MOUNT VERNON, Ga. – On Saturday afternoon, the (RV) Milligan University men's soccer team was on the road against the Barons of Brewton-Parker Christian College for their final non-conference game ahead of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. After falling behind by two goals, Milligan took the lead in the second half after three consecutive goals. Brewton-Parker tied the score with a goal in the 65th minute, but a penalty kick goal from
Freddie Zinn in the 80th minute lifted the Buffs over the Barons.
Milligan found themselves behind early after Brewton-Parker struck first, scoring on the game's first shot in the 12th minute. The Buffs responded by getting to work offensively.
Grayson Hammond put the first shot on net for Milligan in the 19th minute, testing the Barons' goalkeeper. The Buffs continued to apply pressure and created two more promising chances in the 33rd and 40th minutes.
Connor Mast got his chance in the 33rd minute when Milligan worked the ball into the box, sending a shot through a gap in the defenders that bent toward the near post and the back of the net, but the Barons' goalkeeper made a diving save to deny him. In the 40th minute,
Marco Lattanzi took a shot from a difficult angle that nearly found the mark, clanging off the post and rolling in front of the goal. Milligan outshot Brewton-Parker 7-4 in the first half and held a 3-2 edge in shots on goal, to go with a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Less than five minutes into the second half, Milligan nearly found the equalizer when Lattanzi found
Trotter Jones streaking toward the goal, but Jones's shot ended up just off target. The momentum quickly shifted, however, as the Barons won the ball off the ensuing corner kick and raced the length of the field. A two-on-one break against the Milligan keeper ended with Brewton-Parker's second goal of the game, putting the Barons ahead 2-0. Milligan answered in the 52nd minute. A Lattanzi shot was blocked, but Louis-Folly Castay pounced on the rebound. Castay then worked a give-and-go with Zinn before finding Lattanzi, who sent a shot toward goal that deflected off a Barons defender and in, trimming Brewton-Parker's lead to 2-1. The goal restored Milligan's momentum after falling behind 2-0, giving the Buffs new life with plenty of game remaining. The Buffs struck again just five minutes later. In the 57th minute, Brewton-Parker's goal kick fell to
Isaac Lizotte, who took the ball with a full head of steam, carving out space against the Barons' defense before finding
Grayson Hammond open as the Barons scrambled to recover. Hammond sent a laser from the corner of the box that tied the game back up at 2-2, swinging all the momentum in Milligan's favor with 30 minutes to play. Milligan continued that momentum and took the lead soon after. Brewton-Parker struggled to keep possession in front of their own goal, and Jones pounced with a takeaway in the corner of the box. Jones then sent a cross that was perfectly on line for Lattanzi, who found the back of the net for the second time with a header to give the Buffs a 3-2 lead. However, this time the Barons had a response. In the 65th minute, a Brewton-Parker shot from just outside the box beat the Milligan keeper to tie the score at 3-3. The two sides exchanged shots over the next 20 minutes, but the big moment came for Milligan in the 80th minute, as the Buffs were awarded a penalty kick after a foul by the Barons in the box.
Freddie Zinn took the penalty kick and capitalized with the eventual game-winning goal to give the Buffs a 4-3 victory.
Milligan finished with 19 shots, including six on target. Lattanzi led the Buffs with four attempts and scored twice. Hammond, Mast, and
Zak Kersey each recorded two shots, while
Drew Shelton and Jones placed two of their three attempts on frame. Zinn scored the decisive goal on his lone shot of the match.
Sergi Cruz saved three of the six shots he faced between the pipes, and his record moves to 2-0-1 this season with the win.
Next up for Milligan (3-0-1) is a trip to Spartanburg, S.C., where the Buffs will play their first AAC match of the season against Spartanburg Methodist College. That match will take place Saturday, Sept. 12 at 5 p.m.
