Lawrenceville, Ga. – Conor McVeigh netted the game-winning goal in the final minute as the #23 University of the Cumberlands men's soccer team knocked off #6 Georgia Gwinnett 1-0 Saturday night at the Grizzly Soccer Complex. With the win, the Patriots improve to 4-3-1 on the season.
After a lengthy lightning delay, Cumberlands generated the first dangerous opportunities of the match. McVeigh put a shot on frame in the 8' before Nico Romero followed with another attempt that forced a save in the 10'. The Patriots earned a pair of corner kicks over the opening 24 minutes while keeping the Grizzlies without a shot until the 31'.
UC continued to limit the Georgia Gwinnett attack throughout the remainder of the half. Vinicius Serafim added a shot wide left in the 45' as the two sides went into halftime scoreless.
Cumberlands came out of the break applying pressure as Luca Piazza and Dunsting Cohen Jr. each put shots on frame in the opening six minutes of the period. The Grizzlies nearly broke through in the 64' when an attempt struck the post, keeping the match scoreless. Samuel Dolobaipu answered with a shot on frame in the 67' as neither side could find the breakthrough.
The Patriots defense held firm down the stretch. Zachary Dean made a save in the 80' before McVeigh nearly broke the deadlock in the 86' with a header that was stopped by the GGC goalkeeper. Georgia Gwinnett applied late pressure with three corner kicks before Dean came up with another save in the 90' to preserve the scoreless match.
Moments later, Cumberlands broke through. McVeigh found the back of the net in the 90' for his first goal of the season, giving the Patriots a 1-0 advantage with just 16 seconds remaining. UC held on over the final seconds to secure the top-10 road victory.
Cumberlands outshot Georgia Gwinnett 8-6, including a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal, while both teams earned three corner kicks. Dean made two saves to earn the clean sheet, marking the Patriots' second consecutive shutout.
Cumberlands returns to action Saturday, September 26, when the Patriots travel to Columbia, KY to face #10 Lindsey Wilson University. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
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