG with the game-winner. He was able to maneuver into the left side of the box and take a crossing shot that got past Wichmann and into the right side of the net for his fifth goal of the season, giving the Spartans the 2-1 advantage at the 51st minute.
 
Wofford was able to string together late opportunities to tie up the match, but the Terriers were ultimately unable to convert their shots into goals.
 
"They're a good, very athletic team," head coach Ralph Polson said after the match. "They go forward fast with a lot of pace, and it put us on our heels. We struggled a good bit of the first half, but we came out inspired in the second half, were able to pull the one back, and then we turn right around and shoot ourselves in the foot. We had been defending well in the second half to that point and then allowed them to get the goal. You're chasing the game again."
 
UNCG also had more corners in the match than Wofford did, taking six corners to the Terriers' four. The pace of play was fast with little stoppage, as the two teams combined for only 12 fouls in the match.
 
In the end, Coach Polson said his team just "wasn't good enough" to get the win tonight.
 
"We were good in bits and pieces, but overall just didn't make it happen," he said. "We'll learn from it. We'll get better and we'll see what goes from here."
 
The loss snapped a 12-match home winning streak for the Terriers that dated back to November 2013, when the Terriers lost to ETSU 3-2 in overtime. UNCG now leads the all-time series against Wofford 20-4-1.
 
Milligan picked up the win for the Spartans, saving two shots over all 90 minutes. Wichmann suffers the loss for the Terriers, notching four saves in the match.
 
The Terriers stay at home this week before starting the second half of their SoCon slate Saturday. The team looks to avenge a loss from earlier this season, facing Mercer at 7 p.m. at Snyder Field. Admission to the match is free.