A 7th minute stunner by
Gustavo Batista was precisely the opener Principia needed when they took on conference leaders Greenville College on Tuesday night in Elsah, IL. in a must win encounter for both teams, where showing up was never going to be enough.
Both teams came in playing with a sense of urgency and made for a great match to watch. Greenville will rue their missed opportunities off their corner kicks while the gold and blue capitalized on two corner kick opportunities. Batista effort came in from a corner kick served by
Patrick Harber and he did well to roof the ball in the near post. The rest of the half was back and forth with both teams fighting to keep the ball with neither clearly gaining the edge in possession.
The second half would begin the same for Principia when
McGuire Semnacher put the final touch following a build up from the right flank to give Principia the much needed cushion in the 47th minute. This reprieve however, was short-lived as the battling Panthers from Greenville responded with a quick strike in the 48th minute. Principia did well to weather the onslaught for the next ten minutes eventually shifting momentum their way. The much needed insurance policy came courtesy of
Alan Cheatham's header following an 81st minute
Abi Carper corner kick. Principia now prepare for their final match of the regular season where they will face Fontbonne University on Saturday at 3pm in Elsah, IL.
