Box Score
Demorest, GA -- The Piedmont College men's soccer team could not hold on to a 1-0 lead earlier tonight against the visiting Scots of Maryville College as the Great South Athletic Conference foe used two quick goals of their own to get a 2-1 win. In a physical battle of conference foes, the Lions took their second league loss of the year handing them the #2 seed in the upcoming GSAC championship tournament while Maryville secured the tourney's top seed with the win.
The first 45 minutes saw relatively few chances for either side as Maryville talled just five total chances while Piedmont mustered only a pair as well. However, after getting through the first half without a dent on the scoreboard, the two squads began to light it up during about a ten minute span in the second half starting with
Sidney Smith's 12th goal of the 2011 season as he headed away a
Justin Whitaker cross to give PC a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute.
The celebration for the home team would be short-lived though as Maryville's Travis Bolton created space for himself at the top of the box just over a minute later blasting an dipping strike past Piedmont keeper
Brian Gaid to tie the match at 1-1. After Bolton's first goal pulled the two level, the Scot would once again break free getting in behind the Lions defense to dip another right-footed bullet away from the outstretched Gaid into the side netting.
With that goal in the 59th minute by Bolton, Maryville pulled ahead for good at 2-1, the final margin of this evening's battle at Walker Athletic Complex. Depite allowing the pair of scores, Piedmont's
Brian Gaid finished with six saves in goal while
Nick Weatherby led the team with his three total shots.
The loss drops Piedmont to 7-8-2 overall and 2-2 in the GSAC. The Lions will now have close to a week off from competition before taking on the Hawks of Huntingdon College, who are seeded third in the GSAC championship tournament, on Friday, November 4th. That contest is set for 6:45 pm and will be hosted on the campus of LaGrange College, site of the 2011 GSAC soccer championships.