Lannaud's Pair of Goals Lifts Lions Over Catawba
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Lions men’s soccer team picked up their first conference win on the season with a 3-1 decision against Catawba on Saturday, September 17 at Meares Stadium.
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Lions men's soccer team picked up their first conference win on the season with a 3-1 decision against Catawba on Saturday, September 17 at Meares Stadium. Mars Hill improves to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the league, while the Indians fell to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Catawba wasted no time jumping on the scoreboard, collecting a goal just three minutes into the contest. Several offensive advancements from the Lions were pushed away by the Indians defense early in the match. That is until the 33rd minute when Amine Merdjett sent in a beautiful cross that was headed in by Franck Lannaud to knot the score at one-all. That score would stat true heading into the halftime break.
Mars Hill carried that momentum into the second half, taking its first lead of the match with Lannaud's second goal of the contest five minutes into the second frame. Elliot Tate sent a perfect longball to Lannaud, who just beat the keeper to it and snuck it into the back of the net.
That lead would grow to 3-1 at the 60-minute mark when Stian Sanner received a pass from Adnan Saltagic and blasted it past the keeper. The goal was Sanner's first of the season.
The Lions used a stingy defense the rest of the way to claim its first conference win of the season with a 3-1 decision.
Sanner led the Lions with three shots, while Kristofer Wennin picked up his second win on the season with a game-high five saves.
Mars Hill will return to action on Wednesday, September 21 as they travel to face Carson Newman in a South Atlantic Conference showdown. First kick on the pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.