Men?s Soccer Falls to Alabama A&M
9/7/2007 4:14:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. ? Alabama A&M outshot the Georgia Southern men's soccer team 20-5 en route to a 3-0 blanking, Friday afternoon, in the first of two games at the Mercer Invitational.
The Bulldogs improve to 1-2, while the Eagles drop to 1-2 overall in the pre-conference schedule.
The Eagles produced a trio of shots in the first half, and although the Bulldogs fired off 10 of their own, both teams went into the locker room with a scoreless tie.
It wasn't until the 68th minute that AAMU scored its first goal. Bulldog MfanaFuthi Bhembe scored the first of his two goals on the day knocking in the ball from seven feet away.
Six minutes later, Mosito Ranko headed the ball into the cage off a right-side pass from Lwazi Maziya, making the score 2-0.
At the 80-minute mark, Ranko assisted Bhembe on his second winner with a pass from the right side, and Bhembe scored the insurance goal for a 3-0 advantage.
“We knew they were going to be quick and athletic,” said head coach Kevin Kennedy. “They were both, and they caused us trouble. All credit to Alabama A&M. They have some great players and they were just better on the day.”
The Eagles attempted to turn things around on offense in the second stanza, but were unable to compete with AAMU's 10-2 shot advantage in the second half.
Eagle Daniel Smith (Marietta, Ga.) fired a pair of shots, while teammates Jarryd Nolette (Windermere, Fla), Julian Donaldson (Aurora, Colo.) and Andres Cabrero (Mableton, Ga.) tallied one shot apiece.
Sophomore goalkeeper Joey Ralph (Martinez, Ga.) had a busy afternoon, stopping nine of the Bulldogs 12 shots on goal. AAMU's Paul Musoke made two saves on the day.
“We'll have to regroup, hope the boys respond and play better on Sunday,” said Kennedy.
The Eagles will have Saturday to prepare for the second of two matches in the non-conference invitational, clashing with tournament host Mercer, Sunday at 5 p.m. Fans can follow the game via live stats at the Mercer Bears web site.
