MELBOURNE, Fla. – The No. 13 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's soccer team suffered its second loss of the season in a 3-1 defeat on the road at the hands of Florida Tech (FT) Saturday.
Playing their fifth game in nine days – all of which have come against opponents who are currently or were at one point nationally ranked last season – the Nighthawks were given the tall task of facing a talented Panthers squad.
On Saturday, UNG fell behind FT early in the match. The Panthers scored a header on their first corner kick of the game just five minutes into the contest.
FT held the 1-0 lead through halftime and even into the late stages of the game.
With immense pressure and numerous scoring opportunities, the Nighthawks finally broke through in the 78th minute.
Picking up a loose ball outside the box on the near side, senior defender
DJ Shin looped a cross into the penalty area. Junior forward Man Birovljev found the ball in front of the goal and flipped it backwards to a teammate, misdirecting the Panthers keeper. That is where senior forward
Tyler Vitelli streaked into the box and slammed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
The equalizer gave UNG the momentum advantage with just 12 minutes to play in the contest.
However, FT quickly took advantage of the Nighthawk aggression on a counter attack for a go-ahead goal just two minutes later.
Trailing by a goal again, UNG was forced to push forward up the field even more than it already had earlier in the contest. With that, the Panthers manufactured another counter attack that led to a three-on-one advantage. Another goal resulted in the 86th minute, sealing the game.
With a difficult non-conference schedule behind them, the Nighthawks can now look ahead to Peach Belt Conference play.
UNG will open the PBC season at home on Wednesday, Sep. 17 against Lander at 5:30 p.m. The Nighthawks will celebrate Fall Spirit Night when they face the Bearcats at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park.
The last time UNG faced Lander, the Nighthawks defeated the Bearcats 2-1 at home thanks to an 88th-minute goal from junior midfielder
Aram Lara, securing the program's second ever second-place finish in the PBC.
