JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE - The #5 Wofford Terriers defeated the #4 ETSU Buccaneers 2-1 at Summers-Taylor Stadium in front of a crowd of 147, with Wofford's Declan Mettee scoring the winning goal in extra time.
The match began with both teams assessing each other's defensive capabilities, ETSU, ranked first in the SoCon standings, struggled to create clear chances against the #5 Wofford Terriers (6-10-2), who were riding a one-game winning streak. Nathan Simes had an early opportunity in the 12th minute, but his shot sailed wide. ETSU responded with a through ball to Samantha Erbach in the 20th minute, but her effort was saved.
The deadlock was broken in the 38th minute when Henrique Cruz netted for Wofford, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by ETSU. The Buccaneers pushed hard for an equalizer in the closing stages of the first half, but Wofford's defense held firm. ETSU's pressure mounted late in the half, but they were unable to score. The Terriers went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
ETSU increased their attacking pressure in the second half, with Erbach striking the post in the 55th minute. Wofford's counter-attacks posed a significant threat, and they doubled their lead in the 87th minute through Stewart Patnaud, who finished a well-worked move. ETSU finally found their breakthrough in the 90th minute, with a goal from an ETSU midfielder. The equalizing goal came too late to prevent Wofford from pushing for a winner in extra time.
In the 103rd minute, Declan Mettee scored the winning goal off a cross from Nathan Simes, securing Wofford's 2-1 victory. Wofford dominated statistically with 18 shot attempts (9 on target) compared to ETSU's 5 (3 on target). ETSU received four yellow cards, including two to defenders, as frustration mounted.
The loss dropped ETSU to 1-4 in conference play, while Wofford advanced to face Furman in the SoCon Championship.