Strong First Half Leads Men’s Soccer Past Francis Marion, 2-1

FLORENCE, S.C. | The University of North Georgia men’s soccer team used two first half goals to get past Francis Marion, 2-1, Saturday evening at Hartzler Field. The win brings North Georgia to 4-5 on the season with a perfect 1-0 mark in Peach Belt Conference play.

Ivan Acimovic wasted no time getting the Nighthawks on the board first as he took advantage of a botched clearance by the Patriots knocking in a 15-yard shot to put UNG up 1-0 in the third minute.

Eren Ozer found Matt Shaftoe in the box in the 36th to give UNG a 2-0 advantage that they took into the half. Oliver Drakenhammar broke up the shutout in the 56th minute, giving the match its final 2-1 score.

NOTES
– UNG was outshot 21-17 in the match. The Patriots had a 12-8 advantage in shots on goal.

– The victory is the first for UNG over Francis Marion since 2012 and gives North Georgia a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series.

NEXT UP
North Georgia returns home for a Wednesday night matchup against rival-Young Harris. Kickoff for the Battle of Blood Mountain match is set for 7:30 p.m. The match will feature the annual presentation of the Battle of Blood Mountain trophy after UNG’s third-straight win in the yearlong competition in 2015-16.