Box Score Demorest, GA -- The Lions led Oglethorpe 1-0 going into halftime at tonight's match, but the Stormy Petrels retaliated with three goals early in the second to turn the tape and give Piedmont their first home loss.

Both teams pressed hard early in the first half. Senior Justin Whitaker put the Lions first shot on goal followed by Vincent Thomas with another shot on goal less than a minute later to keep the Oglethorpe keeper on his toes. The Stormy Petrels had chances of their own soon after. After a Lions foul in the defensive third, Oglethorpe's free kick gave them their first chance at a goal. With a sharp header on frame, goalkeeper Kenneth Hearn did all he could to put a hand on the ball and bat it away. Hearn would have several point blank saves throughout the match to keep his team in the game.

After a quick restart by the Stormy Petrels on a foul, heavy pressure forced a ball to come loose at Justin Whitaker's feet near the top of the eighteen yard box. Whitaker scraped together a decent setup and shot a ball on goal. A deflection by the Oglethorpe defense gave the ball just the twist it needed to slip past the keeper and send the Lions into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

The Stormy Petrels came out hitting in the second half. Their efforts paid off at the expense of the Lions though, as within eight minutes Oglethorpe put three goals in the back of Piedmont's net. The Lions were down but not out as they fought for the rest of the second half to get more chances on goal. Sean Melton and Hearn kept the defensive end solid for the rest of the match as Lions put shots on frame.

No more goals came for the Lions as the final bell rang and the scoreboard settled at 3-1 with in-state rival Oglethorpe University ahead. Kenneth Hearn had seven saves after two halves and senior forward Justin Whitaker had five shots including the lone, unassisted goal in the first half.

Piedmont moves to 1-4 on the season before a jampacked weekend of soccer coming up. They will travel to Ferrum College at the end of the week for a 5:00 p.m. Friday USA South Conference game before coming back home and playing Trinity Baptist College Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and Sewanee on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Check PiedmontLions.com for live statistics as well as score updates of all three matches this weekend.