NEWBERRY - The Newberry men's soccer team scored one second-half goal, which proved to be enough to shut out USC Aiken, 1-0, this evening at the Newberry Soccer Complex.  Senior midfielder Ricardo Silveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) put the winning goal home in the 57th minute.  With the win, the Indians improve to a 5-4-1 overall record and they remain 1-3 in South Atlantic Conference play.  The Pacers fall to 1-7-1 overall.

"We played hard," stated head coach Sam Okpodu.  "We're creating chances, we just need to finish them.  I like the fact that we're battling for the ball.  We need to maintain winning the 50/50 balls.  That will help us going into the conference tournament." 

The first half featured a battle for consistent ball control, as both teams pressured in the midfield.  The Indians held most of the momentum early in the game, but the Pacers fought hard to gain control late in the half.  The Newberry pressure guided them to eight first-half shots, compared to USC Aiken's three.  After both teams made last minute attacks, the score remained deadlocked at zero at the half.

Newberry came out firing in the second stanza, putting the Pacer defenders on their heels.  Silveira wasted little time as he netted the lone goal of the game just over 10 minutes into the half.  Junior midfielder Robbie Getsinger (Charleston, S.C.) controlled a loose ball in the USC Aiken box before touching it up and off the head of Silveira.  The Pacers were unable to threaten due to the Indians' dominance late in the game. 

Pacer goalkeeper Harold Tate (Walterboro, S.C.) gave up the game's only goal but also recorded three saves.  Marcos Rodriquez (Romeoville, Ill.) came up with two saves in 20 minutes of second-half action.  For the Indians, each goalkeeper put in a half, as starter Will Dieterich (Tampa, Fla.) made one save and Bryan Linn (Safety Harbor, Fla.) compiled two. 

"We're putting something together for the end of the season," concluded Okpodu.  "We are working really hard for the ball, and that will help us down the stretch."

Next up for the Indians is home match against Shepherd University on October 4.  The action begins at 3 p.m. at the Newberry Soccer Complex.  The Pacers head home for a 7:30 p.m. match-up against Pfeiffer University on October 5.