ASHEVILLE, N.C. – It was a fun night in Asheville as a Spartan scored their first goal of the season, another recorded his first minutes of the season and USC Upstate secured their first winning season since 2020.
The Spartan bench erupted in applause in the 38
th minute of the 1-0 match vs UNC Asheville. It wasn't because of another goal on the field, but because senior
Filippo Censini was walking out to see his first real game action since last year's regular season finale vs Presbyterian. While Censini didn't light up the box score and he'll almost certainly have to knock off the rust as the Spartans move forward, his presence on the field can't be understated.
Alvaro Martin saw his first minutes since playing against Wofford earlier this season. He didn't waste a moment either, taking a deflected
Carson Hickok pass and tapping it into the in the middle of a scrum. It was Martin's third career goal and his first game-winner as the Spartans took down the Bulldogs, 2-1 in Asheville.
Game Information
Score: UPST 2 | UNCA 1
Records: UPST (6-5-5, 4-1-3 Big South) at UNC Asheville (2-11-4, 1-4-3 Big South)
Where: Greenwood Soccer Field, Asheville N.C.
How It Happened
1' – 6' – Both teams took their time to size each other up, as the first shot of the match didn't come until the 6
th minute from Kasper Jorgensen
8' – 23' – Then both teams found life as they took four shots a piece during the 15-minute span
33' – But it was the Spartans who struck first, as
Brody Williams maneuvered around the Asheville keeper and fired a shot from the right side of the net. Williams' goal was Upstate's first time leading a match since the 2-1-win vs Gardner-Webb
34' – 45' – Asheville finished off the half with three final shots, but none were quite on target.
46' – 64' – the Bulldogs got off to a hot start, rattling off nine shots to Upstate's 4, but
Luca Bulfon stood strong, collecting 4 saves in a row at one point.
64' – And then
Alvaro Martin banged through the eventual game-winner after a Felipe Martin corner kick and a
Carson Hickok shot.
68' – The bulldogs fought back and responded to cut Upstate's lead in half shortly after
69' – 90' – The match ended with the Spartans taking 5 shots to Asheville's 3 and Upstate earned their second winning season since joining the Big South
Notables
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Alvaro Martin earned his first goal of the season
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Felipe Marty notched another assist off a corner kick
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Brody Williams tied for the team lead with his fourth goal tonight
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Luca Bulfon collected 7 saves and has at least 6 in three straight matches
-Luca ends the regular season with 75 total saves, the most in the conference
-The Spartans possess the longest active unbeaten streak in the Big South at 6
-That is Upstate's longest unbeaten streak in the D-1 era
-Equally impressive is Upstate's 3-0 record vs teams with dog mascots this season (Wofford 4-2, Gardner-Webb 2-1, UNC Asheville 2-1)
-Upstate moves to 3-0-1 in road Big South matches this season
UP Next For the Spartans
The Spartan's undefeated conference road streak will be put to the test as the square off with a two seed High Point team Sunday night for the Big South Tournament.
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