SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Junior forward Matthew Aurednik scored two second half goals to help the men's soccer team defeat Winthrop on the road 3-0 Sunday night.
 
The goals were the first two of the season for Aurednik and numbers 16 and 17 in his Wofford career. Wofford improves to 2-0 to start the season, doing so for the first time since the 2011 season. It was the Terriers' first victory against the Eagles since 2001 and is also only the second time in program history Wofford defeated Winthrop on the road, last doing so on October 21, 1977.
 
Winthrop started out the match with multiple chances to score, but were unable to convert on early opportunities. Eagles forward Max Hasenstab and midfielder Magnus Thorsson each took multiple shots on goal in the period.
 
Senior defender Connor Davis opened the scoring for Wofford with a header goal in the 21st minute. Senior midfielder Will Puckett passed the ball into the box on a free kick, and Davis got up to redirect the ball into the net past Eagles keeper Fabian Broich. It was Davis' first goal of the season and 16th of his career.
 
The Eagles kept attacking in the first half, outshooting Wofford in the period 12-3, but junior goalkeeper Garrett Closs kept Winthrop off the scoreboard. Closs would finish the match with a single-game career-high 10 saves.
 
"We really dodged some bullets in the first half, and Garrett Closs was tremendous tonight," head coach Ralph Polson said after the match. "It's as good of performance as I've seen, and he really made the difference and kept the confidence level up. It was a die-hard attitude for everybody, so committed into defending."
 
Winthrop again took their chances in the second half, but it was ultimately Aurednik that would find the back of the net.
 
Senior midfielder Nestor Jaramillo fed Aurednik a through ball on the left-hand side of the field, and Aurednik shot a grounder under the Eagle keeper's hand to make it a 2-0 Wofford advantage in the 65th minute.
 
Aurednik would add his second goal in the waning minutes. Freshman midfielder Jonathan Dean and Aurednik raced out in a 2-on-1 advantage, with Dean passing Aurednik the ball from left to right before he finished the ball into the back right corner for his second goal in the 87th minute .
 
"We scored some great goals, and that has become our trademark," Polson said. "When they were down 2-0 and trying to make it 2-1, for us to get the third one, we crushed them. It just broke their back."
 
Winthrop overall outshot Wofford in the match 24-10 and had eight corner attempts to Wofford's two. Hasenstab led the Eagles with six shots in the match, while forward Jordan Stoddart attempted five shots and midfielders Thorsson and Patrick barnes each took four shots.
 
"They are a talented team," Polson said. "One of the tops in the Big South last year, and we always seem to have issues with them. But our guys found a way to get it done tonight. Sometimes it wasn't pretty, but our play was effective. They played hard, and that's what I think was the difference."
 
Wofford now improves to 25-9-2 all-time against Winthrop. The Terriers next match is on the road at Davidson on September 4. That match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.