JOHNSON CITY, TENN – The Spartans have a notch in every column for the season as they battled to a 2-2 draw with ETSU in Johnson City.  

The Spartans drew first blood as Elijah Jackson earned the first goal of his career off an Anthony Cox free kick in the seventh minute. Ezra Hoffman followed that with a goal of his own as the Spartans took a 2-0 lead in the 31st minute.  

The second half belonged to the home team as ETSU rattled off shots left and right. The Spartans were outshot 26-3 in the final 45 as Cooper Jennings denied 10 shots in the second half.  

Game Information 

USC Upstate 2 | ETSU 2  

USC Upstate (1-2-1, 0-0-0 Big South) at ETSU (1-2-1, 0-0-0 SoCon) 

Location: Summers-Taylor Stadium | Johnson City, Tennessee 

How it Happened 

7' - Elijah Jackson knocked through the first goal of his career as Anthony Cox fired a free kick into play in the box 

21' - 31' - ETSU rattled off five shots in a row, but it was the Spartans who would find the back of the net as Ezra Hoffman gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead on his first career goal 

32' - 45' - The final 13 minutes of the half were relatively quiet as the teams combined for four shots 

48' - Cooper Jennings picks up his first save of what would be a busy half. Jennings would pick up nine more saves in the last 42 minutes of the match and deny 13 goals total, the most by a USC Upstate keeper in a single match during the DI era 

64' - ETSU is able to fire their way onto the scoreboard and dig into the Spartans lead  

77' - The home team notches an equalizer after being awarded a penalty kick 

86' - Adrian Panaite nearly comes away as the hero of the match for the Spartans as he earned a scoring chance late, but the buccaneers turn the shot away 

Notable 

• Cooper Jennings picked up 13 saves while facing 35 shots (15 sog). His 13 saves are now the most in a single match in the Spartan's DI era and is the most since Pat Regna picked up 12 in 2009 against Mercer 

• Jennings has picked up five scoreless halves this season 

• Elijah Jackson and Ezra Hoffman both notched their first career goals in the match while Anthony Cox earned his first assist as a Spartan 

• Jackson, Jimmy James, and Jennings were the only Spartans to play the full 90 minutes. Jackson and Jennings have accumulated the maximum of 360 minutes across four matches this season 

• Jeremy Montero has recorded a shot on goal in every match this season 

UP Next for The Spartans 

The Spartans will enjoy a week off before returning home to take on Georgia State Tuesday, September 12  

GET INVOLVED            

Want to be a ball kid for USC Upstate Soccer? Kids ages 10 and up can help the Spartans all season long by retrieving game balls on the sidelines during home men's and women's soccer matches at County-University Soccer Stadium. Click here for more details.            
         
Connect with the Spartans          
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics          
Twitter | @UpstateMSoccer          
Instagram | @Upstatemenssoccer          
Youtube.com/UpstateSpartans          

Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!