CONWAY, S.C. – A 55^th minute goal by Mario Arrocha was the difference maker as the USC Upstate men's soccer team stunned Coastal Carolina 1-0 on Tuesday night at Coastal Carolina Soccer Stadium.
 
USC Upstate (2-6-0) has now tied the series record at one game each. Coastal Carolina (4-4-1) and USC Upstate appeared to be evenly matched throughout the opening 45 minutes of action. The Spartans attempted just two shots in the opening half, while the Chanticleers attempted a quartet of shots in the opening frame.
 
In the second half the Spartans offense flipped the switch and started to fire away on the Coastal Carolina defense. In the 55^th minute of the second half Arrocha sprinted down the field and passed the ball out to Javier Torres. Torres dribbled inside the box and found Arrocha on the ensuing pass, Arrocha fired it passed the diving Chanticleers goalie and the Spartans were on the board.
 
USC Upstate buckled down on the defensive side of the ball and shut down the Coastal Carolina attack throughout the second stanza. Spartans starting goalkeeper Felipe Baeza stood strong in the net and registered four saves in route to his second clean sheet of the season.
 
Stats of the Match

• The 1-0 victory snaps a three match losing streak for USC Upstate.
• Mario Arrocha's goal in the 55^th minute was his first career score in a Spartans uniform.
• USC Upstate outshot Coastal Carolina 14-12 overall and 7-4 with shots on goal.
• The game turned out to be very physical as the Spartans committed 16 fouls and the Chanticleers committed 12 fouls in the game.
• The Spartans received 6 Yellow Cards in the match, while Coastal Carolina was carded on three different occasions.

Next Up

• The Spartans will stay on the road with a trip to Campbell on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C.

 
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