FARMVILLE, Va. – Sophomore defender
Max Fisher posted what would be the game-winning goal in the 79
th minute while the Gardner-Webb University men's soccer team remained unbeaten in conference play with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Longwood on Saturday evening.
The Runnin' Bulldogs dominated Longwood on the night as they held a wide 31-9 margin on shots, including 13-3 shots on goal. Gardner-Webb was also able to create nine corner kicks compared to just four for the Lancers.
It would not take GWU long to push Longwood back on its heels defensively as sophomore midfielder
Tiago Campos fired the first shot of the game in just the second minute of action.
That was only the beginning as the Runnin' Bulldogs began to put several shots on target early in the opening half after senior midfielder
Caio Hughes and junior forward
Elias Khodri each registered a shot on goal in the 8
th minute.
However, despite the wide disparity in shots, Gardner-Webb was not able to post any first half goals as the two teams entered the locker room knotted in a scoreless tie,
The persistence paid off in the 65
th minute as Khodri received a magnificent pass off the boot of Campos for the game's first goal and the lead for the visitors of Gardner-Webb.
Longwood was able to post the equalizer just four minutes later following an unassisted goal from Ethan Stevenson.
Gardner-Webb continued to attack, now looking for the go-ahead goal late in the contest. After a series of missed opportunities, the determination paid off in the 79
th minute after Fisher collected a rebound off a shot from graduate forward
Lucas Mauro, blasting the rock into the back of the goal for a 2-1 advantage.
From that point, the game was all elementary as Longwood failed to record a single shot over the final 10-plus minutes of action while the Runnin' Bulldogs picked up its third Big South win of the year.
Gardner-Webb returns to the friendly confines of Greene-Harbsion Stadium on Tuesday, October 22, hosting UAB in non-conference action. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m.
