Box Score MOBILE, Ala. - In front of a packed stadium at the Jungle on Thursday, Sept. 30, the University of Mobile Men's Soccer team hosted Dalton State College in a conference opening match for both teams which saw Mobile defeat Dalton State, 2-0. The SSAC Conference tabbed Thursday's match featuring the No. 6 Rams and No. 14 Roadrunners as the SSAC Men's Soccer Match of the Week.
The match lived up to the hype as both teams put in a scoreless first half. Mobile managed to control possession longer than Dalton State in the first half while taking several shots, but were unable to score a goal after the Dalton State backline played well defensively.
In the second half, Mobile thought they scored the first goal of the match in the 53rd minute following a deflected save by the Dalton State goalkeeper following a shot from Jose Sanabria. Joshua Bynoe was there to finish for Mobile off the deflection. However, center official reversed his initial decision and ruled that the Dalton State keeper had possession of the ball and Bynoe disrupted that possession, giving the Roadrunners a goal kick and taking Mobile's goal off the scoreboard.
Following that decision, Mobile seemed to play with more fire and aggression and held the ball in Dalton State territory for much of the remainder of the match. Finally in the 66th minute, the Rams scored the first goal of the match that would not be reversed. Alejo Binaghi rocketed a shot in the box for Mobile's first goal after a brilliant pass by Angel Almiron from near midfield.
Mobile was not done there as just five minutes later, the Rams scored an insurance goal in the 71st minute to go up two scores. Maxime Benoit beat the backline defenders of Dalton State and had the keeper one-on-one. However, rather than taking a shot, Benoit played unselfish soccer and passed the ball to teammate Ronaldo Fortune who scored the goal for the Rams. For Fortune, Thursday's match was his first regular season match since suffering an ankle injury in just the second match of the 2021 season.
The Rams went on to hold the No. 14 Roadrunners scoreless, out-shooting Dalton State 12-2 in the win. Mobile goalkeeper Antoine Bedos recorded two saves in the shutout victory. Mobile's win drops Dalton State's overall record to 3-3-1 and advances the Rams' overall record to 8-1 and 1-0 in conference play. Thursday's win marks the seventh match win in a row for Mobile, not including the exhibition win over NCAA D-II school Auburn University Montgomery on Sunday, Sept. 26.
Mobile will stay home for homecoming this coming Saturday, Oct. 2 as they will play host to Faulkner University for a 4:00 p.m. CT match. Faulkner is coming off a big loss to No. 15 William Carey on Thursday as the competition only gets tougher for the Eagles when they play the No. 6 Rams on Saturday. A win on Saturday for Mobile could mean entering the top five in the next NAIA Men's Soccer Top 25 Coaches' poll next week.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
