SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The men's soccer team gutted out a hard-fought 1-0 victory over UNC Charlotte  Tuesday night at Snyder Field.
 
Senior midfielder Will Puckett provided the game-winning goal for the Terriers in the 68th minute. He received the ball beyond the box on the right side and took two touches forward past a 49er defender before blasting home the goal past 49er keeper Austin Pack.
 
The goal was the third of the season for Puckett, tying him for the team lead with fellow midfielder Nestor Jaramillo and forward Matthew Aurednik. Defender Connor Bauknight notched his first assist of the season on Puckett's goal.
 
The match turned out to be a true measure of toughness, as both teams were aggressive early on. The two squads combined for 18 fouls in the first half alone, finishing the match with 30 total.
 
Charlotte had their chances late in the match to equalize but could not convert on their opportunities to score. Two late corner kick attempts for the 49ers looked promising, but each time the Terrier defense was able to send the ball away.
 
"They're a very good team," head coach Ralph Polson said after the game. "They've been in the NCAA tournament the last four years, and that says a lot about the quality of their program. To battle the way we did, at times it wasn't pretty but we were effective. We came in with a purpose. It was a physical game both ways, nothing dirty, but everybody was playing hard."
 
UNC Charlotte outshot the Terriers in the match 16-10 but Wofford took four corners compared to Charlotte's three corners.
 
Terrier goalkeeper Garrett Closs earned the victory in the match, playing up until Puckett's game-winning goal while making two saves. Joe Wichmann subbed in for Closs after the goal and made one save in 22 minutes of action. Pack takes the loss for UNC Charlotte, playing all 90 minutes while racking up two saves.
 
Polson said some of the reason the Terriers finished with a victory was playing at home. With the win, the Terriers have extended their home unbeaten streak to 11 straight games, dating back to the 2013 season.
 
"That says a lot about this group," Polson said.  "They take pride in playing here at home, and that's what it came down to."
 
Polson also said he was proud of how his team stayed mentally in the game both on and off the field.
 
"That says a lot about how committed they are to this program," he said. "And it's not just the guys on the field. The reason they are playing as well as they do is because of everybody that's here [supporting them]. All 34 guys make this ship run."
 
Wofford is now 4-1 all-time against UNC Charlotte, avenging a double overtime loss from the previous season.
 
The Terriers (5-1-1) wrapped up non-conference play with the victory, their lone loss at the hands of NC State in their previous game. The team opens SoCon play at home September 29 when the Terriers host East Tennessee State at Snyder Field. That match is set to kick off at 7:15 p.m.