LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama men's soccer team secured a 2-1 victory over Montevallo Wednesday night at the UWA Soccer Firld, closing out its regular-season home schedule with a Gulf South Conference win.
The Tigers improve to 5-5-4 overall and 3-2-3 in GSC play, moving into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings with Montevallo, which also holds a 3-2-3 league record and falls to 4-5-4 overall. West Alabama has now won two consecutive matches.
West Alabama opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Jesper Bakli found the back of the net to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage. The goal marked Bakli's sixth of the season, and the Tigers carried their lead into halftime.
After a scoreless opening stretch in the second half, West Alabama doubled its advantage in the 75th minute. Florian Laot scored his sixth goal of the season off an assist from David Nunez, putting the Tigers ahead 2-0 with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Montevallo responded in the 83rd minute when Juan Diego Alfaro Barrantes scored off an assist from Viktor Willems, cutting the deficit to one. The Falcons continued to push for an equalizer late, but West Alabama held on to secure the 2-1 victory in its home finale.
The Tigers controlled much of the offensive action, finishing with a 21-16 advantage in shots and a 13-5 edge in shots on target. Montevallo goalkeeper Andre Etcheverry recorded 11 saves, while Dan Erez made four stops for West Alabama. The Tigers also finished with two corner kicks, compared to six for the Falcons.
Bakli and Laot each scored their sixth goal of the season, while Nunez added his assist on Laot's second-half strike. Erez anchored the defensive effort as the Tigers held off Montevallo's late push.
West Alabama will now turn its attention to its next GSC matchup, traveling to face Mississippi Christian on Saturday, October 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
