THE JUNGLE SOCCER COMPLEX | MOBILE, Ala. - In the regular season finale over the weekend, the University of Mobile Men's Soccer team came away with a 5-1 victory over the Faulkner University (Ala.) Eagles at the Jungle, scoring three goals in the second half to put the match out of reach. The win for Mobile improves the overall record to 11-2-2 this year, while extending the current winning streak to nine matches for the SSAC Regular Season champs.
Before Saturday's match began, eight seniors were honored for Senior Day. Graduating seniors include the following: Tom Carles, Zacharia Hasler, Ivan Jolivet, Sebastian Jorgge, Dani Leone, Guilherme Canas Lopes, Guillermo Pena Martinez, and Miguel Pereira. All were greeted at midfield by Mobile Head Coach Daniel Whelan and assistant coach Harry Jewitt.
Match Recap: Rams Are Rolling
In Saturday's match, Faulkner, who has put together a strong season this year, turned heads by scoring the first goal of the match in just the fourth minute. Immediately putting the seventh-ranked team in the NAIA on upset alert, the Eagles continued to pressure the Mobile defense for the next several minutes. However, Mobile began gelling as a unit halfway through the first half, scoring the equalizer in the 18th minute. After a shot from Samuel Mutiri ricocheted off the Faulkner goalkeeper, sophomore Jeb Scarbrough was there to clean up the sloppy save, putting the Rams on the scoreboard. The goal for Scarbrough is his third score in two matches on the week after debuting this season on Oct. 12.
As time began to tick down in the first half, Mobile managed to push across the go-ahead score with just over 30 seconds remaining ahead of halftime. Freshman Noah Miller serviced a perfect corner kick which saw Darlinton Aboagye finish with his fourth goal of the season. The late first half goal for Mobile seemed to take any confidence Faulkner built through the first 45 minutes as the Rams took a 2-1 lead to halftime.
In the second half, the match remained a one goal deficit between the two conference foes for the first 30+ minutes. Finally, Mobile tallied an insurance goal in the 83rd minute, which eventually sparked the Rams' offense. Zacharia Hasler scored Mobile's third goal, with the assist coming from Samuel Mutiri. Three minutes later, the Rams pushed across another goal to go up, 4-1. Joseph McMahon dribbled his way inside the box near the goal line and rocketed a shot past the Faulkner keeper from an awkward angle. Additionally, McMahon's jersey was being pulled throughout the process as the sophomore was still able to score his fourth goal of the year.
Up 4-1, Mobile finally put the match away with a goal just over a minute later. Tom Carles supplied Mobile's fifth goal of the match as Mobile ended the regular season with a 5-1 victory. The Rams out-shot Faulkner, 19-10, allowing only three shots-on-goal. Out of Mobile's 19 shots, 11 were on target.
SSAC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament Begins with Mobile as Top Seed
As SSAC Regular Season champions, Mobile will host the No. 8 seed in Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to open postseason play. Mobile v. Blue Mountain is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 2 at 4:00 p.m. CT and will be played at the Jungle. Winner will advance to the semifinals in Montgomery, Ala. next week. Mobile defeated Blue Mountain 1-0 at home earlier in the season.
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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.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
