2 Goals, 2 Assists by Brandon Porras; 9 Saves by Francesco Molinar Lead SMC to 4-3 Win

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Brandon Porras scored two goals and assisted on two more to lead the Spartanburg Methodist College men's soccer team to a 4-3 win over Johnson & Wales (N.C.) on Thursday afternoon.

The Greenville, S.C. native scored the game-winning goal with :45 left in the match, went to the lower right of the goal for the game-winning tally that prompted a sea of teammates to celebrate with him. Porras is the first Pioneer since James Sharpe (Sept. 27, 2022 vs. USC-Union) to score a pair of goals and record two assists in a game.

Despite allowing three.goals, the play of SMC goalkeeper Francesco Molinar was just as impressive as his offensive counterparts. The junior from Cali, Colombia tied a season-high with nine saves in the win.

The Wildcats (5-4-3) erased a 2-0 deficit with a pair of goals in the 63^rd and 67^th minute. Then, Porras put up his first goal in the 73^rd minute when he took on a pair of JWU defenders and split them with a shot for the go-ahead goal. JWU countered and tied it at 3 when Eugenio de la Parra scored in the 89^th minute.

Not wanting to settle for a tie, the SMC attack put pressure on the JWU defense and organized an opportunity that was disrupted when a foul was called on the visitors from Charlotte. Pioneers head coach Doug Smith knew who he wanted on the free kick – Porras and he delivered the game-winning tally to bring jubilation back to the crowd at the Nash Soccer Field.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Pioneers and raised the home record to 3-0-1 on the season.

Next, SMC will return to the rigors of Continental Athletic Conference play when they travel to Takoma Park, Maryland for matchups against host Washington Adventist (Sat., Oct. 19 at 9:15 p.m.) and Fisher (Sun., Oct. 20 at 8 p.m.).