DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College men's soccer team (2-3, 2-2 CC) defeated Southern Wesleyan University (3-5, 1-4 CC) by a score of 2-0 in a divisional matchup at Ralph Lundy Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Second-half goals from Evan Williams and Jorge-Torres Cortes on scintillating counter attacks and a clean sheet helped the Fleet earn a vital conference win.

THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Table | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network

HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first half, the Fleet were forced into a lot of defending but contained SWU well, and four first-half saves from Luca Barwalde meant Erskine and Southern Wesleyan went into the halftime interval scoreless. Erskine started the second half on the strong foot and were rewarded with a brilliant counter off a Warriors corner. In the 48th minute, the Fleet cleared their lines and sent the ball toward midfield, where Evan Williams pressured the SWU backline into a mistake, gained possession and sprinted away, setting up a 1-on-1 with the SWU goalkeeper. Williams calmly dribbled around the goalie and passed the ball into the open net to give Erskine a 1-0 lead. The Fleet defended stoutly to preserve their lead over the next 15 minutes, and then capitalized on another breathtaking counter to double their lead. In the 63rd minute, again from a SWU corner, the Fleet cleared the ball from danger and Sean O'Laughlin did brilliantly to flick the ball around the SWU defense at the midfield line, breaking free as he beared down on goal and unselfishly passed the ball off to an onrushing Jorge Torres-Cortes who converted to make it 2-0. The visitors applied pressure momentarily after the goal, but a pair of saves from Barwalde kept it a two-goal cushion and the Fleet's defense was stifling down the stretch, as SWU was unable to manage a shot in the final 15 minutes, meaning Erskine secured a huge divisional victory.

FROM COACH GOULD
"Today's match was a hard-fought win against an extremely well-coached side. Coach Fernandez is an amazing leader. I'm really proud of our guys. Their focus in the days leading up to the match was on-point. The joy felt after a big win like today is a direct reflection of their preparation. Now, we have to quickly turn our attention to another very talented opponent. Excited to get back to work."

THE PLAYER
Jorge Torres-Cortes earned another start on Wednesday and opened his account for his sophomore campaign. He tallied the second goal of the day for the Fleet, thanks a lung-busting run immediately after defending a corner to supply an outlet for Sean O'Laughlin, who rolled the ball across the frame of goal to Torres-Cortes for his second collegiate goal.

THE TEAM
Erskine was outshot by SWU 12 to 6, including a 6 to 3 advantage in shots, but the majority of that advantage came in the first half.

With Jorge Torres-Cortes' goal, he became the ninth different goalscorer for the Fleet already this season, and Erskine now has 12 different players with a point this year. The nine different goalscorers are the most by an Erskine team since the spring 2021 season.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine begins a busy stretch of three road matches in a seven-day span when the Fleet visit King University (2-3-2, 1-2-1 CC) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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