Charlotte, N.C. – The Wofford men's soccer team prevailed over Queens University in a 2-1 match Thursday night in Charlotte. A late goal by Declan Mettee in the final 10 minutes proved the decider after the Terriers trailed 1-0 at halftime.
The Royals gained the early advantage on the Terriers behind a quick 15th-minute set-piece goal. After the early capitulation, the Wofford defense stiffened up, only allowing one shot on goal for the rest of the match on eight total shots from the Royals. The first half proceeded into a stalemate after the early goal was given up.
The Terrier offense came alive in the second half however, with Wofford dominating possession while firing 10 shots with four being shots on goal. In the 54th minute, Jakob Andersson sent a perfect corner kick into the box for a waiting Bryce Peacock. The towering defenseman leaped over several players, heading the ball past the keeper to tie the match at one apiece.
In the 73rd minute, head coach Joel Tyson made a substitution bringing in forward Declan Mettee for more offensive production. The newcomer to Wofford rewarded his coach's trust by making the most of his 13 minutes of play as he scored a goal from another Jakob Andersson corner kick that was headed on by Villad Landsperg in the 81st minute. After the back-breaking goal was scored, the Terriers held possession for the remaining nine minutes of play to be rewarded with their first win of the 2024 season. "I am really proud of the group," said Tyson after the game. "This match had everything. We went down early due to a set-piece but fought our way back with two of our own in the second half. Our guys were resilient, process orientated and held their composure. That made the difference in the end."
The match was physical throughout, with the teams combining for 25 fouls, 12 on the Terriers and 13 on the Royals. There were eight yellow cards, and one red card was handed out, with the red card being bestowed to the Royals in the 70th minute for serious foul play. The corners given were the difference in the match with Wofford's five total corners taken giving them both goals. Compared to Queens only taking three, with them all being in the first half.
The Terriers will be back on the road again on Saturday, September 9, with a matchup at Radford University set for 6:00 p.m.
