Wilmington, NC (August 29, 2023) - Cape Fear Men's Soccer faced off with NCAA Division III opponent Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC on Monday night. The Sea Devils held off Methodist with a 3-1 lead before the Monarchs drew out a few impactful goals to close things out in the final minutes of play. As the Sea Devils look forward to avenging last season's Region 10 Championship loss, this solid matchup against an NCAA opponent further assists Cape Fear in preparing for the coming road ahead in NJCAA Region 10 conference play.
Cape Fear was down 0-1 in the first half before Emilio Roman tied things up off of a solid PK execution. While the Monarchs played fast and moved the ball up the field quickly, Cape Fear was able to stay composed and hold off any major scoring opportunities before halftime. Moving into the second half, the Sea Devils went up 2-1 with a clutch assist from Alex Medina to Alex Flores - who earned a well-placed shot to the upper 90.
Harold Macias solidified the lead with a well-executed header off of a free kick in the 61st minute. Unfortunately for Cape Fear, a few costly defensive mistakes let Methodist begin their comeback and eventually tie up the game 3-3.
While the Sea Devils held their own for most of the match and controlled most of the tempo, a few internal miscommunications and mistakes cost them the tie. But Cape Fear has a lot to be proud of and looks forward to cleaning up simple errors as they prepare for their next opponent.
"We out-played them, but simple mistakes from their corners and set pieces cost us the tie," says Head Men's Soccer Coach Giovanni Vlahos. "Got to get back to work this week and prepare for our next game on Monday."
The Sea Devils will take on Virginia Peninsula on Monday, September 4th at North Campus Soccer Field at 4 PM.
