DEMOREST, Ga. – Junior forward Enrique Hernandez of the LaGrange College men's soccer team netted his third collegiate game-winner during the 67th minute in a 3-1 win at Piedmont Sunday afternoon.
The matchup between the Panthers (3-0) and Lions (2-3) was not a USA South-counting contest. The two teams will meet Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. on Panther Field for a conference battle. LaGrange, which has won three consecutive games against the Lions, picked up its second win in program history at Piedmont.
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"We came out looking strong and were able to get a goal early to put us ahead," said LaGrange College Men's Soccer Head Coach Ryan Dickson. "Piedmont's red card changed the game completely for both teams. We allowed the Lions to get back into the game. We reacted well and closed the game out with two good goals. We will look to build on our momentum and keep putting in good performances before conference play."
The Panthers struck first, as junior midfielder Austin Anderson drew a penalty in the 18-yard box during the ninth minute. Webb, who has two goals and two assists on the season, buried the penalty kick from 12 yards out into the bottom left corner.
Less than five minutes into the second half, senior defender Evan Sampers made an outstanding steal at the midfield line, and then utilized a diving effort to stop the ball from going out of bounds. He played a terrific ball down the left attacking side, but Anderson's shot from the top of the box was blocked by a Piedmont defender.
Cameron Earls generated the equalizer in the 57th minute on a penalty kick. Junior goalkeeper Lucas Wright dove the correct way, but the shot was just beyond his reach at the left post. During the 60th minute, Webb sent a right-side corner kick into a perfect spot near the goal line, but just missed connections with junior forward Jaydon Parrish.
Midway through the second half, freshman midfielder William Perry won a 50-50 ball on the edge of the box. He made a pass to Hernandez, who exploded down the left side and netted a shot in between the goalkeeper's legs, putting LC in front, 2-1, with 23:54 on the scoreboard.
Senior midfielder Asher Hendon gave LC some breathing room just over a minute later, as he redirected a free kick by Webb into the net during the 68th minute. Hendon has two goals on the season and seven during his career in a Panther uniform.
Wright, who has nine collegiate wins, improved to 3-0 on the season and 3-0 in his career against Piedmont. LaGrange led the shots category, 19-8, with strong advantages of 10-4 and 9-4 in the first and second half, respectively. The visitors also led the corner kicks statistic, 6-4, while boasting an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Hernandez, who has four career goals against Piedmont, scored his first collegiate hat trick during a 3-2 season-ending win over the Lions on March 26. Webb, who has three goals and two assists in his three meetings with the Lions, buried the game-winning tally in overtime during a 2-1 triumph at Piedmont on Oct. 1, 2019.
The Panthers will compete against Averett in their home opener Saturday at 2 p.m. on Panther Field.
Assistant Sports Information Director Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lagrange.edu.
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