NASHVILLE — The Trevecca Nazarene University men's soccer team kicked off their 18th season under head coach Danny Leavy on Thursday night under the lights at the Trevecca Soccer Pitch. The Trojans welcomed the Tornado from King University to Nashville, and thanks to a flurry early in the second half, the Trojans picked up the season opening win.
Trevecca (1-0) tallied three goals in just less than 15 minutes early in the second half, as the Trojans turned a scoreless match at halftime into a 3-0 win over the Tornado (0-1).
THE SERIES
The win marked the first time in program history that the Trojans have defeated the Tornado. King had previously won all three matchups, and in the series, Trevecca had been out-scored 6-1 in those matchups. The match was just the second ever between the programs in Nashville, with the other Music City tilt a 2-1 King victory on October 29, 2013.
THE MATCH
Trevecca took an aggressive tact from the opening kickoff in the match. The Trojans dominated the opening 45 minutes of play, as they out-shot King 10-1 and earned a whopping eight corner kick chances before halftime. The shots, though, yielded little, as King goalkeeper Miles Lett made a pair of saves on the only two Trevecca shots that found the target, and at intermission, the match remained goalless.
That all changed in the 51st minute.
Moving towards the west end of the field, the Trojans brought the ball up the middle of the defense with a beautiful give-and-go between Chris Douglas and Connor Woulfe. That passing gave Douglas space to carry the ball into the penalty area, and he deftly maneuvered around Lett to create a wide open net for the right-footed finish that put the Trojans up 1-0.
In the 59th minute, the Trojans got a second tally, this one off a set piece. Trevecca earned a corner kick from the left wing side, and Levi Jones stepped out to take the kick. He drove a right-footed ball into the box where it was cleared by a King Defender, but right to the feet of TNU's Jack Franklin. Franklin gathered the ball in and he unleashed a lightning bolt from nearly 35 yards out into the bottom left corner to double the Trevecca lead.
The final tally for the Trojans came in the 65th minute. Ciaran Bellis blasted a long ball into space down the left side for Jones. The 5th-year senior from Freetown, Sierra Leone gathered in the ball, and after taking a touch to get past Lett, he slotted home the goal that provided the icing on the cake in the 3-0 win.
GOALKEEPERS:
Trevecca - Hunter Walker (W; 1-0-0) - 90 Minutes Played, SHO (1), 3 SV
King - Miles Lett (L; 0-1-0) - 90 Minutes Played, 3 GA, 3 SV
SCORING:
50:11 - TNU: Chris Douglas (1, Connor Woulfe)
58:58 - TNU: Jack Franklin (1, Unassisted)
64:56 - TNU: Levi Jones (1, Ciaran Bellis)
UP NEXT
The Trojans will finish their opening weekend of action on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans will welcome Thomas More University (1-0) to Nashville for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Saints are coming off a season opening win over Shawnee State University (Ohio), 4-0.
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