FLORENCE, SC – Senior Sven Ricke scored a first-half goal and assisted on a second-half tally to help lead Francis Marion University to a soggy 3-0 shutout of the University of North Georgia, Saturday morning (Oct. 3) in Peach Belt Conference men’s soccer action.

Francis Marion registers its third consecutive shutout while improving to 6-2-1 overall and 2-1-0 in the Peach Belt. The Patriots will take to the road this week, playing at Erskine College on Tuesday night and at nationally ranked Young Harris College on Saturday evening.

FMU outshot the Nighthawks 18-9, but none of the North Georgia attempts forced a save from Patriot freshman goalkeeper Jonathan Mannes. The Patriots also held a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Ricke gave Francis Marion a 1-0 lead at the 23:09 mark.  He took a service from sophomore Jevon Williams on the right side of the penalty area and as the North Georgia goalkeeper came rushing out, slotted a 15-yard shot into the open net.

The lead nearly grew to 2-0 in the 25th minute, but a shot by Williams was cleared off the goal line by a North Georgia defender.  FMU sophomore defender Gaspard Mianne got forward and took a shot that deflected off the left post and then off the goalkeeper and over the end line for a corner kick in the 34th minute. 

FMU sophomore Jayden Doyle was fed a through ball on the left side by freshman Anton Jonsson in the 40th minute, but his first-touch blast from 17 yards out was pushed up and over the crossbar by UNG goalkeeper Diego Casillas.

Junior defender Peter Beniseau did finally double the margin to 2-0 at the 54:51 mark when he deftly guided a free kick from Ricke into the UNG goal. It was Beniseau’s first score as a Patriot in 25 career matches. For Ricke, it was his PBC-leading eighth assist of 2015.

Sophomore Gael Mabiala scored the final FMU goal with 5:56 remaining.  Sophomore Harrison Smith played a through ball to Mabiala on the left side of the penalty area, where the French International chopped back and then fired an 11-yard shot into the netting.

Casillas finished the match with six saves as the Nighthawks drop to 1-7-1 and 0-2-0.

In addition to Mannes, the Patriot backline of senior David Sheridan, Beniseau, Mianne, and freshman Niklas Sundell has worked to allow only a combined six shots on goal over the past three contests.

Francis Marion Univ. (6-2-1, 2-1-0 PBC) def.  U. of North Georgia (1-7-1, 0-2-0 PBC) 3-0
Date: Oct 03, 2015  Attendance: 33
Weather: Overcast, wet, 59 degrees, Winds NNE @ 15 mph

Goals by period            1  2  Tot
-----------------------------------------------
U. of North Georgia.      0  0 -  0
Francis Marion Univ.     1  2 -  3
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
1-0.  23:09 FMU Sven Ricke (2) (Jevon Williams) - service left to right, Ricke chips past keeper from 15 yards out
2-0.  54:51 FMU Peter Beniseau (1) (Sven Ricke) - Touch near 6-yard box off free kick
3-0.  84:04 FMU Gael Mabiala (3) (Harrison Smith) - through ball to left side, chop back, shot from 11 yards

Shots: U. of North Georgia 9, Francis Marion Univ. 18 ;  Saves: U. of North Georgia 7 (Diego Casillas 6; TEAM 1), Francis  Marion Univ. 0 (Jonathan Mannes 0)

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