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DeLand, Fla. – In another crucial Sunday A-Sun match for the USC Upstate men's soccer team, the Spartans scored the first two of its three goals on headers and went on to take a 3-0 victory over Stetson at the Stetson Soccer Complex Sunday afternoon.
Upstate improved to 4-7-1 overall and 2-2-0 with six points in the A-Sun. Pulling out the victory on Sunday gave the Spartans a split on its trip to southern and central Florida and kept them in the hunt for one of six spots in the A-Sun Tournament which will begin in less than four weeks. Stetson fell to 2-6-1 overall and 1-2-0 with three points in the A-Sun.
"This was a good confidence booster for our guys," said Upstate head coach Greg Hooks. "We were able to get the points for the win in the conference, get goals from three different people, and especially winning on the road in the conference were all really good things. You can never really prepare for the heat that you have to play in down here, so there was some sitting back. But, we had several chances that we just didn't put away. Still, getting a win with multiple goals in conference play was really something for us to build on."
An even game dramatically changed late in the first half when a Stetson player was whistled for a foul and issued a red card in the 43rd minute. The score was tied at 0-0 at the time and the Hatters held on for the remainder of the half to keep the match scoreless. However, Upstate would capitalize early in the second half to essentially put the game away with more than 30 minutes to play.
Upstate began the scoring when the Spartans took a corner kick. Marvin Schmiege (Berlin, Germany) played the cross into the box where Derek Dearmond (Austin, Texas) put the header into the net for an Upstate 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute. It would eventually be the game winner.
Less than two minutes later, Michael Rankin-Byrne (Kingston, Ontario) chipped the ball into the box from the left side of the field. Dave Musambi (Ottawa, Ontario) was on the other end of the pass and put the header away from six yards out to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
Upstate ended the scoring in the 58th minute. James Hadley (Norwich, England) started things off by playing a ball forward to Schiege. Schmiege was able to beat Stetson's keeper with a shot to the far post to give Upstate a 3-0 lead.
Upstate dominated play in the second half. The Spartans took 12 shots alone in the period and finished the game with a 16-14 lead in shots. Upstate put nine of its 16 shots on goal. Stetson, despite playing a man down in the second half, equaled its shot total from the first half, taking seven shots in each half. But, the Hatters placed just two of its 14 shots on frame.
Upstate goalkeeper Dani Alvarado (Leander, Texas) made saves on both of Stetson's shots on goal to record his fourth shutout of the season. Schmiege totaled a goal an assist on the day to lead Upstate.
Upstate will take six days off without a match before returning to action next Sunday at Lipscomb.
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