COLUMBIA, S.C. — Alejandro Iglesias turned away all nine shots he faced, while Dylan Roberts scored twice to lead the University of Pikeville men's soccer team to a 3-0 shutout victory over Columbia College (S.C.) Saturday at Younts Stadium.
The Bears wasted little time establishing themselves offensively, with Amogelang Mofokeng putting the first shot on goal in the 11th minute.
UPIKE broke through in the 16th minute when Mohamed Samake scored an unassisted goal at the 15:17 mark to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
Less than a minute later, Roberts doubled the advantage, finding the back of the net off an assist from Tobias Bentzen to make it 2-0.
The Bears continued to generate quality chances throughout the opening half. Yali Cohen, Mahmoud Shech-Ichya, Elvis Simiyu and Luthando Mdletshe each recorded shots on goal, forcing Columbia goalkeeper Noah Clarkson-Hall to make five first-half saves.
Iglesias was equally strong on the other end, making three saves before halftime to keep the Cougars scoreless.
UPIKE carried the 2-0 advantage into the break.
Columbia increased its offensive pressure after halftime, recording 14 second-half shots, but Iglesias repeatedly kept the Cougars off the scoreboard.
The Pikeville goalkeeper made six saves in the second half, including stops on Carlos Vazquez, Finne De Witte, Dexter Singh, Draydin Scherer and Aedan Bowers.
While Columbia continued to press, the Bears added an insurance goal in the 66th minute. Roberts scored his second goal of the afternoon off an assist from Harry Galton, extending UPIKE's lead to 3-0.
Iglesias continued to stand tall in the final minutes, making two additional saves on Scherer and Bowers to complete the shutout.
The Bears finished the match with 10 shots, nine of which were on target. Roberts led UPIKE with two shots on goal, while Samake, Mofokeng, Mdletshe, Shech-Ichya, Simiyu and Cohen also recorded shots on frame.
Despite Columbia holding a 21-10 advantage in total shots and a 10-4 edge in corner kicks, UPIKE's defense limited the Cougars to zero goals as Iglesias recorded his second shutout of the season.
With the victory, UPIKE improves to 3-2-2 on the season.
The Bears return home Wednesday, Sept. 23, for an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup against Bluefield University (Va.). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM. at the Bob Amos Complex.
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