Roadrunners Upset #12 Thomas - Dalton State College Athletics

Dalton State College Athletics

THOMASVILLE, Ga. - One day removed from a disappointing loss, Dalton State showed resilience in bouncing back to defeat #12 Thomas (Ga.), 3-2 in the final match of the TU Invitational at TU Soccer Complex in Thomasville, Ga. on Sunday.

THE FIRST HALF
The Roadrunners would be the first to strike when Santiago Moore went top shelf with a free kick from 25 yards out that found the back of the net in the 19th minute. Moore would not be finished as he scored yet again, this time from 20 yards out on another free kick in the 21st minute. With the score 2-0 in favor of the Roadrunners, Thomas (Ga.) went on the attack looking to slash the deficit. They would cut the lead to one when Leo Thompson connected on a cross from Nicola Monelli in the 22nd minute that made its way past Roadrunner goalkeeper Samuel Fraire.

Dalton State would find itself at a disadvantage later in the 22nd minute when junior Sebastian Guzman received a red card for fighting, forcing the Roadrunners to play with 10 men. The Birds would hold tight the rest of the half and go into the break with a 2-1 lead.

THE SECOND HALF
The second period of play began how the first one left off, with the intensity pushed to the edge. Dalton State would catch a break in the 63rd minute when a Thomas player would receive his second yellow card, putting both teams even with 10 men. Just 28 seconds later, Nighthawk midfielder Andile Sithole beat Samuel Fraire from six yards out for the equalizer. The tie would be short lived as freshman Kevin Villatoro scored in the 68th minute when a ball deflected off two Nighthawks in the box and found empty space. The Roadrunner defense would hold tight the rest of the way, sealing the upset win for Dalton State.

THE REST OF THE STORY
Dalton State improves to (2-1) on the season, while #12 Thomas (Ga.) falls to (1-2) with the loss. Sophomore Santiago Moore picks up his second and third goals of the season, while freshman Kevin Villatoro nets his second goal of the season. The Roadrunners will be back on the pitch on Thursday, September 7 when they host Shorter (Ga.) at Lakeshore Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

QUOTES FROM COACH
"We played our hearts out, it was a team win. The team showed big character today in this win, especially after a tough loss on Saturday. I love this team and this is one of our biggest wins ever. It is very tough to pull off wins at Thomas University, they have big tradition and are well coached. I am proud of our team and we look forward to coming home to play Shorter University on Thursday."
-Men's Soccer Coach Kerem Daser

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