COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU men's soccer took the pitch at Sessions Field to welcome Spartanburg Methodist College in their first contest as a NAIA program. The Rams took an early lead and held onto this lead despite a late goal from the Pioneers. CIU starts the season 1-0 as they gear up for Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play in a few short weeks. 

Match Summary: The Rams kept the ball in the Pioneers' defensive end for most of the first half, starting with a corner kick by Noe Limas three minutes into the contest. Bryan Molina took a shot off the crossbar (10:18), followed by shots from Benedict Kartheuser and Fernando Ferro that were saved. CIU took three more corner kicks before Rodrigo Cercal found the back of the net off a penalty kick. The Pioneers took one more shot before the intermission that went wide, giving the Rams the 1-0 advantage after the first half. 

CIU continued to pressure the Pioneers' keeper, and a shot from Molina deflected off his fingertips to keep the Rams from adding another goal. Cercal capitalized on a deflected shot from Marcos da Paz to give the Rams a 2-0 lead (70:53). Spartanburg Methodist cut the lead in half with a late goal, but CIU held on and secured the win. 

Up Next: The squad travels to Dalton, Ga. on Tuesday, Aug. 22, to take on Georgia Gwinnett College at 5 p.m.