Men’s soccer stuns Montevallo on road

By Matt Smith
Sports Editor
Oct 1, 2009

Photo courtesy of UNCP Sports Information

Black and Gold forward Andy Pullin scores three goals in the Braves 4-3 double overtime win against Montevallo.

A hat trick and a golden goal in the game’s 102nd minute propelled the UNCP men’s soccer team over Peach Belt foe Montevallo Sept. 26 for a surprising 4-3 road victory.

With a 3-0 halftime lead, the Falcons looked poised to just run the clock out in the second half before UNCP forward Andy Pullin scored a hat trick in the second half to tie the game at three apiece.

After a first overtime with no shots recorded by either team, the Braves struck first in the second overtime with a goal in the 102nd minute by freshman Eirik Torgerson to give the Black and Gold the win.

Montevallo started the game with a strong offensive plan as the Falcons found the net just 16 minutes into the game off a free kick by midfielder Phil Jackson. The shot just went by UNCP goal keeper Tom Courtney to give the Falcons an early 1-0 lead.

Montevallo would follow their first goal with another just 11 minutes later after a corner kick by Jackson found forward Nathaniel Foster. Foster redirected the corner kick into the goal for the Falcons second score of the night.

The home team would score their final goal right before the half on a misplay by the Braves’ defense.

Jackson picked up his second goal of the game at the 37-minute mark after the Black and Gold failed to clean the ball out from in front of their own net.

With halftime approaching, the Braves were down 3-0 with just 45 left for a comeback.

“Assistant coach Chad Steuck delivered a halftime speech worthy of Gen. George S. Patton preparing the Allied troops to invade Italy,” said UNCP men’s soccer head coach Mike Schaeffer. “The guys were very inspired by it. Everybody just worked their tails off in the second half.

“Dean Moore made some big saves and everybody else just dug in to get it done,” Schaeffer said. “We just need to keep responding the rest of the season.”

After the inspiring speech, Pullin went to work, scoring his first two goals within a minute span. Pullin’s first goal came at the 56-minute mark after a penalty kick and the second came on a shot past the goalie in the 57th minute to bring the Braves within one goal.

With the comeback almost complete, Pullin finished off the hat trick with a goal in the 87th minute off an assist from forward Rondell Honora. Honora sent a corner kick past the Montevallo penalty box that Pullin sent into the back of the net for the game tying score.

As a stunned Montevallo prepared for the first overtime period against a determined Braves team, the Falcons could not get their offense moving as the team did not record a shot in the first overtime period.

But the Braves did capitalize on their shots in the second overtime, as the road team completed the comeback in the 102nd minute when Torgerson scored his first goal of the season to give the Black and Gold the Golden Goal victory.

For the game, the Braves were out shot 18- 12, but evened the shots up with Montevallo in the game’s later stages as both teams got off 10 shots in the second half and overtime periods.