LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama men's soccer team picked up its first win of the season in dominant fashion Friday night, defeating Trevecca Nazarene 5-1 at the UWA Soccer Field.
The victory also marked the Tigers' first Gulf South Conference win of the year.
"The lads were electric tonight," said head coach Ross Nelson. "Leading into this game we spoke a lot about energy and making it click, and we saw exactly that! Wins aren't easy in the GSC, so to come away with a 5-1 win against a very dangerous team is a great achievement."
David Nunez put UWA on the board early in the 18th minute, converting a penalty kick for his third goal of the season. Trevecca quickly responded just a minute later when Chris Douglas, assisted by Luke Tedder, found the equalizer to even the match at 1-1.
West Alabama reclaimed control in the 30th minute when Harrison Page scored his first goal of the season off an assist from Ronny Wakelin, sending the Tigers into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
The second half was all UWA, as the Tigers poured in three more goals to pull away. Clement Baron scored less than two minutes after the break, assisted by Oisin Griffin, before Gonzalo Rawinad extended the lead in the 59th minute off a feed from Jamie Tomlinson. Freshman Luke Jovanovich capped the scoring in the 84th minute with his first career goal, assisted by Gabriel Capocci.
The Tigers outshot Trevecca 23-5, including a 10-2 edge in shots on target. UWA also matched the Trojans in corner kicks at seven apiece. Goalkeeper Charlie Walker faced just two shots on goal, finishing with one save in the win.
"We will look to build on this now and get some momentum," Nelson continued. "It's a quick turnaround, so we will enjoy it tonight, but tomorrow all focus on Lee Sunday."
West Alabama improves to 1-2-1 on the season and 1-0-0 in GSC play, while Trevecca Nazarene falls to 2-1-1 overall and 0-1-0 in the conference. UWA will close their weekend on Sunday with a 3:30 p.m. matchup against the Lee Flames.
