Wofford scored just 18 seconds into the match and held on to take a 2-1 victory over Upstate in a cross-town rivalry match at County University Soccer Stadium Monday night. It was the season opener for both teams.
It was the 14th meeting between the two schools. With the win, Wofford narrowed the gap on Upstate with the Spartans holding an 8-6 lead in the series.
"I thought we played very well," said Upstate head coach Greg Hooks. "The difference in the game was that Wofford took advantage of their opportunities and we didn't. I told our guys after the game that we created more chances tonight than we did all of last season. We just didn't finish. Despite that, I thought we played well and saw some really good things out there."
Wofford struck quickly off of the opening kickoff when Taylor Grim played a pass to Dennis Moore down the right sideline. Grim took two touches in open space and played a cross to the goal mouth where Carlos Dominguez Gonzalez put the ball into the net past a diving Upstate keeper Jason McCabe (Irmo, S.C.) just 18 seconds into the match to give Wofford a 1-0 lead.
Wofford struck again in the first half when Turner Almond took a free kick after an Upstate foul and played a cross deep into the box. Alex Hutchins streaked into the box and put a header into the goal in the 33rd-minute to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead.
The teams went into the half with Wofford holding a 2-0 lead. Both teams took seven shots in the first half.
Upstate came out determined to make a difference in the second half. And, the Spartans had at least three golden opportunities to score, but couldn't cash in. Freshman Dave Musambi (Ottawa, Ontario) had a header that hit the post and a shot from 10 yards out that also hit the post that otherwise would have gone into the open net each time. Junior Dylan Hoop (Cincinnati, Ohio) also missed an open-goal opportunity. Jan Wienholt (Bocholt, Germany) missed a solid header opportunity in the first half.
Upstate did cut into the deficit with 5.5 seconds left in the game when Colin Francis (Toronto, Ontario) took a free kick and curved it into the net at the far post from 35 yards out.
Upstate finished the game with the lead in shots, 16-11. The Spartans also held the edge in corner kicks, 7-6. McCabe made six saves on the night, while Wofford's Zach Woolever made four. The teams combined for 27 fouls and five yellow cards.