Francis Marion Wins Dramatic PBC Men's Soccer Final 1-0 in Double Overtime
The Francis Marion Patriots captured
the 2008 PBC men’s soccer tournament championship in dramatic
fashion on Sunday night as senior back Willie Hunt headed in the
game’s only goal in the 107th minute of double-overtime to
give the Patriots a 1-0 win over Lander. The championship is the
second in FMU’s history in the Peach Belt and their first
since 1999.
Hunt’s heroics came after both sides had good opportunities
to score in the overtime periods. FMU began the second overtime
pressing the ball hard towards the Lander goal and were awarded a
corner kick at 101:37. That kick did not produce the game-winning
goal, but did produce another corner kick that Adrian Sikorski sent
to Hunt, who put it past diving Lander keeper Billy Hale for the
score.
Lander began the game as the aggressor, outshooting FMU 7-1 in the
first 45 minutes, but not generating any significant scoring
chances. The Patriots maintained possession through most of the
first period, trying to advance up the field with quick passes
while Lander relied on counter punching to generate their
shots.
The second half saw the intensity increase as both teams opened up
their offenses. The two were even on shots 5-5 but each had greater
potential to lead to a score. Lander’s Jamie Davison and Ivan
Stoykov both had shots sail just a few feet wide of the goal while
Francis Marion’s Emerson Peredo and Kyle Clinton also had
excellent scoring chances.
That intensity carried into the first overtime as both teams once
again had good looks. Lander got off two shots in the first five
minutes of the extra session, but both were stopped by FMU
goalkeeper Clark Richeson, who made eight saves in the game. FMU
came back with a pair of on-goal shots from Hunt, both of which
were rejected by Lander’s keeper Billy Hale. Hale finished
the game with five saves.
Lander held the overall shots advantage 17-10 but Francis Marion
made up for that with a 12-4 edge in corner kick, including the
game-winner.
Hunt was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player for his
championship-winning goal. Lander was making their 13th PBC finals
appearance. Both teams will now await Monday’s announcement
of the 32 teams in the NCAA Tournament. There are no automatic bids
in men’s soccer.
All-Tournament Team
Diego Castillo, UNC Pembroke
Leighton Frederics, Clayton State
Derek Schicker, Georgia Southwestern
Troy Watson, USC Aiken
John Lesko, USC Aiken
Stephen Smith, North Georgia
Avram Allen, North Georgia
Craig Hughes, Lander
Jamie Ramm, Lander
Adam Arthur, Lander
Juan Rivas, Francis Marion
Kyle Clinton, Francis Marion
Clark Richeson, Francis Marion
Tournament
MVP
Willie Hunt, Francis Marion
