Box Score For Immediate Release – 9/17/16 - #045
WildCats Shutout Panthers in Opener of Ti-Cat Classic
LYNCHBURG, VA – The Randolph College men's soccer team took down Birmingham-Southern College in the first game of the Fifth Annual Tiger/WildCat Classic. The WildCats used a goal on each side of the intermission to win 2-0 over the opponents from Alabama.
The visitors got the first opportunity of the game, earning a corner kick just after the one-minute mark. After the ensuing shot went high over the crossbar, the WildCats began to attack. The 'Cats had two corners, and another free kick in a dangerous spot over the next eight minutes. Travis Brown and Cristian Irigoyen got their head on two different services, but just missed, with Irigoyen's hitting the crossbar.
B-SC had the next shot, but Erick Cortez-Martinez was there to stop it. However, it would not be long before Randolph took the lead. A ball was played in to Troy Jurney outside the 18-yard box on the left side. Jurney dribbled in and sent a perfect curl into the back of the net, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The teams exchanged a series of shots throughout the remainder of the period, but none would go in. Cortez-Martinez was also there on two occasions to make saves and keep the lead at 1-0 entering halftime.
Randolph started the second stanza looking for the second, as Adam Watson registered a shot shortly after the whistle. However, it went just over the bar. But the lead would grow to two soon after that attempt.
Brown was working hard in the 52nd minute. After beating a defender, he was pushed down inside the box. Blake Heatherly stepped up to take the PK, and sent it into the upper right for the 2-0 lead.
Once again, both teams started on the attack but neither could get another clear chance until the 72nd minute. The Panthers corralled a loose ball near the WildCats box. However, Cortez-Martinez rushed off his line and took the ball away from the Birmingham-Southern player without him being able to get a shot off.
The rest of the game followed a similar pattern, with Cortez-Martinez being called upon to make one more save to preserve the 2-0 win.
The 'Cats outshot the Panthers (4-1 overall) in the game 15-11. Cortez-Martinez preserved his second-career shutout with five saves in the game.
Randolph (3-1-1) will host The University of the South (4-1-1) on Sunday in the finale of the tournament. Sewanee lost to cohost Hampden-Sydney College in the other game of the tournament on Saturday. Kickoff at WildCat Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
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