DAVIDSON, N.C. – The No. 20 Gardner-Webb men's soccer team starts the season 3-0 for the first time since 2009 after taking down Davidson 2-1 on Friday evening. Graduate midfielder Robbie Lyons scored in the 34th minute before sophomore wing Samson Kpardeh added an insurance goal in the 65th.
Sophomore forward Lewis Johnson earned an assist on the game's first goal while Kpardeh led all GWU players with four shots. Gardner-Webb held a 13-10 advantage on shots, including 8-5 shots on goal. Each team earned four corners.
After more than two thirds of the first half gone with no score, Lyons picked a perfect time for his first goal as a member of the Runnin' Bulldogs, taking a nice feed from Johnson before placing the ball into the back of the net.
Davidson looked poised to knot the score at one, but senior keeper Alan Horrocks continued his stellar start to the season, collecting one of his three saves on the evening as GWU took the 1-0 lead into halftime.
After a pair of missed opportunities in the final third of the field for Gardner-Webb, the Dawgs would not be denied as Kpardeh gave the visitors a much-needed insurance goal as the 65th minute ticked off the clock.
Davidson made things interesting with less than five minutes to play as Ayman Maadir snuck one past Horrocks, trimming the deficit to 2-1. However, solid defense down the stretch allowed GWU to milk the remaining four minutes of the clock and walk away with the tough non-conference win.
Gardner-Webb will return to the pitch on Wednesday, September 3 as it travels to Huntington, West Virigina to take on No. 10 West Virginia in an early season showdown with two of the nation's best. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
