Life University Athletics

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. —The Life University men's soccer team put together a dominant second-half performance Saturday afternoon, scoring four unanswered goals to defeat Brewton-Parker, 5-1.

The Running Eagles entered halftime tied at 1-1 before exploding offensively in the second half. Life recorded 16 shots after the break and found the back of the net four times to pull away from the Barons.

Life opened the scoring in the 24th minute when defender Alex Coba found the back of the net for his first goal of the match. The Running Eagles maintained their pressure throughout the opening half, but Brewton-Parker responded just before halftime, with Uros Andjelic scoring in the 43rd minute to send the teams into the break tied at 1-1.

The Running Eagles wasted little time regaining the lead in the second half.

In the 50th minute, Enrico Burigotto put Life back in front, taking a pass from Vicente Cuquerella and converting to make it a 2-1 game. Burigotto struck again in the 61st minute, extending the Running Eagles' advantage to 3-1 and giving him two goals on the afternoon.

Life continued to control the pace of play as the second half progressed. The Running Eagles generated 16 shots in the final 45 minutes compared to just one for Brewton-Parker, while also holding a 3-0 advantage in second-half corner kicks.

The Running Eagles added another goal in the 87th minute when Alvaro Hidalgo converted a pass from Tim Berger to make it 4-1. Life then put the finishing touches on the victory in the final minute, with Cuquerella finding the back of the net at the 90:00 mark to cap the four-goal second-half outburst.

Burigotto led the Life attack with two goals, while Coba, Hidalgo and Cuquerella each added one. Cuquerella also recorded an assist, while Berger finished with an assist on Hidalgo's goal.

The Running Eagles finished the match with a 21-1 advantage in shots and put 14 attempts on target. Brewton-Parker goalkeeper Diego Carrera made nine saves, helping keep the Barons within striking distance for much of the match.

In goal, Erik Calvillo played all 90 minutes for Life. The Running Eagles' defense limited Brewton-Parker to just one shot on the afternoon.

Life's five goals marked a complete turnaround after the halftime deadlock, as the Running Eagles controlled the second half from start to finish to secure the 5-1 road victory.
 

"We did what we had to do, and that was win," said Head Coach Alex Pama. "Our first half wasn't good enough, but our work rate improved in the second half, and the difference showed. If we want to accomplish something special this season, we have to continue that level of work rate. That's the lesson from today, especially under difficult circumstances. Playing two games in less than 36 hours is hard, but we'll have to endure it again next week. There are no easy opponents in this conference, regardless of the record. That's what makes the SSAC so tough to win. We have to be at our best next Friday to continue our unbeaten run in conference play."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Life University finished with a 21-1 advantage in shots, including a 14-1 edge in shots on goal.

• The Running Eagles recorded 16 shots in the second half after totaling five in the opening 45 minutes.

• Life held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks and committed 13 fouls compared to six for Brewton-Parker.

• The Running Eagles scored four unanswered goals in the second half after entering halftime tied 1-1.

• Life's five goals came from Alex Coba, Enrico Burigotto (2), Alvaro Hidalgo and Vicente Cuquerella.

TURNING POINT:

The turning point came early in the second half when Enrico Burigotto scored in the 50th minute, giving Life a 2-1 lead after the teams entered halftime tied. Burigotto struck again just over 11 minutes later to extend the advantage to 3-1. From there, Life continued to apply pressure and added two more goals in the final five minutes of regulation to complete the 5-1 victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:

Enrico Burigotto led the Running Eagles offensively with two goals on three shots, all of which were on target. Vicente Cuquerella contributed a goal and an assist, while Alvaro Hidalgo added a goal and Alex Coba opened the scoring. Tim Berger also recorded an assist on Hidalgo's 87th-minute goal.

In goal, Erik Calvillo played all 90 minutes as Life limited Brewton-Parker to just one shot and one goal.