JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Junior Aldair Cortes' free kick goal in the 89th minute broke a 1-1 deadlock and sent the Georgia Southern men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over host North Florida on Friday evening at Hodges Stadium.
The Eagles improved to 3-1 with the win, while North Florida falls to 1-2 with the loss. Georgia Southern completes its Florida swing on Wednesday, traveling to Stetson to take on the Hatters at 7 p.m. in Deland.
Action started quickly in the contest as both the Ospreys and the Eagles scored a goal within the match's first 17 minutes. A misplay at the back led to UNF's Jake Hawker pouncing on a loose ball and scoring the opening goal in the 14th minute, putting the home team up 1-0.
Less than three minutes later, a fantastic long ball from senior Gonzalo Talavera found the foot of senior Azaad Liadi in the box. As Liadi settled the ball and drove towards goal, he was brought down, resulting in a penalty kick. Sophomore Adam Davie calmly stepped to the point and converted for his third goal of the season and the equalizer.
The score remained deadlocked until just one minute and 42 seconds left in the second half. A foul just a couple of yards outside the box, on the left side, set up a free kick for the Eagles. With Cortes and Kareem Gharbi both over the ball, Cortes' left-footed shot curled inside the upper left corner for the tiebreaker, his first goal of the season. The Eagles then saw out the final minute and a half to claim the victory.
"Fair play to North Florida, I thought they played well," Georgia Southern Head Men's Soccer Coach John Murphy said. "They didn't just sit in. I thought they attacked at good times, and their defensive shape was good. I think they are going to have a good season, and that makes the result more satisfying.
"It just reinforces that it's a player's game," Murphy said. "We get a little bit of magic form Aldair at the end, and it gets us over the finish line. It was a nervy, fragmented game, but these are the games you're gonna get. We tell the kids all the time, 'We're on our way to be the best version of ourselves.' You have to find ways to win games like this. The best part is that we found a way to win when we weren't at our best."
North Florida finished the match with a 7-4 edge in shots. Jose Eduardo Bomfim notched the win in goal in his Eagles debut, making two saves, while North Florida goalkeeper Padraic Gilley made one save. Georgia Southern had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks, and fouls were all even at 12 apiece.
