HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Mississippi Christian University men's soccer battled Alabama Huntsville through 87 scoreless minutes before surrendering two late goals in a 2-0 setback Friday afternoon at Charger Park in the Choctaws' regular-season finale.
The Choctaws (3-7-4, 2-5-3 GSC) held one of the Gulf South Conference's top teams off the scoreboard for much of the contest before the Chargers (10-1-3, 6-1-3 GSC) broke through twice in the final three minutes.
Mississippi Christian weathered early pressure from UAH, which generated multiple corner kicks in the opening 15 minutes. Goalkeeper Santiago Dominguez kept the Chargers off the board with a save in the 13th minute.
The Blue and Gold responded with an offensive push midway through the opening half, generating four shots during an eight-minute stretch. Lian Feridani and Johann Hobein each placed attempts on goal, but UAH goalkeeper Sonny Wright turned away both opportunities.
Dominguez added another save in the 35th minute as the two sides entered halftime in a scoreless deadlock.
The Chargers continued to apply pressure early in the second half, but the Choctaws' defense held firm. Dominguez turned away an attempt from Samuel Quickfall in the 50th minute, while MC also recorded a team save to preserve the tie.
Mississippi Christian created opportunities of its own as Karim Gegg sent an attempt high in the 70th minute before the Choctaws earned a corner kick. Benjamin Ellis added another scoring opportunity in the 78th minute, but his shot sailed wide.
With the match still scoreless entering the final minutes, UAH finally broke through when Oli Orzechowski found the back of the net at the 87:20 mark. Luis McCabe followed with another goal just 54 seconds later to secure the 2-0 victory.
UAH finished with a 17-7 advantage in shots, including a 9-2 edge in shots on goal. Dominguez played all 90 minutes in goal for the Choctaws, recording five saves.
Hobein and Gegg led Mississippi Christian with two shots apiece, while Hobein and Feridani each recorded a shot on goal.
Choctaws Top Performers
Santiago Dominguez
- Five saves
- 90 minutes played
Johann Hobein
- Two shots
- One shot on goal
Karim Gegg
Up Next
Mississippi Christian now shifts its focus to postseason play as the No. 8 seed in the Gulf South Conference Men's Soccer Championship.
The Choctaws will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to face Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday, Oct. 31, in the opening round of the conference tournament.
