ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Spartans won their fourth straight match Sunday afternoon as USC Upstate men's soccer took down UNC Asheville 3-2 on the road. Freshman Jeremy Montero netted two goals on the day to help Upstate improve to 5-2-1 (5-0-1 BSC) this year and remain one of the only two unbeaten teams in the Big South.
The Spartans came out with strong pressure on the Bulldogs and had three early chances from Mario Arrocha who put a shot on goal two minutes in before trying to tuck the ball in the far side a few minutes later but missing wide left.
At the 12:25 mark, Arrocha launched another shot on goal, but it was tipped high by the Bulldog keeper.
Paul Bobai missed a chance to the right in the 17th minute, and shortly after, Jeremy Montero sent a shot from the top of the box right into the goalkeeper.
Montero, the reigning Big South Freshman of the Week, would eventually strike first with a counter attack that beat the Bulldog keeper in a one-on-one battle at the 29:04 mark. Just over a minute later, Montero doubled Upstate's lead when he found the back of the net with some help from Filippo Censini. Mario Arrocha also picked up an assist on both goals.
Asheville threatened in the closing minutes of the first half with a couple corner kicks, but Upstate defenders were able to break up each shot. Spartan goalkeeper Felipe Baeza turned away Asheville's lone shot on goal of the half in the last minute to send his team into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Baeza scooped up a Bulldog header early in the second half to keep Asheville off the board, and in the 50th minute, Pol Monells netted his sixth goal of the season off an assist from Elias Ehlin to extend Upstate's lead to 3-0.
The Bulldogs broke through with a strong strike above Baeza's head to cut their deficit to 3-1 in the 61st minute. The Spartans tried to answer just 30 seconds later, but Montero sent the shot wide to the right.
Asheville continued to pressure the Spartans with a shot off the left post at 77:56 that was cleared out before it could do any damage. The Bulldogs got another goal back on a strike to the low right corner with just under four minutes to go in the match to pull within one goal of Upstate at 3-2, but the Spartans were able to hold on for the win.
Scoring Summary
29' – Upstate – Jeremy Montero (Assisted by Mario Arrocha)
30' – Upstate – Jeremy Montero (Assisted by Filippo Censini, Mario Arrocha)
50' – Upstate – Pol Monells (Assisted by Elias Ehlin)
61' – Asheville – Taylor Durall (Assisted by Miles Peay)
86' – Asheville – Conor Behan
UP next for the Spartans
Upstate returns home to host High Point in the homecoming match on Saturday, March 27. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
Spartans Win Today, You Save Tomorrow!
Save 50% off online orders at Papa John's locations across the Upstate. Use the code USCUP50 when placing online orders the day after Upstate victories. Also tomorrow, visit The Beacon Drive-In located in Spartanburg and show the win graphic posted to the @UpstateSpartans Instagram account to claim a free sweet tea as part of the "Sweet Taste of Victory" promotion. No purchase necessary.
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