SPARTANBURG, S.C. – It was a dramatic Saturday evening at historic Snyder field as the Wofford men's soccer team won in comeback fashion against UNC Greensboro 3-2 on Senior night. With UNC Greensboro being ranked 21st in RPI this season, the win is the highest ranked win for the Terriers at Snyder Field since 2013 against No.16 Elon (2-1). This is also the first win against UNC Greensboro since 2018.
Prior to the match, Wofford honored its 14 seniors as part of Senior Night festivities. The seniors honored prior to kick-off were Aidan Cardella, Moa Mohammedi, Hugo Moldin, Magnus Kjoller, Kameron Gorst, Diego Reyes, Judd Wagner, Carsten Haddad, Josh Burgess, Nic Parker, Paul Jones, Bryce Peacock, Thaddeus Dennis and Ben Goudy.
"I think it's only fitting to send them off like that," said head coach Joel Tyson. "The guys have worked so hard over these past four, five years to move this program along, and I am very proud of the effort they have shown."
The Spartans started off the game hot, scoring within the first 10 minutes of play. The Terriers were on the back foot early, but things looked up in the 14th minute when a cross from Thaddeus Dennis found the head of the skying Magnus Kjoller as the senior-to-senior connection equalized the score at 1-1.
"Conceding this early was a big blow," Magnus Kjoller said. "It was just a wonderful corner taken from Thad, and that goal was just a big energizer for us."
Looking to further capitalize the Terriers went on the attack. In the 21st minute the Terriers found themselves on a fast break. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Magnus Kjoller passed the ball to Stewart Patnaud who buried a shot in the bottom left side of the goal from outside the box, giving the Terriers the lead 2-1.
The Wofford seniors would continue to contribute tonight, as in the 26th minute Thaddeus Dennis would sneak behind the Spartan backline and with a perfect pass from Stewart Patnaud took a shot from outside the box before the defense could react. The ball deflected off the UNCG goalkeeper's gloves and bounced off the post to the back of the night to extend Wofford's lead to 3-1 before halftime. This goal would eventually prove to be the game-winning goal.
"I'm just thankful for the opportunity my team gives me, and it's never about me but the team," said Thaddeus Dennis of scoring the game-winning goal.
The second half break slowed the Wofford offense and was marked by the resurgent UNCG offense trying to make up a two-goal deficit. The Spartans would find a goal in the 72nd minute to pull within a score at 3-2. The resilient Wofford defenders would just barely hold on as UNCG continued to try to get the equalizer but to no avail. The defense held strong and cleared the ball with ten seconds remaining, winning the game for the Terriers and sending the seniors off on a win on senior night.
Wofford (5-4-1) outshot UNCG (7-2-4) 15 to 13 with both teams having the same shots on goal with seven. The game was substantially more physical in the second half with 10 of the 18 fouls being committed in the second half. There were four cards given out tonight, three being yellows and one red. Two of the yellow cards were given out to UNCG while Wofford received a yellow and a red. Wofford is entering its toughest part of the schedule facing three teams ranked in the top 80 back-to-back-to-back, finishing with a matchup at No.18 Clemson on October 29.
Wofford will begin to run the gauntlet as its next game will be on the road Tuesday, October 22, against rival Furman in a top-50 RPI showdown in Greenville. Kick-off is set for 6pm.
