PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- In another highly-competitive nonconference match at Shawnee Turf, the men's soccer program at Shawnee State proved its salt once again as the Bears, down two key starters to injury and illness, stood tall against a traditional powerhouse in the Campbellsville Tigers' men's soccer program -- battling Campbellsville to a scoreless tie at the halftime break and grabbing a 1-0 lead over the Tigers in the 47th minute as Belo Bitencourt hammered home a shot that
Marco Riva and
Nikos Pontikis put nice touches on for Bitencourt to fire home with authority.
However, two goals in back-to-back minutes by Campbellsville junior Mihlali Blesi in the 83rd and 84th minute allowed the visiting Tigers to come away with a 2-1 win in what was another grudge match at Shawnee Turf in Portsmouth Tuesday evening.
GAME SUMMARY
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Over the opening 13 minutes of play, Campbellsville was able to get off a pair of shots and also created a pair of corner kick opportunities. However, a stingy effort by the Shawnee State defense helped the Bears get into a rhythm.
Shots over the remainder of the half, as a matter of fact, ended up just slightly in favor of Campbellsville, 4-3, as Shawnee State created its own offensive opportunities with
Nikos Pontikis just hitting a ball off of the post in the 26th minute and nearly scoring on a header attempt in the 36th.
The contest ultimately landed at a 0-0 stalemate at the halftime break.
In the second half, the reigning River States Conference Defensive Player of the Week took matters into his own hands.
On a free kick in the 47th frame, the ball ultimately shuffled around to Bitencourt at the far left side (near side) of the box. There, Bitencourt fired a one-timer and did not miss as his blast caromed across the way to the lower right portion of the net to put Shawnee State ahead by a 1-0 margin.
The next 35 minutes saw both teams have their fair share of chances to score.
Trying to equalize the score, Blesi had an opportunity in the 58th minute that was alertly stopped by Shawnee State sophomore goalkeeper
Toby Forsythe, who, for the second week in a row, made a high-level all-conference caliber save by thwarting Blesi's initial second-half attempt.
Shawnee State, too, had their chances. Freshman
Ethan Hochstetler, who saw significant time in a reserve role once again, launched a ball from outside of the box that just missed within inches of the upper right crossbar in the 80th minute, whileÂ
João Coqueti Léo and
Clement Akanyah also had good opportunities to score in the 54th and 57th minutes of play.
Unfortunately, the relentless attacking style of Blesi resulted in Campbellsville striking. Free on the left side in the 83rd minute, Blesi launched a ball high over Forsythe and caught the elite goalkeeper out of position, tying the score at one apiece. In the following minute, Blesi was able to leap around a diving Forsythe for a free shot in front of the net, turning the 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.
Shawnee State reestablished momentum over the last five minutes of action and played almost exclusively on Campbellsville's end, even getting an excellent piece from
Sei Aitoku that came within inches of converting but just missed high and above the crossbar after being deflected with a tip by Campbellsville goalkeeper Malthe Schou. The Tigers' defense stiffened up after that attempt and, despite SSU's valiant efforts, the Bears fell just shy.
ADDITIONAL
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Despite the setback, Shawnee State still sits with an excellent mark as the Bears are 2-1-1 through their first four matches of the year. Shawnee State will put its record to the test again with a matchup against Georgetown, Ky. (1-2-1) Saturday afternoon at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
For more information on the Shawnee State men's soccer program, visitÂ
https://ssubears.com/sports/mens-soccer or visitÂ
https://www.instagram.com/ssumsoc.
