USC Upstate and Stetson played 90 minutes on a rain-soaked, soggy field at County University Soccer Stadium. In the end, Upstate maintained a 1-0 lead for most of the game before Stetson scored in the 83rd minute to tie the match and force a 1-1 tie in A-Sun men's soccer action Friday night.
After the end of regulation the officials deemed the field no longer playable and the game ended in a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes. Upstate earned the tie over Stetson which entered the game with a 9-1-1 overall record and a 3-1-0 mark in the A-Sun, tied for second in the standings. The Hatters are now 9-1-2 overall and 3-1-1 with 10 points in the league. Upstate improved to 4-5-2 overall and 1-1-2 with five points in the A-Sun. The Spartans will play host to Florida Gulf Coast Sunday at 12:00 noon.
Playing on tough field conditions with the field at best considered soggy and soft, the teams battled for scoring opportunities in the first half. By the end of the first 45 minutes, Stetson owned an 8-5 lead in shots. However, Upstate made one of its shots count to take a 1-0 lead into intermission.
Midway through the first half, Timo Foerster was played a ball on the left side of the field. The sophomore from Oberkirk, Germany, ran 20 yards and began to move in towards the box. He played a pass into the box, curving left to right. Maurice Beggs moved towards the cross and beat his defender to get a foot on the ball and put the ball into the net by Stetson goalkeeper Logan Potter in the 22nd minute.
Upstate dodged a bullet in the first half when Rya Asare-Bediako's shot from point blank range sailed wide of the goal and Upstate maintained its 1-0 lead heading into overtime.
Upstate held onto the 1-0 lead for most of the second half as the field conditions were made worse by a steady rain that had begun to fall late in the first half. Regna stepped up and made two big saves in the final 25 minutes to keep Stetson off the scoreboard. He made a jumping save of a rifle shot off the foot of Gonzalo De Mujica with 25 minutes left in the game. With less than 15 minutes remaining, he made a diving save to his left after Fredrik Brustad curved a shot around the wall on a free kick from 25 yards out. The save was Stetson's final scoring threat of the game and the contest ended in a tie.
Stetson broke through with the game-tying goal in the 83rd minute, and Brustad ended the play for the Hatters. Robert Hodge took a cross and headed the ball towards the goal where Brustad and two Upstate defenders battled for position on the ball. Brustad gained control with just enough time to send the shot over the goal line before an Upstate player tried to push the ball out with his hands. After an official's conference, the goal was allowed and the Hatters took the 1-1 tie.
Stetson finished the game with a 16-9 lead in shots and took eight corner kicks to Upstate's one. However, the play of the Spartan defense and Regna spelled the difference in the game. Regna finished with seven saves on the night. Potter collected three for Stetson.