THOMASVILLE, GA — The Thomas University men's soccer team won its second straight contest, as the Night Hawks handled the Fire from RV Southeastern in a 2-1 victory.
In the match, both teams struggled to create offensive chances, as Thomas narrowly outshot the Fire eight to seven, with only four of the attempts ending on goal.
In the first half, neither team were able to crack the game open, until the 43rd minute, when Seniors Cavan Daley and Andres Labrada connected on a cross for the game-opening goal. Daley's back post corner kick was a beauty, as the service found the Colombian centerback who buried the header into the back of the net. The goal was Labrada's second of the season.
After 45, Thomas held the 1-0 lead.
Second half action saw the Night Hawks extend the lead, as, just ten minutes after the resumption of play, in the 52nd minute, team-leading goal scorer Regan McLaren capitalized on a 1v1 opportunity. McLaren's seventh goal of the season snuck between the legs of the Fire keeper and extended the TU lead to 2-0.
A late second half scare narrowed the gap, as a goal in the 86th minute brought the scoreline to 2-1. But, despite the goal, the Night Hawks were able to hold on the last four minutes, as neither team created chances after the 86th minute.
The closely contested contest saw both team's intensity rise down the stretch, as six of the game's seven yellow cards were issued in the second half. Overall, Thomas picked up six cards on 12 fouls, while the Fire received one caution with seven fouls. TU held the advantage in the corner kick department, as the Night Hawks served four while SEU were sent two into the box. Both keepers ended the match with two saves, as Senior Josh Ricord picked up the win in net.
At the end of the night, the Green & White picked up its eighth overall win against the Fire, as the matchup record against Southeastern moves to 8-4, dating back to 2013.
Before Saturday's contest, the Night Hawks were officially eliminated from the Conference Tournament, but to stay up to date on all things Thomas University Soccer 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
