ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The No. 21 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's soccer team came up just short in its bid for a Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship Saturday, falling 1-0 to No. 9 Flagler in a rematch of the 2025 PBC Tournament championship game at the Flagler Athletics Complex.
The No. 2-seeded Nighthawks (13-3-5) and top-seeded Saints (14-1-4) played a scoreless first half, with both teams creating opportunities. Goalkeeper
Aleksa Lukic kept Flagler off the scoreboard with three saves in the opening 45 minutes, including stops on attempts by Daniel Freire and Tim Wahlborg.
North Georgia looked to break the deadlock early in the second half.
Rafael Kawata struck the crossbar in the 51st minute before
Dženan Cerimagic followed with a shot that sailed just high.
Flagler broke through in the 62nd minute when Wahlborg found the back of the net at 61:03, finishing a play assisted by Daniel Becerra and Pierce Amalberti to give the Saints a 1-0 advantage.
Lukic continued to keep the Nighthawks within striking distance, recording three more saves in the second half to finish with a season-high six stops. He turned away back-to-back attempts by Luke Williams in the 82nd minute to prevent Flagler from extending its lead.
North Georgia pressed for an equalizer in the closing minutes, with
Rhys Shirley putting a shot over the crossbar in the 86th minute. The Nighthawks also earned consecutive corner kicks in the final minute but could not find the equalizer before the final whistle.
Flagler finished with an 11-6 advantage in shots, while Lukic's six saves accounted for all six of North Georgia's defensive stops in goal.
Three Nighthawks earned spots on the Peach Belt Conference All-Tournament Team, with Shirley, Kawata and
Bryan Benoit recognized for their performances throughout the tournament.
North Georgia closes its PBC Tournament run as the conference runner-up after reaching the championship game for the second consecutive season.
