FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore Joergen Tesdal and senior Alex Blandin scored goals and the Francis Marion University defense limited the University of North Georgia to only five shots as the Patriots claimed a 2-0 Peach Belt Conference win, Saturday night (Oct. 5) in men’s soccer action.

Francis Marion improves to 5-1-2 overall and 3-1-0 in the conference, while also registering its third shutout of the 2013 campaign.  The Patriots have already equaled their win total of last season.  North Georgia drops to 1-9-0 and 0-2-0.

The Patriots will play at Lees-McRae College on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Tesdal put FMU on the board in the 19th minute as he poked home a loose rebound from seven yards out.  Sophomore midfielder Sven Ricke began the sequence as he danced through the Nighthawk defense and fired a shot that North Georgia goalkeeper Kris Alonzo blocked, but could not contain.  The ball deflected to Tesdal, who was all alone in the left side of the box.

Earlier in the half, Ricke had hit the crossbar with a shot from 18 yards out on the right side. In the 30th minute, Tesdal crossed the ball into the 6-yard box from the left side, but freshman Shahin Hemat’s tap-in opportunity skied over the crossbar.

Alonzo turned away yet another FMU attempt to double the score in the 41st minute with a diving save on a 17-yard blast off the foot of senior Cody Farrier.

Early in the second stanza with the margin still one goal, North Georgia’s Zach Tibbs headed the ball ahead to James Dobbin, but his shot from inside the 18-yard box was pushed aside by FMU freshman goalkeeper Nick Stover for a Nighthawk corner kick.  Stover later stopped a free kick by Irving Salgado in the 62nd minute.

Francis Marion was finally able to double its advantage when an unpressured Blandin launched a 27-yard blast from slightly left of middle of the field.  It was the Shreveport, La., native’s first tally of 2013 and the 20th goal of his career.

Stover finished the evening with two saves, while Alonzo posted four stops.

FMU outshot North Georgia 15-5, while both teams earned two corner kicks.

 

Francis Marion Univ. (5-1-2 , 3-1-0 PBC) def. U. of North Georgia (1-9-0 , 0-2-0 PBC) 2-0

Date: Oct 05, 2013  Attendance: 73

Weather: Fair, 84 degrees, Winds SSE at 6 mph

 

Goals by period          1  2  To

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U. of North Georgia.   0  0 -  0

Francis Marion Univ.  1  1 -  2

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1-0.  18:00 FMU_M Joergen Tesdal (2) (Sven Ricke) - Rebound goal off save, from 7 yards out

2-0.  77:15 FMU_M Alex Blandin (1) (unassisted) - 27-yard blast from beyond top of 18-box

 

Shots: U. of North Georgia 5, Francis Marion Univ. 15 ;Saves: U. of North Georgia 4 (Kris Alonzo 4), Francis Marion Univ. 2 (Nick Stover 2)