Converse, Francis Marion Seeking First Title in Men’s Soccer Championship Final

11/4/2022 10:25:23 PM

BROWNS SUMMIT, N.C. – The 2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Championship final will feature a pair of teams seeking their first championship title as league members as No. 1 Converse will face No. 2 Francis Marion on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. at the Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park.

The upstart Valkyries are looking to complete a huge turnaround from the seventh seed in 2021, the program’s first season, to a conference championship sweep in 2022 after already winning the regular-season title. The Patriots are playing for the championship title for the second straight season after falling to Chowan 2-1 last year.

In the first semifinal, the top-seeded Valkyries dominated No. 8 Emmanuel (6-8-3) in a 4-0 victory. Converse (12-1-4) continued its magical run in the program’s second season as it scored twice in each half to secure the win. In the 13th minute, Johannes Haden headed home a cross from Ricky Cardozo and Tobia Bruecher for the 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later, Bruecher netted a goal of his own as he was well positioned to send home a rebound off of the foot of Jaxon Keene to extend the lead.

In the 58th minute Keene got a goal of his own as he dribbled through the Lions’ defense and beat the keeper near post for a three-goal advantage. Then, in the 78th minute, off a set-piece from the corner, Felix Frenz rose above the defense to head in the fourth goal off of the service from Cardozo for the final margin. Emmanuel outshot Converse 13-12 in the contest while the Valkyries held a slim 8-7 advantage in shots on goal. David Windmiller tallied seven saves in the win, while Rodrigo De LaTerga made three in the loss.

In the second semifinal, Francis Marion (7-5-5) defeated third-seeded North Greenville (9-5-3), 2-0, after a dominant second half. After a scoreless first half dominated by strong defensive play, it took an incredible shot off the foot of Alvaro Zamora to break the tie. Zamora bent the ball inside the far post off of a strong touch from Javier Bello and Pedro Crespo for the 1-0 lead in the 51st minute. The Patriots added insurance in the 70th minute as Jhancarlo Palma sent a beautiful cross through the box and found the feet of Matias Morales who beat the keeper near post for the two-goal advantage. FMU outshot NGU 16-7 with a 10-3 margin in shots on goal. Michel Weber played big in goal for the Crusaders with seven saves in the loss, while Andrea Scapolo stopped all three shots he faced.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament live and on-demand via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and the Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park are available here.

2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Championship
First Round – Wednesday, October 26 (Higher Seed Hosts)
#8 Emmanuel def. #5 Mount Olive, 2-0 (Box Score)
#6 Lees-McRae def. #7 Barton, 1-0 (Box Score)

Quarterfinals – Saturday, October 29 (Higher Seed Hosts)
#8 Emmanuel def. #4 Chowan, 1-1 (4-1 PKs) (Box Score)
#3 North Greenville def. #6 Lees-McRae, 2-0 (Box Score)

Semifinals – Friday, November 4 (Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park – Browns Summit N.C.)
#1 Converse def. #8 Emmanuel, 4-0 (Box Score)
Winner of #3-#6-#7 vs. #2 Francis Marion, 2-0 (Box Score)

Final – Sunday, November 6 (Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park – Browns Summit N.C.)
#1 Converse vs. #2 Francis Marion, 4 p.m.