LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In what was the most anticipated matchup of the opening weekend of NAIA men's soccer, the 11th ranked Thomas University upset the preseason ranked No. 1 Davenport University 3-0.
 
The neutral field battle between two growing powers that kicked off the Grizzly Classic, hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College, was a defensive and tactical push by each side ending in a scoreless first half of play.
 
Just 75 seconds into the second half the tide began to turn in favor of the Night Hawks.  Defenseman Jesper Svall slipped through the Panthers' spread defense receiving a touch in from Jake Slocombe and capitalized rifling a swift shot to the back left corner of the net to give the Night Hawks the 1-0 lead.  Twenty minutes later, Thomas would place another notch on the scoreboard, 2-0, when Slocombe ripped a shot to the top right corner of the net from 28 yards out.
 
The Panthers continued pressing on offense firing off eight second half shots; however, the Night Hawks defense and keeper Ben McFarlane-Barnes stood strong.
 
With the clock winding down in regulation, midfielder Antoine Akoure sealed the game with an insurance goal in the 80th minute. The Gabon, Africa, native scored off a keeper deflection to wrap up the 3-0 victory in Thomas' favor.
 
McFarlane picked up the win in goal while Davenport's Aaron Orban suffered the loss.
 
"We were very lucky to have survived the first half," reflected head coach Ricky Zambrano.  "Davenport played us off the field, but luckily they did not convert on their opportunities.  I am proud with the second half mentality.  We had some great performances from our bench.  Today, our depth showed why we are a dangerous team."
 
The Night Hawks return to action on Sat., August 22, as they continue their run into the Grizzly Classic facing off against the Talladega Tornados.  First touch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
 
For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU men's soccer team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMSocc.